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Dhamar, Yemen: Earthquake Crisis
In December, 1982 a disastrous earthquake hit the city of Dahmar, Yemen. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0 Mb and resulted in 1,600 deaths and $2 billion in damages to the town (Lohman) . Living in these conditions made it especially hard for the villagers because of their lack of equipment, money, and man-power which forced them to live in ruins after the earthquake occurred.
One major problem that caused damaged to the villagers of Dhamar was housing built on rocks and rock outcrops. These buildings were also constructed of rock rather than adobe that are in other parts of the country. In part of Sjoerd Nienhuys’ proposed project for reconstruction, he explains how the effects of an earthquake are exacerbated through the construction of a rock constructed house rather than an adobe house (Nienhuys,4 ).
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1) Different earthquake force related to the distance from the epicentre.
2) The pinnacle position of the rock outcrop may have amplified the acceleration.
3) The softer adobe subsoil of the plain may have dampened the acceleration.
4) The stone constructions are heavier than the adobe.
5) The stone constructions have less internal bonding inside the structural walls.
6) Anchorage of wood construction to the walls is better in the adobe constructions.
7) Series of small vibrations will have a more cumulative effect on rock masonry than on adobe because adobe may compact and fill in the cracks. (Nienhuys, 4) “

These problems were also provoked from the lack of maintenance, poor construction techniques, and the soil that houses were built upon. People living in this area needed some sort of infrastructure that can withstand these conditions.
Another point to make when building homes is the location of construction. Dhamar consists of many uneven areas and houses built on terraces. The different soil densities will cause...