Major damage from the October 10 earthquake was concentrated in and around the capital city of San Salvador. Losses exceeded $900 million, or 25% of El Salvador's 1986 gross domestic product. Poor soil conditions, ineffective land use controls, and inadequate building practices combined with the severe shaking intensity to produce widespread damage to both engineered and nonengineered structures. Residential, institutional, and commercial buildings sustained heavy damage. Nonstructural damage and damage to building contents contributed to economic and operational loss. Government officials are making a deliberate attempt to incorporate new knowledge in reconstruction planning. However, recovery and reconstruction will be a slow process due to the current state of the economy.
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Research Article|
August 01, 1987
The San Salvador Earthquake of October 10, 1986—Architecture and Urban Planning
Michael E. Durkin, M.EERI;
Michael E. Durkin, M.EERI
Research Associate Professor, School of Architecture, University of Southern California
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John Hopkins, M.EERI
John Hopkins, M.EERI
Director of Public Services, City of Belmont, California
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Earthquake Spectra (1987) 3 (3): 609–620.
Article history
first online:
01 Jun 2020
Citation
Michael E. Durkin, John Hopkins; The San Salvador Earthquake of October 10, 1986—Architecture and Urban Planning. Earthquake Spectra 1987;; 3 (3): 609–620. doi: https://doi.org/10.1193/1.1585448
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- building codes
- buildings
- Central America
- construction materials
- cracks
- damage
- earthquakes
- economics
- El Salvador
- engineering properties
- faults
- geologic hazards
- ground motion
- land use
- natural hazards
- regulations
- risk assessment
- San Salvador earthquake 1986
- San Salvador El Salvador
- seismic zoning
- soils
- strong motion
- urban environment
- volcanoes
- walls
- San Salvador earthquake 1854
- San Salvador earthquake 1839
Latitude & Longitude
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