Why was there so much destruction in Crete

One of the reasons for such great destruction in the Arkalohori area, after an earthquake with a magnitude 6 points, which occurred on September 27, 2021, is called a large number of housing built before the introduction of anti-seismic building regulations.

According to the latest inventory carried out under the National Earthquake Protection Program for Existing Structures (EPANTYK), 124,354 buildings have been registered in Heraklion Prefecture. Of these, 35% refer to buildings before 1960 and, therefore, built before the first anti-seismic regulation, and 44% – to buildings built before 1985, that is, with the first anti-seismic regulation.

List of properties in Heraklion Prefecture by construction date:

Before 1919: 4%

1920-1945: 14%

1946-1960: 17%

1961-1970: 17%

1971-1980: 17%

1981-1985: 10%

1986-1990: 8%

1991-1995: 6%

1996 onwards: 4%

Under construction or not stated: 3%.

Heraklion city survived earthquake on monday with minimal damage to multiple buildings. However, special teams from the municipality will conduct inspections of all schools and public buildings in the area as a precautionary measure, Deputy Mayor of Heraklion Georgios Karantinos, in charge of urban planning, told the media.

Regarding the dangerous buildings of the old city, the TEE of East Crete has already handed over to the municipality a list of more than 700 dangerous buildings, as pointed out by its president, Michalis Horafas:

“Buildings in the city of Heraklion have responded satisfactorily to this earthquake. But to ensure the sustainability of the building’s potential, maintenance and repair responsibilities must be performed where they are needed. “

Of course, this is not always easy, especially if it is a listed building, says Mr. Quarantinos:

“The municipality has already inspected 200 dangerous buildings. Some of them have been restored by their owners, although this is not always easy after a long financial crisis. However, the list is constantly changing due to delays. ”

In the area, the situation is much worse, it is reported that after the first earthquake, at least 800 buildings in 30 settlements were damaged, but due to the continued active seismic activity and in particular strong enough tremors, such as 5.3 points that occurred on Tuesday morningmore buildings are expected to be damaged.

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