The Quito, Ecuador School Earthquake Safety Project : investing in Quito's future.

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Earthquake threatened communities need earthquake-resistant schools. A recent assessment of earthquake risk to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, concluded that many of its public schools are vulnerable to collapse during major earthquakes. That assessment was made over a period of two years, ending in May of 1994, by a team of Ecuadorian and international scientists and engineers. They found that while Quito has not been struck by a major earthquake recently, it has been in the past and will be in the future. They recommended that Quito's public school buildings be evaluated and, if found vulnerable, strengthened. In response, GeoHazards International initiated the Quito School Earthquake Safety Project in December of 1994. It had three objectives: Evaluate the vulnerability of Quito's public schools to earthquakes; Design affordable means of strengthening a sample of those schools that are vulnerable; and, Strengthen the sample of vulnerable schools. This report describes progress in meeting these objectives during the project's first year and concludes by offering recommendations for making Quito's schools safe