Rapid post disaster building usability assessment – earthquake

The objective of the rapid building assessment is to quickly establish the usability of buildings and associated infrastructure where functions may be compromised by a hazard event. Hazard events include earthquake, flood, landslide, rock-fall, volcanic eruption, storm surge, tsunami, explosion, or other event with life safety, residential or business consequences.

The scope of these guidelines covers the rapid assessment of buildings to be carried out during a State of Emergency declared under the Civil Defence Emergency Act 2002. The focus of this document is from when the initial impact assessment is completed until the emergency declaration is lifted. The focus of the rapid building assessment process is on immediate public safety, not the provision of an engineering assessment service to building owners. Quantified assessment of building damage is necessary to determine reconstruction programmes and resource requirements for repair, and to assess how long recovery may take. Such detailed assessment is outside the scope of this document.