Final report : housing education program in Popayan, Colombia

The project achieved most of its objectives. The INTERTECT team arrived some 5 months after a major earthquake in the city of Popayan. By this time, many repairable houses were already demolished, others had been repaired incorrectly, much of the new construction underway was not earthquake resistant, and technical information on repair and reconstruction was scarce. The team gave two courses in seismic resistant construction technology to 40 Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) instructors and developed an instructor"s manual for use as a basic text. Similar courses were provided to 50 construction company personnel. In addition, 4 demonstration house repairs were undertaken - two each for adobe and brick houses. Simple, cost-effective methods for repairing and strengthening damaged buildings such as the use of chicken wire mesh were introduced. To facilitate technology transfer, 14 training aids covering a range of issues were developed. The contractor and SENA worked with key Colombian financial institutions to develop minimum seismic resistant construction standards which were then incorporated into the training aids. A meeting was held with most of the key institutions involved in the reconstruction of Popayan, to outline the work in progress and construction technologies employed and improve inter-institutional coordination. Other activities were to: provide informal advice on managing the reconstruction program; hold discussions with SENA and the Association of Colombian Earthquake Engineers on the need for hazard management, long-term housing vulnerability reduction, and disaster mitigation and preparedness programs; and show the Spanish version of a videotape - Building for Safety in Hazardous Areas - around the country. Recommendations for future action are set forth.