Identifying Earthquake-Unsafe Schools and Setting Priorities to make them Safe

In response to the January 26, 2001 Gujarat Earthquake in India, 153 schools in Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat were studied to identify earthquake-unsafe school buildings. A rapid, inexpensive method was adopted to assess the earthquake vulnerability of the school buildings. The report may serve as a model on how to assess the seismic safety of school buildings. The schools included a wide variety of structural types, economic levels, and location.