Latakia - SANA
Participants in the technical meeting to develop a methodology and rapid assessment guide for the usability of buildings after the earthquake, which was organized by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, in cooperation with the Lattakia Governorate, reached recommendations from three axes that will be worked on through specialized committees.
The recommendations included activating administrative and technical procedures with the aim of speeding up action related to those affected, clarifying the methodology and developing the stages of work and the comprehensive assessment form approved, especially for the advanced stages after the rapid assessment, and the need to support the sub-committees formed with basic work tools and techniques by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (Habitat) and United Nations organizations. And the emphasis on continuing work by holding specialized meetings at work sites in the affected areas and ensuring the continuity of work, in addition to supporting emergency operations rooms.
The interventions of the participants in the meeting dealt with the procedures of the committees with regard to the mechanism of work of the committees formed to inspect the structural safety of buildings in the affected governorates, the obstacles they face, and the equipment and equipment they need to complete their tasks to the fullest.
The Governor of Lattakia, Eng. Amer Ismail Hilal, said: We are in a very important stage represented by the emergency response to the disaster, whether from a health, economic or psychological point of view, as we face many challenges that require a deep and accurate understanding of the mechanisms for evaluating reality and adopting a unified methodology to implement recommendations and work mechanisms in several sectors. Among them is the assessment of damages, especially residential ones, to support the affected people and rebuild or rehabilitate their homes. This cannot be achieved without the availability of national support in various fields, both governmental and private.
The Assistant Minister of Public Works and Housing, Mary Al-Talli, indicated in a statement to SANA reporter that the work of the public safety inspection committees should be re-framed after reviewing the obstacles and difficulties facing their work, and the mechanisms and techniques they need to perform their work in the best manner and developing the methodology of the engineering work guide for the intervention teams and the rapid assessment of usability. Buildings after the earthquake disaster, and setting priorities for the next stage based on the data set that is being worked on.
Al-Talli indicated that the technical committees specialized in structural safety to detect buildings exceeded their number in the governorates of Lattakia and Aleppo, 100 committees in each governorate, and approximately 68 committees in Hama governorate, and these committees revealed more than 22 thousand damaged buildings in Lattakia and more than 12 thousand buildings in Aleppo.
The Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program, Hiroshi Takabayashi, explained that its participation aims to provide technical expertise and support government efforts to assess and rehabilitate the damage caused by the earthquake to buildings and to reassure people that they can return to their homes safely.
The director of the branch of the General Company for Engineering Studies in the coastal region, Dr. Siraj Jadid, pointed out the necessity of unifying the efforts and forms that are collected from the detection committees, using the data, extracting information and downloading it on maps for spatial analysis, and benefiting from the experiences of international organizations in developing the work mechanism.
The Director of Technical Affairs in the Lattakia City Council, Eng. Monther Dayoub, called for reviewing the experiences of other governorate committees in dealing with cases of buildings that must be demolished and those that are about to fall.
Engineer Hakam Sibahi, Director of Technical Services in Hama Governorate, pointed out that all the inspections carried out by the public safety committees are based on in-kind observations, while in reality we need modern equipment and specialized equipment to ensure the integrity of the structural whole and the technical specifications of the buildings.
Rasha Raslan
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