Vigeng Harutyunyany yHead of department of Data acquisition
processing and analysis

Asian Conference on Disaster
Reduction, ACDR 2016

General information
Republic ofArmenia
President
ArmenianYerevan
Marz (11 Marzes in all including Yerevan)

Dram (international currency code - AMD)29.74 thousand square km
north- Georgia
south- Iraneast- Azerbaijan
west- Turkey
1800 mAragats mountain - 4090 m
D b d river
iDebedcanyon - 380 m

3,018,000

in January - -6.8°C, in July - +20.8°C
Greenwich mean time + 4 hours

Devastating disaster 1988
N t
Naturall HazardsHd iin Armenia
AiEarthquakes
Mudslides
Landslides
rockfalls
kf llFloods
Irradiation

94%6%

S it k Earthquake
SpitakE thk 1988
Time: December 7, 1988 at 7.41.22.7 GMT (11.41.22.7 local time)
Coordinates of epicenter:
latitude 40.92°N, longitude 44.23°E
The depth of the hypocenter: 10-15 km
The magnitude of the earthquake: 7.0
The intensity at the epicenter:10 (MSK-64 intensity scale)

The earthquake hit 40 % of the territory of Armenia,
Armenia densely
populated region with 1 ml people. The affected area, where the intensityof the earthquake was > 8, involved 30002 km area.
21 towns and 342 villages were destructed
514 000 people were left without shelter
20 000 people were injured
12 500 ppeople
p were hospitalizedp
25 000 people died
17% fundf d off dwellingsd lliwere destroyed,d t
d theth work
k off 170 industrial
i d ti lcompanies were halted, the great losses were caused to villages andagro industrial complexes as well as to the architectural, historical andcultural monuments, 917 public buildings were destroyed.

The unexpected disaster took unawares thegand agencies
gthat were called to work inorganizations
emergency. The rescue activities were systemized only twoor three days later. From the first second the earthquake
strike, the population carried out restless rescuing works.
Anyhow the absence of their experience and sometimes thelack of basic knowledge on actions in emergency caused realdifficulties for the efficiency of rescue operations. Even there
were cases when the ppublic unawareness broughtg to lifelosses. Also there was a need of rescue equipment.

The main reasons of the losses are various.
Noteworthy among them are as follows:
1. The seismic hazard of the territory of Armenia wasunderestimated The intensity of 1988 earthquake was assessed inunderestimated.
Spitak 10, in Gyumri and Stephanavan 9 and in Vanadzor 8-9 value
on MSK-64 intensity scale.
2 Th
2.
The quality
lit off construction
t ti was inadequate.
i dt TheTh constructiont titechnologies were violated and the materials didn’t correspond tothe standards.
3. The special governmental committee studying disaster
subsequences found out that definite mistakes in construction
designingg g were made.
4. Governmental bodies weren’t able to control the situation in timeand arrange the rescue works. Many structures weren’t ready toresist the disaster.
There is a need to raise public awareness. It is necessary to learn
from past tragedy as the made mistakes are uncountable and thepersons who made those mistakes are inexcusably numerous.

Seismic Hazard map of Armenia maid in 1978(by Baghramyan)

National Survey for Seismic Protection (Armenian NSSP) of the Ministry of
Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia (MES of RA)
MINISTRY OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OF ARMENIA
Rescue Service(including Crisis
Management
gCenter- themain body for planning, cocoordinating andimplementing measuresrelated to natural and otherforms of disasters)

NationalNtil Survey
S
ffor
Seismic Protection(Armenian NSSP)

Hydrometeorology
Hdtland Monitoring
State ServiceNational
Ntil
Technical
Safety Center

AtmosphericPh
Phenomena
In Active
ServiceImpact

State ofE
Emergency
CrisisManagement
Academy''NSSP'' AGENCY
Northern Survey For
Seismic Protection

Southern Survey For
Seismic Protection

Western Survey For
Seismic Protection

AArmeniani NSSP was founded
fd d ini 1991.
1991 TheTh maini objectives
bj ti
andd theth aims
iare as follows:f ll•Provision of seismic hazard monitoring in the territory of Armenia•Assessment of the seismic hazard and seismic risk of the territories•Seismic
S i i riski k reductiond ti•Assessment of the levels of caused seismicity•Assessment of other secondary hazards connected with the seismic hazard.

Eastern Survey For
Seismic Protection

Laws and regulations
Seismic Protection activities are regulated by anumber of laws and legislative acts and national
programs of the Republic of Armenia
Armenia::
Law of RA

The LawThL
off theth RepublicRbli off Armenia
Ai on Seismic
S i i Protection
P t ti(2002)
The Complex Program of Seismic Risk Reduction in the RA
Territory (1999)

The Complex Program of Seismic Risk Reduction in Yerevan city
Resolutions of (1999)
Government
The Resolution of the Government of RA on establishment ofthe list of critical important and general facilities in the field ofseismic protection (2003)

Regulation “National Survey for Seismic Protection” Agency (2008)

There are four types of seismic
network in Armenia:- Telemetric Network- Vayk Network- Regional Network- Global Seismograph Network Station (IRIS/GSN)In Garni, at the geophysical observatory, installed seismic recordingstation. This station included in the IRIS Global Seismographic Network(GSN) and providing seismographic data to research earthquake hazard
mitigation and the verification of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty(CTBT). It is also the goal to provide real
real-time
time access to its data via
satellite. GSN Garni station meet this goal.

VaykGuralp Network

GURALP STATION

Seismic record of Guralp station

VAYK STATIONSeismic record of Vayk station

NEW BUILDING OF NSSPIRIS STATION

Seismic record of IRIS station

Real-Time Seismic Intensity Display System of theRepublic
pof Armenia in Cooperation
pwith JICA

Map of the epicenters of earthquakes with magnitude M≥2.5
for time period 1962-2015

MAP OF FAULTSSEISMIC HAZARD MAP OF RA

SEISMIC RISK ASSESSMENT MAP OF RA

Disaster Management Strategy based on the Hyogo Framework of Action(HFA)
MES develops National DRR Strategy, Crisis Management Centers and National Disaster Observatory. Armenia
has also registered a progress in the implementation of HFA, and among the key developments towards
establishment of decentralized DRR system has been decree of the MES on appointment of Heads of MES
Regional
gRepresentations
pas HFA implementationp
focal ppoints at the country
y 11 regionalg((marz)) level.

Crisis Management Center in Yerevan

Crisis Management Centers in Marzes

Disaster Education and Human Resource Development in Armenia
The state training system includes the following subsystems, which are done
regularly:• Training of target groups beginning from kindergartens and schools• Educational programs, methodical manuals, relevant interactive materials• TV and radio pprograms,
g,ppublications in mass media• Social-psychological preparedness.

Armenia collaborating with ADRC (since 2000) and JICA (since 2007) in theframe of various projects and programs implements the research, education andtraining for the DRR specialists who acquired and shared valuable Japaneseexperience.
Ministry
Mii t off Science
S iandd Education
Edtit
togetherthwithith theth Ministry
Mi i t off Territorial
T it i l
Administration and Emergency Situations in the frame disaster risk reduction
program will submit to National Assembly proposals and additions for the Law
On Public Education
Education” aiming at inclusion disaster risk reduction elements in the“Onschool curricula.

Disaster education at kindergartens and schools

Disaster education at companies and municipalities
an local autorities

Tasks of Building and Structure Seismic
Risk Evaluation Division

Data base creation for urban planning of towns andsettlements using GIS technology

Urban planning detailed mappingEstimation of facilities’ design seismic resistanceSeismic risk evaluation for towns and settlements

Seismic risk mapping for towns and settlements



Rapid damage estimation for towns and settlements inepicentral zone in case of major earthquake.

The Armenian NSSP Task Force members
seismologist-seismotectonist
seismologist
seismotectonist• seismologist• geo-technician• earthquake engineer• communication engineer• public
bli awareness expertt• logistics,grescuer• psychologist•

SRR Strategy includes:










Seismic Hazard and Risk Assessment;
Vulnerability reduction in urban areas
areas, including reinforcement
and upgrading of existing buildings, design of new codes andstandards;
Public awareness, people education and training;
Early warning and notification;
Partnership establishment
establishment, involving public and privateorganizations;
Risk management, including Emergency Response and RescueOperations;
Disaster relief and people rehabilitation;
Insurance;
State disaster Law and regulations.

earthquake engineering
 population education and training
 preparedness of government officials
and local authorities
 development of early warning system
 compiling of hazard and maps


INSARAG
Armenia Became A Member of International Rescue FamilyyTwo Urban Search and Rescue Teams of the RS of the RA MES
successfully underwent a 36-hour rather difficult external classification
exam-exercise. A positive conclusion of peer experts was needed toundergo the classification process of INSARAG.
INSARAG The purpose of themeeting was to summarize the results of the last qualification phase ofthe examination held from 1 to 4 September 2015.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIPS

27ARMENIANNSSP