Engineers prepare for earthquake

With almost six months to go before the 2006 hurricane season, most Belizeans are not thinking about catastrophes. But one group of professionals is planning ahead…although not for wind and rain.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Although we?ve felt a few tremors over the years, earthquakes are not high on Belize?s top ten list of natural disasters. But the Association of Professional Engineers of Belize says better be safe than sorry.

Philip Waight, President, APEB
“Even though common belief or the common practise or the common idea is that Belize won?t suffer an earthquake, you find that there is an earthquake belt right below us and the tremors and the effect and the difference of soil conditions and all that, as we discovered recently, would have a major effect on Belize. Now will it happen? We don’t know. There is a distinct possibility it could as well it might not. However, the idea is that in terms from an engineering point of view is that we have to start design and make recommendations to establish standards and codes to address all the natural disasters that would exist.”

This week, local engineers met at a seminar that included discussions on structural dynamics, earthquake engineering analysis methods, and the design of new structures for seismic performance. APEB’s President Philip Waight, says he is encouraged by the participants response.

Philip Waight
“The engineers now want to reach a standard and stop doing business as usual and elevate so that we could serve the clients, serve the people, and serve Belize as we develop.”

Waight says the change may mean an initial increase in cost to clients, but he explains why it would be money well spent.

Philip Waight
“For example, if you build a building, somebody build their dream house you find that after a year or two its totally destroyed by some disaster, you find that you have to start all over again. If you build in preparation for that, you find that it would surpass the disaster or at least the retrofitting that is necessary would be minimal. So you find that the initial costs in some cases might go up, but the long term effect is much better.”

In addition to established engineers, students from U.B. also attended the two-day seminar.

Later this year, APEB will be hosting a similar seminar in which the discussions will centre on the more familiar problem of hurricanes.