Earthquake vulnerability is rapidly increasing worldwide, especially in developing countries. The rapid urbanization, lack of proper planning, constraint of resources to response, absence of vulnerability reduction measures, poor enforcement of existing measures, and most importantly lack of awareness of the community are the main reasons for increasing this vulnerability. The need to combat the resultant colossal destruction of earthquake has been at the forefront concern of vulnerable nations.

An earthquake is a natural event and its risk cannot be completely eliminated. However, the destruction of earthquake can be minimized largely by comprehensive earthquake preparedness and mitigation strategies. The earthquakes in Haiti and Chile provide a good comparative example. Given the fact that both countries sit atop of large active faults, in the first quarter of 2010, Haiti faced a major earthquake of 7.0 magnitude which resulted to about 230,000 deaths, while Chile which was hit with even more severe quake of 8.8 magnitude had only 486 deaths. This incomparable difference between the two countries’ causalities comes from the implementation of comprehensive earthquake preparedness and mitigation strategies.

The Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Course (EVRC) has been designed to achieve the goal of supporting the creation of earthquake resilient society. With rich experiences in providing similar training courses on natural disaster risk reduction at international level, ADPC provides a model training experience in this course by integrating study materials, audio visual tools, and interactive learning strategies, while bringing together earthquake preparedness and mitigation experience from severely affected countries around the world.

• Relationship between rapid unstable development and earthquake vulnerability
• Hands-on practices on diagnostic tools and techniques for earthquake hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment
• Effective strategies for earthquake vulnerability reduction and resistance
• Multi-sectoral partnership for implementing comprehensive earthquake vulnerability reduction strategies
• Capacity building on earthquake preparedness & response functions, and planning &recovery for sustainable development

By completing the course, the EVRC participants will learn how to

• Develop organized approaches for understanding earthquake riskand its impacts
• Measure the extent of earthquake vulnerability, and assess the capacity to response
• Formulate and apply appropriate strategies for comprehensive earthquake vulnerability and risk reduction
• Prepare for earthquake emergencies for efficient earthquake vulnerability reduction
• Integrate earthquake risk management strategies with recovery and rehabilitation plans and programs

EVRC offers a comprehensive approach to the development of earthquake vulnerability and risk reduction strategies, which enables an outlook of earthquake situation, and addresses required measures for preparedness and planning to response. The course brings out theoretical knowledge, state-of-art practices, as well as successes and failures of global earthquake risk management experience. The course is divided into four modules with key topics as following:

Module 1: Principles of Earthquake Risk Reduction

• Linkages between urbanization and earthquake risk at national, regional and global level
  Earthquake and collateral hazards
• Basic concepts and operational terminologies in earthquake risk reduction
• Understanding the disaster risk management process

Module 2: Tools and Techniques of Earthquake Risk Assessment

• Geological mechanism of earthquake
• Process of earthquake hazard assessment and micro-zoning
• Assessment of earthquake vulnerability with respect to building and lifelines
• Understanding the social and economic vulnerability to earthquake
• Tools for rapid earthquake risk assessment
• Earthquake damage assessment and loss estimation using HAZUS

Module 3: Earthquake Vulnerability and Risk Reduction Strategies

• Concepts of earthquake risk reduction
• Approaches for non-structural earthquake risk mitigation
• Economics of earthquake vulnerability reduction
• Institutional setup/policy framework for earthquake vulnerability reduction

Module 4: Planning for Earthquake Risk Reduction

• Damage and need assessment during earthquake disaster event
• Search and rescue operations and developing response mechanism
• Incident command system
• Mass casualty management
• Contingency planning for earthquake risk management
• City level action planning for earthquake safety
• Planning for seismic safety at community and household level
• Earthquake vulnerability reduction planning and project implementation
• Capacity building for empowering various stakeholders
• Planning for reconstruction and recovery
• Resource management and response planning

This course is particularly useful for those concerned with earthquake vulnerability reduction upon the development context. It is open to all countries. Participation by decision makers, elected and appointed national and local administrators, development and planning authorities, as well as officials in urban planning, housing, public works, and related sectors. is especially encouraged. The course is of a certain benefits to private real estate land developers, personnel from emergency response agencies, and officials from UN, NGOs, and other international agencies working on disaster risk reduction and mitigation.

The class size is limited to 25 persons. ADPC accepts nomination on a “first come, first served” basis provided the applicant meets the course requirement.

Language
All teaching and reference materials are in English. Participants must be fully conversant in English.

Course Fee
Package A with accommodation US$ 2,975
Package B without accommodation US$ 2,075

The standard course fee of US$2,975 covers the course tuition, training materials, accommodation with breakfast, and meeting package. Participants will be responsible for their own travel expenses and arrangements, airport transfers, visa application, lunch and dinners, health/accident insurance, and other personal expenses. Participants who wish to seek own accommodation can choose an alternative course fee package B of US$2,075

Logistics
Participants are expected to arrive on 24th June 2012 and leave on 7th July 2012.

Registration
Interested persons can apply as individuals although preference will be given to those sponsored by the organizations.

Application form should be submitted to ADPC by 1st June 2012 through email, fax or postal mail (see ADPC contact information below). Pre-course information will be provided once you have been accepted for the course.

Payment
If you are selected to attend the course, the payment should be transferred to ADPC account through bank or International Demand Draft (DD) no later than 8th June 2012. Otherwise, your participation will be cancelled. Please note that personal cheques are not accepted as a form of payment.

Cancellations
If you are unable to attend, a substitute applicant is welcome to attend in your place, provided the participation criteria described above have been met. Cancellation of attendance should be notified at least 3 weeks prior to course commencement; in which case, a full refund less 15% of course fee for banking charges and administrative costs will be made. No refunds are available for cancellation within 3 weeks prior to course commencement.

Accommodation
Applicants are required to stay at the hotel where the training is held. The room rate is approximately US$ 50-60 per single occupancy room per night including daily buffet breakfast.