Indonesia, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, which have caused significant damage to school infrastructure. Despite national guidelines on constructing earthquake- and tsunami-resistant buildings, a critical gap remains in assessing the structural resilience of schools under multi-hazard scenarios. This study evaluates the structural capacity of typical two-storey reinforced concrete school buildings, focusing on bare frame and infilled wall structures, using pushover and Variable Depth Pushover (VDPO) analyses. Finite element models were developed in OpenSees, applying seismic and tsunami loads to derive capacity curves. The results reveal that while infilled wall structures exhibit higher initial stiffness and strength, they are prone to brittle failure once the infills degrade. In contrast, bare frame structures demonstrate greater ductility, sustaining larger displacements without abrupt failure. The VDPO analysis shows that the bare frame structure maintains stability under increasing hydrodynamic forces, while the infilled wall structure experiences rapid strength degradation due to the collapse of infills.

The insurance of green economy assets against natural hazards is a growing market. This study explores whether currently available published knowledge is adequate for the vulnerability assessment of these assets to natural hazards. A matrix is constructed to demonstrate the vulnerability to functional loss of 37 asset classes in the renewable energy, green construction, resource management, carbon capture and storage, energy storage, and sustainable transportation sectors. The 28 hazards adopted range from environmental and geophysical events to oceanic, coastal, and space weather events. A fundamental challenge in constructing the matrix was the lack of an asset–hazard taxonomy for the green economy. Each matrix cell represents the vulnerability of an asset to a specific hazard, based on a comprehensive systematic literature review. A confidence level is assigned to each vulnerability assessment based on a literature density heat map. The latter highlights specific knowledge gaps, in particular a lack of quantitative vulnerability studies that appropriately represent all functional loss mechanisms in green economy assets. Apart from charting research gaps, a main output of this study is the proposal of a representative asset–hazard taxonomy to guide future quantitative research that can be applied by the insurance industry.

More than 20 years have passed since the tragic 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 227 000 people and devastated the coastlines of 14 countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. This tragic event kickstarted a worldwide effort in advancing knowledge towards mitigating the catastrophic effects of future tsunami. The ensuing research has greatly enhanced our understanding of tsunami, informing better infrastructure design and risk mitigation practices.

Coastal boulder deposits hold the potential to aid in the reconstruction of past extreme wave events. However, commonly used hydrodynamic equations for calculating wave heights from transported boulders can be inaccurate. New and alternative methods need to be explored in an interdisciplinary way to ensure a more complete picture of the phenomenon of boulder transport is achieved. Through the use of a physical experiment, this study aims to investigate the influence of different tsunami wave types, wave parameters and boulder shapes on boulder transport distance. The experimental results also allow for a novel application of dimensional analysis to enable comparisons with other experiments as well as a field case study. In the experiment an elongate irregularly shaped boulder showed transport distances up to 1 m farther than a cuboid shaped boulder under the influence of the same waves. The irregularly shaped boulder had a predominant transport mode of rolling, whereas the cuboid shaped boulder predominantly underwent sliding transport. Tsunami wave type also influenced boulder transport distances, with N-waves frequently showing greater transport than E-waves of a comparable wave steepness. Key offshore wave and boulder parameters were then compared through dimensional analysis using Buckingham's Pi Theorem, enabling comparisons to other datasets to be made. Data from another published experimental study and a field study in Settai, Japan, showed reasonable agreement, particularly for the shorter period field data. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating boulder shape, wave type, and dimensional analysis into future studies, providing a foundation for more accurate reconstructions of past tsunami events.

In a time of climate emergency due to global warming, nature-based coastal defence systems are attractive solutions for flood mitigation and adaptation. Coastal forests such as mangroves have received a growing interest for their disaster mitigation effectiveness such as water flow energy dissipation, hence helping communities to become more resilient (Iimura & Tanaka, 2012). The role of coastal forests as a defence measure was highlighted in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people and displaced millions more across fourteen countries. Post-disaster damage observations indicated that forests, particularly mangroves, reduced the impact of the tsunami wave in some locations. As a result, significant international relief and reconstruction efforts focused on extensive forest replantation of coastlines (Satake, 2014). The role of coastal vegetation in reducing the severity of tsunami waves has been studied since. Several studies using physical modelling and computational approaches have provided insights into the wave attenuation provided by coastal vegetation, in terms of relationships between incident hydrodynamic conditions, forest configurations and wave height decay. However, there are still many gaps in knowledge, particularly in quantifying the efficacy of coastal forests in reducing inland hydrodynamic conditions (Tomiczek et al., 2020). It is therefore essential to improve the understanding on how wave heights, velocities and runup are influenced by the characteristics of the “obstacles”, e.g. the forest density, as well as the incident hydrodynamic conditions, e.g. the wave period. This study aims to address these questions conducting physical experiments using the novel pneumatic Tsunami Simulator (TS) developed by HR Wallingford together with UCL (Rossetto et al., 2011).

Seismic retrofitting solutions for reinforced concrete (RC) school building types in high-seismic regions are extensively reported in the state-of-the-art. Conversely, limited studies have focused on the extent of retrofitting needed for RC school buildings in low- to moderate-seismic regions. To explore this aspect, seismic retrofitting options for RC school buildings in Sri Lanka are investigated. Three retrofitting options are examined: (1) adding/altering masonry infill walls (MI walls) to reduce irregularity in buildings, (2) RC jacketing of columns and (3) a combination of adding/altering MI walls and RC jacketing. These retrofit options are applied to a common typology of Sri Lankan MI-RC school buildings, considering two and three storey height variations. A simplified numerical modelling approach that accounts for the contribution of MIs, the shear failure of RC column and torsional effects is adopted to analyse the performance of the school buildings with and without retrofit. Based on the analyses, three damage states are defined: damage limitation (DL), significant damage (SD) and near collapse (NC). Finally, a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method is used to determine the optimal retrofitting option for the considered school building typology, considering engineering and economic parameters. The optimal retrofit solution for the three-storey MI-RC school building is found to be jacketing of ground floor columns. Conversely, for the two-storey MI-RC school building, alteration of infill walls (MI walls) is deemed optimal. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is carried out on the MCDM method.

Asked what hazard posed the greatest threat to their school, the principals of coastal schools in the Galle, Ampara and Batticaloa districts of Sri Lanka overwhelmingly responded “tsunami”. This result is unsurprising considering the scale and trauma caused by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. This tsunami claimed over 35,000 victims in Sri Lanka, a third of whom were children. It damaged and destroyed 182 schools, and a further 287 served as camps for internally displaced persons. Given that Sri Lanka is far from all potential sources of earthquake-induced tsunami, and that there is time for early warning and evacuation, it is crucial that coastal schools are prepared and ready to act. This study uses semi-structured interviews with school principals and regional education and disaster management officials to gain insights into the tsunami preparedness of the Sri Lankan education sector. Overall, our findings show that schools are heavily reliant on tsunami early warning towers for their warning, yet only half of the 430 Sri Lankan schools exposed to tsunami are within audible range of a tsunami early warning tower. It is crucial therefore that alternative and backup early warning channels are established where needed. However, the interviews show that there is a very low level of baseline hazard preparedness. There are few or no fire drills, let alone tsunami evacuation plans or drills. The school principals express the view clearly that the education system in Sri Lanka is ill-prepared for a future tsunami. We find however that there are opportunities to involve existing safety committees in school preparedness and in the development of evacuation plans; and to exploit existing regular teacher curriculum training events to develop capacities in emergency response and evacuation. Importantly, experiences from a past tsunami drill with Sri Lankan communities emphasise the importance of holding regular school practice drills as well as “end-to-end” (from tsunami detection to tsunami evacuation) community evacuation exercises.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami affected 5% of Sri Lanka’s schools, severely damaging 108 and destroying 74. The catastrophe highlighted the critical role of schools in providing educational continuity during community recovery. Sri Lanka has since rehabilitated and rebuilt most of the destroyed schools along the coastline. However, there is a limited understanding of current levels of school exposure to tsunami. This hampers preparedness and risk reduction interventions that can improve community and educational tsunami resilience. This paper presents a multi-disciplinary school exposure database relevant to both vulnerability and loss modelling. The repository includes data on 38 schools and 86 classroom buildings, surveyed across the coastal districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Galle in Sri Lanka, which were heavily affected by the 2004 tsunami. A new engineering rapid visual survey tool is presented that was used to conduct the physical assessment of schools for the exposure repository. School damage mechanisms observed in past tsunami inform the survey forms, which are designed to capture information at both school compound and building levels. The tsunami engineering survey tools are universally applicable for the visual assessment of schools exposed to tsunami. The surveys show that most Sri Lankan school buildings can be classified into three building archetypes. This means that future risk assessments can be conducted considering a small number of index buildings that are based on these archetypes with differing partition arrangements and structural health conditions. The surveys also raise three significant concerns. Firstly, most schools affected by the 2004 tsunami remain in the same exposed locations without any consideration for tsunami design or strengthening provisions. Secondly, Sri Lankan schools are fragile to tsunami loading and many of the schools in the Galle district suffer from severe corrosion, which will further affect their tsunami vulnerability. Thirdly, schools do not appear prepared for tsunami, and do not have adequate tsunami warnings nor evacuation protocols in place. These observations raise the urgent need to mitigate tsunami risk, including a holistic plan for tsunami retrofitting and for interventions to improve the tsunami preparedness of schools in Sri Lanka.

Abstract The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami inflicted more than 35 ,000 casualties in Sri Lanka, a third of whom were children. It affected 5% of the country’s schools, severely damaging 108 and destroying 74. The catastrophe highlighted the critical role of schools in providing educational continuity and shelter during community recovery. Sri Lanka has since rehabilitated and rebuilt most of the destroyed schools along the coastline. However, there is a limited understanding of current levels of school exposure to tsunami. This limited understanding hampers preparedness and risk reduction interventions that can improve community and educational resilience to future tsunami. This paper presents a multi-disciplinary school exposure database relevant to both vulnerability and loss modelling. The repository includes data on 38 school and 85 classroom buildings, surveyed across the coastal districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Galle in Sri Lanka, which were heavily affected by the 2004 tsunami. A new engineering rapid visual survey tool is presented that was developed and used to conduct the physical assessment of schools for the exposure repository. School damage mechanisms observed in past tsunami inform the survey forms, which are designed to capture information at both school complex and building levels. Though validated for Sri Lanka, the tsunami survey tools can be used worldwide for the visual assessment of school exposure to tsunami. The surveys show that most Sri Lankan school buildings can be classified into three building archetypes. This means that future risk assessments can be conducted considering a small number of index buildings that are based on these archetypes with differing partition arrangements and structural health conditions. The surveys also raise three significant concerns. Firstly, that most schools affected by the 2004 tsunami remain in the same exposed locations without any consideration for tsunami design or strengthening provisions. Secondly, that Sri Lankan schools are fragile to tsunami loading and that many of the schools in the Galle district are suffering from severe corrosion, which will further affect their vulnerability to tsunami. Thirdly, that schools do not appear prepared for future tsunami and other hazards, and do not have adequate evacuation protocol in place. These observations raise the urgent need to mitigate against tsunami risk, including a holistic plan for tsunami retrofitting and for interventions to improve the tsunami preparedness of schools in Sri Lanka.

On 30 October 2020, an earthquake of Mw 6.9 hit the Aegean coasts of Turkey and Greece. The epicentre was some 14 km northeast of Avlakia on Samos Island, and 25 km southwest of Seferihisar, Turkey, triggering also a tsunami. The event has been followed by >4,000 aftershocks up to Mw 5.2 The Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) has immediately gathered a team to conduct a hybrid reconnaissance study, bringing together remote and field investigation techniques. The mission took place between 16 November and 17 December, inclusive of three sets of field study carried out by the field crews for building damage assessment in the affected areas in Turkey and Greece under the coordination of the remote team. The mission also aimed to assess the viability of alternative data sources for an appraisal of the future viability of hybrid missions. This paper summarises the mission setup and findings, and discusses the benefits of and difficulties encountered during this hybrid reconnaissance activity.