The contribution of ReLUIS to the usability assessment of school buildings following the 2016 central Italy earthquake

Recent earthquakes have shown the key role of post-earthquake technical inspections aimed at assessing the seismic safety and/or usability of buildings and the functionality of infrastructural systems, in order to minimize the impact of losses on citizens as fast as possible. The AeDES form is used to evaluate the safety conditions of buildings in order to enable people to return to their social and economic activities. The ReLUIS consortium has been heavily involved in the post-earthquake emergency phase of the central Italy earthquake. Consortium support to the Department of Civil Protection consisted of technical surveys of public buildings, with emphasis on school buildings, hospitals, strategic infrastructures, and sites with historical and monumental significance. Researchers from several Italian universities carried out in situ surveys in order to reduce social hardship. Usability and damage assessment was carried out by teams of surveyors made up of experts from a list of ReLUIS researchers mobilized in accordance with emergency procedures in case of earthquake. The potential vulnerabilities of several case studies involving school complexes are discussed, and recommendations for further investigations are provided.