Romania is one of the most at-risk countries from earthquakes in the EU, and a possible repeat of the 1977 earthquake might have economic losses in the tens of billions of EURO, with many thousands of injured and perhaps hundreds of thousands left homeless, says Allana Simpson, regional coordinator for disaster risk management in Europe and Central Asia with the World Bank, Agerpres informs.

„A repeat of the 1977 earthquake would be devastating because more than 75 percent of the population (65 percent of the urban population) is in areas with high earthquake hazard, as is 45 percent of all critical transport, energy, water, and communication services. Furthermore, 60–75 percent of Romania’s fixed assets, which contribute to 70–80 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), are located in seismic zones. Scientists and engineers estimate that a repeat of the 1977 earthquake might have economic losses in the tens of billions of EURO, with many thousands of injured and perhaps hundreds of thousands left homeless. Damage to public buildings and infrastructure is expected to be extensive. Romania is one of the most at-risk countries from earthquakes in the EU, with hundreds of lives lost and tens of thousands of buildings damaged in earthquakes in the last 200 years. In each of the last five centuries, there have been on average, two earthquakes of magnitude 7+, with five earthquakes since 1802 of magnitude above 7.5,” Allana Simpson told Agerpres.

Damages to public buildings and infrastructure could be considerable and are likely to be felt across the country in an arc from Iasi through Focsani, Bucharest and to the southern border.

In the WB representative’s opinion, investment in prevention and preparedness are the most important steps Romania must take in the current context.

„Every citizen should know what to do in an earthquake, how to prepare their family with emergency kits and supplies and where to learn more information (Fiipregatit.ro/ Be prepared platform). It is also important to know your community and identify the most vulnerable that may need your support, such as elderly or people with disabilities,” Simpson underscored.

In her opinion national and local authorities need to determine which buildings and infrastructure are most at risk and prioritize these for strengthening, which can be done alongside modernization, energy efficiency and other measures.

„Investing in emergency response and safe buildings is a critical first step, alongside public awareness. The World Bank currently has a Portfolio in Romania of three investment Projects under implementation with agencies under the Ministry of Interior to support response capacity by investing in vulnerable critical buildings such as those of first responders.  Another recent Project that started last year is the Safer Inclusive and Sustainable Schools Project, implemented by the Ministry of Education, which aims to retrofit or rebuild, some of the most vulnerable schools in Romania. The schools’ designs under this Project will be publicly available and could be used as model designs for other schools in Romania.  We have seen now in Türkiye how important is the retrofitting and strengthening of these types of buildings, as the safe schools constructed under a WB-implemented project in the earthquake-affected areas that have been assessed to date have been found to be undamaged and used now as shelters,” Allana Simpson explained.

She pointed out that, sadly, many countries in Europe are at risk from earthquakes – Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria amongst others – and this high-risk results from the older buildings and infrastructure that was constructed prior to modern building codes as well as the potential for large earthquakes.

„Improvements in emergency response across the European Union has been a priority in recent years, and Romania has been improving its emergency capacity alongside partners. There are efforts to improve public awareness through systems such as Ro-Alert and Be Prepared and through civil society organizations but much more needs to be done so that everyone is reminded frequently and often on what to prepare before a disaster and respond after one happens,” Simpson stressed.

As far as the funds earmarked by Romanian authorities to consolidate and prepare buildings aimed at obtaining EU funding for such projects, the WB representative said this is a huge and costly challenge.

„This is a really huge and expensive challenge but one that cannot be ignored if we want to safeguard lives, livelihoods, assets and the economy. There are opportunities to take integrated approaches to improving buildings for earthquake strengthening, energy efficiency, renewable energy, fire safety and general modernization and this means the actual cost really decreases proportional to the massive benefits to society,” the WB representative underscored.

In respect to the safety of buildings constructed in recent years, Allana Simpson says building regulations and codes in Romania are aligned with EU standards and there are many measures in place to ensure adherence to these building codes.

„The building regulations and codes in Romania are aligned with EU standards and there are many measures in place to ensure adherence to these building codes. If there is any information to suggest that building construction does not follow these norms then the authorities need to investigate these cases and if necessary make adjustments to enforcement,” she pointed out.

As regards the World Bank programmes in Romania for building response capacities in a case of a major earthquake and for reducing damages, Simpson mentioned the WB had an integrated partnership with the Government in the area.

„One of the areas of the 2018-2023 World Bank Country Partnerships with Romania is to build resilience to shocks, such as earthquakes. Therefore in the past five years the WB had an integrated partnership with the Government in this area, using all WB instruments, such as investment lending, contingency financing, technical assistance and advisory work, as well as trust funds, to support different governmental agencies to advance this agenda and increase its capacity for preparedness and response to disasters,” Simpson added.

She underscored that besides the four Investment Projects mentioned before with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education, one of the most important results of our work in Romania was the technical assistance provided to the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration in developing the Seismic Risk Reduction Strategy which was approved by the Government at the end of last year, and it’s on its way now for implementation.

„Going further we hope the Government will soon approve its Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy, which we supported under our engagement with General Inspectorate of Emergency Situations, as well as to continue its efforts in investing in critical infrastructure and building public awareness of citizens,” Allana Simpson also said.

Last but not least she said preparation and prevention of disasters is the everyone’s task.

„Preparing for and preventing disasters is everyone’s business. Get yourself, your family and community ready and prepared by reading up on the great guidance on Be Prepared(Fiipregatit.ro). Take a first aid training that can save a life, even without an earthquake, and make sure you take care of the most vulnerable. We can’t stop the earthquake but we can make sure we are ready for it,” Allana Simpson, regional coordinator for disaster risk management in Europe and Central Asia with the World Bank, concluded.

Agerpres