Scenario-based seismic performance assessment of a Chilean hospital
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Date
2015
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Abstract
Hospitals are critical facilities that are essential for providing first-aid response to communities in the aftermath of disasters such as earthquakes. The seismic performance of these facilities is highly dependent on the structural behaviour and the vulnerability of non-structural contents to damage. However, earthquake-induced structural damage has not yet been considered directly when assessing hospital loss of functionality. Our approach uses inelastic structural analysis to compute the earthquake response, fragility functions to assess non-structural and component damage, and a discrete event model to simulate the response of the emergency room of the hospital. Further, the seismic performance of the hospital is characterized by the increase of patient waiting times after the earthquake. The model is then tested with the 2014 Mw 8.2 Pisagua earthquake, which struck off the coast of northern Chile. Analyses show that hospital performance is mainly affected by two factors: the arrival rate of patients and healthcare unit downtime. The proposed model is applicable to a wide range of seismic scenarios, which is key in estimating risk for the loss of performance of hospitals during an earthquake