USGS - science for a changing world

Circular 1242

4. NEHRP Post-Earthquake Coordination Plan

The plan addresses coordination during three time frames or phases after the earthquake:

• Phase I—Post-earthquake reconnaissance during the first few days.

• Phase II—Intensive gathering and archiving of perishable data during the first few weeks.

• Phase III—Research and investigations, including additional data gathering and archiving, conducted during the subsequent months and years.

The response of NEHRP to domestic and foreign earthquakes is sufficiently different in scope that earthquakes occurring in the United States and abroad are treated separately. Domestic earthquakes provide NEHRP with its best opportunity to evaluate seismic hazards and the performance of the built and socioeconomic environments in the United States. Furthermore, NEHRP is directed to conduct investigations of domestic events by the 1977 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act. Consequently, domestic earthquakes typically receive greater scrutiny by NEHRP than do foreign earthquakes. Foreign earthquakes, however, usually provide insight into crustal failure processes, seismic radiation fields, and some construction practices that contribute to earthquake risk mitigation in the United States, as well as opportunities for model validation. For example, about $1.5 million in NEHRP funds was used to support U.S. research investigations of the 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey, and Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquakes. In some cases, such as the 1988 Spitak, Armenia, and the 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey, earthquakes, the affected countries request specific technical assistance from the U.S. Government, and these requests are usually fulfilled by NEHRP agencies.

| Contents | Summary | Purpose | Background | Plan | Recommendations | Annual Review |


| Abbreviations | Domestic Earthquakes | Foreign Earthquakes |

| Main Page |

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

Take Pride in America logo USA.gov logo U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL:
Page Contact Information:
Page Last Modified: