Applying the Disruption Index procedure to evaluate the urban seismic risk in the Mt. Etna area (Italy)

Torino, Italy

The Disruption Index is used here for the assessment of urban disruption in the Mt. Etna area
after a natural disaster. The first element of the procedure is the definition of the seismic input,
which is based on information about the historical seismicity and seismogenic faults. The second
element is the computation of the seismic impact on the building stock and infrastructure in the
region considered. Information on urban-scale vulnerability was collected and a geographic
information system was used to organize the data relating to buildings and network systems (e.
g., typologies, schools, strategic structures, lifelines). The central idea underlying the definition
of the Disruption Index is the identification and evaluation of the impacts on a target community,
considering the physical elements that contribute most to the severe disruption. The results of
this study are therefore very useful for earthquake preparedness planning and for the
development of strategies to minimize the risks from earthquakes. This study is a product of the
European “Urban Disaster Prevention Strategies using Macroseismic Fields and Fault Sources”
project (UPStrat-MAFA European project 2013).