The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, has had a devastating effect on one on the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to the vast number of people affected, hundreds of thousands of building structures have been impacted – many of them, such as hospitals, are critical to the recovery effort. Many are still standing, but require assessment before they can be safely inhabited again.

 

As part of the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) team from SUNY Buffalo, Scott DeHollander was one of the first U.S. engineers to perform structural assessments on behalf of the United Nations and gain an understanding as to why some buildings stayed up and many others failed. Scott has a long history with the country through his charity work helping to develop a university prior to the earthquake.

 

Please join us as Scott generously provides insights from his highly important work. (Please note: there is a possibility that Scott may be called back to Haiti for further assistance next week – we will keep you updated if the presentation needs to be postponed.)