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Plenary Sessions

Tuesday 4/18 Wednesday 4/19 Thursday 4/20 Friday 4/21
COMMEMORATION DAY
Tuesday - April 18th, 2006  
9:00 a.m. - Noon

Hall E
Room 134 / 235
Joint Plenary Sessions
The 1906 earthquake - a centennial perspective on what happened and what we learned from it in the following several years, including current perspectives on the historic setting; the earthquake; engineering aspects; response/recovery; and their effects on earthquake practices in the ensuing years.
 
Chris Poland   Speaker:

Chris Poland
Conference Chair
President & CEO
Degenkolb Engineers

Conference opening statements, dignitaries, announcements.

 
Kevin Starr   Speaker:

Kevin Starr
Professor of History,
University of Southern California

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Historical overview of the societal setting, the earthquake, its effect on the city, including failures, fire, emergency response
and recovery, and long-term impacts on public policy and preparedness.
 
Mary Lou Zoback   Speaker:

Dr. Mary Lou Zoback

Senior Research Scientist,
USGS Menlo Park

The 1906 Earthquake - Lessons Learned, Lessons Forgotten, and Future Directions. - An IRIS/SSA Distinguished Lecture

The 1906 earthquake was the first to be systematically documented and analyzed in terms of both the cause and the effects of earthquakes. The San Andreas Fault was identified as a major active structure extending nearly the length of the state and the concept of an earthquake cycle, a cycle of slow strain accumulation and rapid release, was established.
 
Tom O'Rourke   Speaker:

Thomas D. O'Rourke

Thomas R. Briggs Professor of Engineering
Cornell University

Liquefaction, Lifelines, and Fire Following the
1906 San Francisco Earthquake


Overview of ground failure and associated lifeline/fire impacts.
The 1906 earthquake resulted in the greatest single fire loss in US history, with 490 city blocks burned to the ground and an additional 32 partially destroyed. The fire damage was influenced by the disruption of the water supply, which in turn was influenced by ground failures caused by soil liquefaction. The effects of liquefaction on water supply lifelines will be explained, and the relationship between areas destroyed by fire, locations of liquefaction, and damaged water pipelines will be illustrated. The historic implications of liquefaction in 1906 will be explored with respect to the design of the current fire protection system in San Francisco, the development of modern practices for fire protection in cities vulnerable to earthquakes, and the evolution of policy for water distribution and emergency response procedures.
 
Stephen Tobriner   Speaker:

Stephen Tobriner

Professor of Architecture
University of California, Berkeley

What really happened in San Francisco in the earthquake of 1906

This talk presents a radically new approach to the earthquake of 1906. For the first time the history of San Francisco's complex topography and built environment has been studied in relationship to the actual performance of specific buildings in the earthquake of 1906. Buildings are as important to a discussion of San Francisco's earthquake as levees are to a discussion of Katrina's impact on New Orleans. One of the reasons that fatalities in the earthquake were a fraction of one percent of the population and complete collapses were so few is that well before 1906 engineers and architects attempted to build structures with earthquake-resistant features.

The 1906 fire caused at least ninety percent of the damage to the city and perhaps more. City officials and citizens emphasized the fire in order to receive insurance payments. Ironically, they couldn't over-emphasize the consequences of the fire because a majority of damage was due to the fire. But engineers and architects did learn from the earthquake. They quietly continued to build earthquake-resistant buildings, and put into effect a strong \building code that addressed earthquake danger. After the earthquake, the citizens responded by voting to build a huge water system dedicated to fighting fires, which was earthquake-resistant as well.
LEARNING FROM THE PAST
Wednesday - April 19th, 2006  
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Hall E
Room 134 / 235
Joint Plenary Sessions
Lessons learned from recent large Earthquakes - a century of progress in earthquake risk reduction, with emphasis on recent large earthquakes, including earthquake ground motions and ground failure; losses to the built environment and to our ability to continue economic and life-sustaining activities; and emergency response and recovery.

  Speaker:

Norm Abrahamson

Pacific Gas & Electric Company

The recent large magnitude earthquakes have lead to a dramatic increase in the number of available strong ground motion data close to large magnitude shallow crustal earthquakes. The median T<1 sec ground motions from these large earthquakes are smaller than predicted by commonly used models and they have larger variability. A key issue facing the earthquake engineering in California is whether or not the ground motion from these recent earthquakes are applicable to California. If so, are they representative of future large magnitude earthquakes and should they be used to revise the hazard maps for the state?
 
  Speaker:

Mary Comerio
Earthquake Safety in the 20th Century

Popular images of the 1906 earthquake focus on the destruction of San Francisco, but the engineers of that time had learned from previous events, and tried to design their buildings to withstand the shaking. Throughout the last 100 years, engineers have advanced their knowledge of how buildings and bridges perform in earthquakes, and at the same time, worked with social scientists, planners, and emergency managers to address land use isses, mitigation for existing buildings, housing safety, as well as post-event sheltering and recovery strategies. The relationship between science and policy continues to be critical to reducing losses in future earthquakes.
 
  Speaker:

Richard Andrews, Ph.D.

Senior Director, Homeland Security, NC4
Seismic Risk and Comprehensive Emergency Management: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges

In the United States, the 2005 hurricane season prompted an unprecedented national debate regarding emergency management. Despite important technological advances in communications, information management, and logistics, large-scale emergencies in metropolitan areas present special challenges that are only occasionally met by emergency management systems.

This address focuses on examples from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the 1999 Marmara earthquake as well as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami catastrophe and Hurricane Katrina in assessing what lessons have been learned and what challenges remain to be met in developing comprehensive emergency management systems commensurate with the risks we face.
ASSESSING THE PRESENT
Thursday - April 20th, 2006  
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Hall E
Room 134 / 235
Joint Plenary Sessions
What if the 1906 earthquake happened today?- a scenario study of a 2006 repeat of the 1906 earthquake, including ground motion simulations, expected losses, emergency response and recovery, and how mitigation and planning have improved our situation and can further improve it through risk reduction measures.

  Speaker:

Greg Beroza

Greg Beroza begins the three part session by presenting the newest USGS ground motion studies including research on "The Big One."
 
  Speaker:

Charlie Kircher

Using the ground motions generated as part of the USGS study, Charlie Kircher analyzes HAZUS data to propose probable damage and loss estimates including deaths, dollars, and downtime.
 
  Speaker:

Richard K. Eisner

Regional Administrator Governor's Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region and CISN & Earthquake Program

Based on the probable loss from Charlie Kircher's presentation, Mr. Eisner will discuss emergency response plans and post-event recovery required after "The Big One."
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Friday - April 21st, 2006  
10:30a.m. - Noon

Hall E
Room 134 / 235
Joint Plenary Sessions
Looking Beyond 2006 - Visions for continued progress.
 
  Speaker:

Kerry Sieh
Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

Earthquake science: Why the disconnect between scientific progress and human suffering?

Earthquake science has made progress that was unimaginable in 1906, yet life and property losses continue to climb.

 
Greg Deierlein   Speaker:

Greg Deierlein, PhD., P.E.
Professor
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Stanford University

Earthquake Engineering: Challenges and Innovations in a Sustainable World

Tremendous advancements have been made in earthquake engineering over the past century to mitigate earthquake losses and casualties. Yet, significant earthquake threats persist, particularly in large urban environments with aging buildings and infrastructure. This lecture will examine these issues in light of innovative new engineering strategies and technologies that will enable more informed and cost-effective earthquake risk mitigation.
 
Henry Renteria   Speaker:

Henry Renteria,
Director
Governor's Office of Emergency (OES)

Emergency Management Today: The essentials for survival - Cooperation, Collaboration and Coordination

Natural and human caused disasters are becoming more devastating. Increasing populations living in high risk areas combined with more complex infrastructure and volatile world politics are formulas for continued catastrophes. The future requires a reliable robust emergency management system that involves more than first responders. The public sector, private sector and individuals must cooperate, collaborate and coordinate to survive. Increased education and awareness of the public is critical. Also crucial is partnership with the media before, during and after a disaster.
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Hall E

Room 134 / 235
Joint Closing Session
A Centennial Challenge for Earthquake Professionals Worldwide


Moderator: Chris Poland, Chair,
100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference

Panelists: Craig Comartin, President, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

The 100th Anniversary has provided the opportunity for earthquake professionals - scientists, engineers, and emergency managers - to come together, exchange information, and determine what needs to be done to better control the damaging effects earthquakes. At the closing session, Chris Poland will offer a challenge related to what needs to be done and lead discussion between the leaders of the co-convening organizations that will focus on what each organization plans to do, when they need to work together, and how they will continue to speak with a common voice.

     
 
     
 
   
  Schedule At A Glance
  Plenary Sessions
  Policy Events
  Tutorials
  Field Trips
  Sessions
  Social Events
  Presentation Instructions
  ABAG General Assembly
Convened
Jointly by:
DRC Seismological Society of America EERI For Addtional Centennial Related Events:
 
An Affiliation of Earthquake Scientists, Engineers, and Emergency Managers.