Analysis of damage data of low-rise buildings subjected to a shallow Mw6.3 earthquake

In May 2008 a shallow Mw6.3 earthquake struck South Iceland with an epicentre close to two small towns. Nearly 5000 low-rise residential buildings were affected. The recorded maximum PGA was 0.88 g. A great deal of damage occurred, but there was no loss of life. In Iceland all buildings are registered in a detailed official database and insurance against natural disasters is obligatory. As the repair costs for every affected building had to be assessed for insurance purposes this provided an unusual opportunity to review structural performance across the whole population of buildings in the affected area. The estimated repair cost was classified in a number of subcategories covering structural and non-structural damage for five different residential building typologies. Study of these buildings showed that non-structural damage dominated the overall damage. The main monetary damage was cosmetic damage of partition walls and flooring. The structural systems performed quite well and no buildings collapsed.