Director Executive of the City Administration for the Consolidation of Earthquake-prone Buildings (AMCCRS) Razvan Munteanu says that the earthquake that hit Romania on Thursday morning should sound the alarm, calling for a partnership between the public administration and the associations of owners to consolidate as many built structures as possible, according to Agerpres.

He invited the owners’ associations to get in touch with AMCCRS to see what the conditions for consolidating earthquake-prone structures are.

„This morning’s earthquake must be a wake-up call for all of society – the public administration and also the owners’ associations. I am calling on the owners’ associations to contact us, to find out what the steps for consolidation are. (…) The main condition is that there is unanimity at the level of the owners’ association, after which, from a financial perspective, the city has a series of instruments by which it regulates this matter. Also, the new consolidation law talks about free work, as long as the owners keep their consolidated property for 25 years. Of course, if they do not want that they can still get consolidation for an amount that covers the works done. But the main condition is that there is a will, unanimity at the level of the association of owners, because otherwise, the risks of having legal blockages are very high,” Munteanu told AGERPRES on Thursday.

Although in the AMCCRS recordings there are approximately 900 structures classified as class I and II of seismic risk, meaning very vulnerable to earthquakes, a World Bank report shows that over 20,000 buildings would be vulnerable to seismic risk. AMCCRS has concluded a framework agreement for the technical expertise of 200 vulnerable buildings, including 160 historical monuments, in Bucharest, of a total area of 500,000 square metres.

Agerpres