"It is necessary to review the rules and regulations seismic-resistant of the country."
Experts debate at the University of Navarra on how to prevent damage caused by earthquakes
"It is necessary to review the seismic-resistant rules and regulations , especially in the periphery of the country". This was stated by Antonio Aretxabala, geologist and director technician of the laboratory of Building of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra, during the roundtable 'Anti-seismic construction, questions with answers?', which took place in the academic center.
All participants agreed on the same idea: "We need a good rules and regulations, apply it well and take care of the execution of what is not seen", explained Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez, director of department of Building. "In addition, it is evident the need to review a 48-page rule , in which 47 pages make reference letter to Structures and only one talks about other elements," he pointed out.
For his part, Domingo Pellicer, Full Professor de Construcción, made reference letter to the 'luck' factor: "You cannot fight against the impossible. An acceleration of 0.36 is like a bomb in a village, and this is what has happened in Lorca".
Likewise, Eduardo Bayo, Full Professor of department of Structures of the University of Navarra, added that the anti-seismic rules and regulations "is a basic document, not an encyclopedia". "An earthquake like this puts us all in our place, but in Lorca there should not have been so much damage. This is a good lesson because in Lorca there was an area poorly located and poorly planned by the rule".
Finally, Alberto Otamendi, director of Civil Protection of the Emergency Agency of Navarra (ANE), explained that "the attitude of some citizens to go to degree program also made them more vulnerable".
After colloquium, moderated by Rebeca Esnaola, attendees had the opportunity to ask the experts questions and discuss their doubts.