March 10, 2015 - Los Santos, Santander Earthquake, Colombia (Surveyed March 24-25, 2015) Build Change Post-Disaster Reconnaissance Report

On March 10th, 2015,  several regions of Northern Colombia were shaken by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake. The epicenter was located 178 km below the area known as Mesa de Los Santos.

On March 24th and 25th, a reconnaissance team of Build Change staff visited the earthquake affected area. This report summarizes the observations of that visit.

1. Identify the main types of existing structures common in the affected areas, especially those that suffered damages. 
2. Make a general evaluation of the most common damages and failure modes that appear in the building structures, to improve understanding of the seismic vulnerability of the common building types. 
3. Gain an understanding of the distribution of damages throughout the affected region (concentrated or dispersed). 
4. Meet with people in the affected towns and obtain contact information to allow follow-up communications in the future.