The effects of cyclones, tsunami and earthquakes on built environments and strategies for reduced damage

Abstract

There is a general belief that Sri Lanka is in a disaster free zone. However, frequent cyclone warnings and earthquake tremors over the past few decades and the December 2004 Tsunami show that this belief may no longer be valid for Sri Lanka. The Tsunami of 26th December 2004, which devastated a 800 km stretch of costal area of Sri Lanka killed more than 36,000 unwary people and displaced more than 800,000. It was the worst ever disaster in the history of Sri Lanka. Due to inadequate attention paid to these events in construction practice, the damages caused are enormous both to human life and to the built environment. There is no guarantee that this kind of natural disaster will not happen again. They could repeat in the future, may be with lower magnitudes or intensity. This indicates that some kind of disaster preparedness is of great importance today. This paper deals with few natural disasters which could affect the built environment, and suggests some simple and useful guidelines to improve the disaster resistance of low rise buildings