Damage patterns in the town of Amatrice after August 24th 2016 Central Italy earthquakes

TLDR

The twin earthquakes of 24 August 2016 caused extensive destruction in Amatrice. The authors analyzed 260 strong‑motion records, produced a shakemap, and mapped damage patterns in the historic center using EMS 98, attributing the high destruction to masonry vulnerability. The earthquakes caused 298 deaths, 386 injuries, about 5,000 people left homeless, and over 60 % of inspected historic‑center buildings collapsed.

Abstract

The impact of the two seismic events of August 24th 2016 on the municipality of Amatrice was highly destructive. There were 298 victims, 386 injured, about 5000 homeless, and the historical center of the town suffered a great number of partial and total collapses. The 260 strong motion records obtained for the first event were analyzed and plotted in a shakemap, comparing them with the macroseismic damage surveys made in 305 localities. On the basis of an inspection survey made in September 2016, a map of the damage patterns of the buildings in the historical center was elaborated according to the EMS 98 classification. The damage level resulted very high with more than 60% of the inspected buildings showing partial or total collapse. The elevated level of destruction was mainly caused by the high vulnerability of the masonry buildings, mostly due to specific vulnerability factors such as the poor quality of masonry, the lack of connections between walls and the poor connection between external walls and floors.