Bucharest City is Romania's most earthquake-vulnerable area (report)

Bucharest City is Romania's most earthquake-vulnerable area, being at high risk from such a hazard, shows an audit report conducted by the Romanian Court of Accounts between September 11, 2017 - April 1, 2021.

The budget oversight institution carried out a performance audit on the "Efficiency and effectiveness of programs and prevention, response and effects-clearing measures in the event of a major earthquake in Bucharest" at the Ministry of the Interior and another 19 public entities with responsibilities related to the quake emergency response.

The audit mission covered the period 2014-2020 and was mainly intended to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and measures taken in order to prevent, respond and remove the effects of a major earthquake in Bucharest.

According to the document, major earthquakes in the Vrancea seismic zone usually occur at great depths, causing them to affect vast areas and placing 60 percent of the population in seismic hazard areas. Its position at the meeting point of three continental tectonic plates renders Romania particularly vulnerable at earthquakes.

The audit mission highlighted the fact that there is no quake retrofitting policy assumed by all competent authorities, and that there is no long-term strategy in place for the retrofitting of high-risk buildings in Bucharest (residential buildings, historical monuments, buildings with vital functions, etc.).

"The location of Bucharest on the seismic map near the rupture zone and the fact that it is also the largest urban agglomeration in the country are the two factors that render the city's exposure to a potentially destructive effect very high. The geographical factor (including the local seismicity of Bucharest and soil liquefaction in certain areas), plus the level of urban development correlated with additional elements related to the old building stock and the deficiencies of the seismic risk management system make Bucharest one of Europe's capitals most at risk from earthquakes," the report reads.

According to the Court of Accounts report, earthquake risk management must become a national public policy priority.

"The history of earthquakes in the Vrancea seismic zone shows that the great earthquakes in Romania occurred on average about 3 times per century. The country's seismic history was marked by 4 major earthquakes that struck in 1802, 1838, 1940 and 1977," the document shows.