Researchers, SEAS dean look to reduce earthquake risk

Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora oversees the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and he’s also one of the Columbia researchers currently searching for ways to protect Haiti and the Dominican Republic from natural disasters.

One year after an earthquake in Haiti devastated the country, researchers are working with the Dominican Republic to analyze the country’s roads, buildings, and food storage infrastructure.

“After the January 12 [2010] earthquake in Haiti, we reached out to the Dominican government,” Richard Gonzalez, project manager of the Urban Design Lab, said. “We’re trying to figure out how the university, as a neutral entity, can help prepare DR in the next 10 or 15 years to minimize risks.”

The researchers—from the Urban Design Lab, a joint laboratory of the Earth Institute and the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, with help from SEAS and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory—are focusing on the infrastructure of the Dominican city of Santiago. That city is located next to a major fault line and has a population only second to Santo Domingo, the capital.

Gonzalez said that the ripple effects of an earthquake in Santiago could have dire consequences, since that fault line is located on top of a dam and the city is the central point for many of the country’s industries.

“Santiago is a hugely important place because it is the fabrication center of the city, where food gets processed and houses a big percentage of textile industries,” Gonzalez said.

Peña-Mora said that improving the strength of the country’s infrastructure can make a world of difference.

“If you compare the disaster in Haiti and the one in Chile, the magnitude was higher in Chile but the negative impact was smaller because of better planning,” Peña-Mora said.

According to the researchers’ preliminary recommendations, easing communication between the various groups trying to improve conditions on Hispaniola also needs to be a top priority.

“A lot of different groups are running their own response plan,” Peña-Mora said. “The Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo has a lot of data collection about seismic activity while another group has a lot of info on dams. We need to combine these plans to create one integrated plan.”

Although the study focuses on helping the population of Dominicans residing in their native nation, Harlem resident Ana Perez said she believes the research also implicates the estimated 1 million Dominicans living in this country.

“If something happened in DR, I would have to leave here [New York] and go help out my family over there. There are a lot of people here with family there, and we are already struggling on our own,” Perez said.

Raul Rios, another Harlem resident, echoed Perez’s sentiments, adding that more destruction on the island would have wide-ranging impacts.

“Not only would my money be impacted but the whole country’s economy—it’s still developing,” he said.

Patricia Rojas, CC ’11 and president of Grupo Quisqueyano, the Dominican student group on campus, said she appreciated the collaborative research.

“Preventative measures are often times overlooked due to lack of funding and other sources, but this particular research can highlight its long term benefits and perhaps discover cost-efficient ways to rebuild infrastructure,” Rojas said.

According to Dean Peña-Mora, more recommendations will be made to the Dominican government in April.

“I don’t think everything can be done all at once to minimize the negative impact,” Peña-Mora said. “It’s a long project.”

jackie.carrero@columbiaspectator.com