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GEM will implement a 1-year project supported by the World Bank to enhance the understanding of earthquake risk in Georgia. The project is part of efforts to support the government of Georgia to address the following two challenges: (i) the lack of understanding of earthquake risk and the potential impact on people, infrastructure and the economy at large and (ii) the need to reduce the vulnerability of the existing infrastructure, particularly critical emergency response facilities.

Using OpenQuake, GEM will assess earthquake risk in Georgia by:

• Implementing a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment model characterizing ground shaking (frequency and intensity);
• Improving an exposure model characterizing the location, economic value, occupants and the vulnerability class of the assets exposed to the earthquake hazard; and
• Estimating a number of earthquake risk metrics critical for disaster risk management.

These activities will be performed and developed in close consultation with the local partners of this project.

To transfer the knowledge and technology to the local technical experts, a seismic risk workshop will be conducted using a conference call system due the ongoing pandemic. The workshop will comprise the following:

1. Presentation of the main earthquake risk results for Georgia, including the potential benefits in improving the seismic performance of the selected buildings. The audience will span from technical experts to decision makers and other stakeholders.
2. For technical experts, a discussion of the main components of the earthquake risk assessment for Georgia, including the concepts of seismic hazard assessment, vulnerability modelling, exposure modelling and assessment of risk metrics.
3. For technical experts, performing seismic hazard and risk calculations for Georgia, allowing participants to explore the earthquake risk model for Georgia, and reproduce the metrics presented in the first module.

Watch out for future updates on GEM’s social media channels – , and .