(Ottawa, Ontario, October 01, 1999)-- The Honourable Raymond Chan, Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) has announced that the National Research Council (NRC) will lead a team of Canadian experts to study damage from the earthquake in Taiwan. The team, under the leadership of Dr. Guy Félio of NRC's Institute for Research in Construction, will comprise representatives from NRC, Public Works and Government Services, Carleton University, and the City of Vancouver.
The purpose of the mission is to gather perishable data and evidence that will be shared and used by scientists in Taiwan and in Canada. They will evaluate the causes of damage and the resistance of buildings and other structures during the earthquake. Once the data is collected, the team will produce a report that will be shared with local and international scientists. In the past, the observations and analyses from similar visits have resulted in modifications to the design methods and building standards and codes. This could be of significant benefit to the Taiwanese authorities.
The team being assembled has extensive experience in these types of missions (Mexico - 1985; San Francisco - 1989; Kobe -1995). It is composed of recognised experts in the fields of structural, geotechnical and municipal engineering. The following types of observations will be sought:
- damage to multi-story and residential buildings
- damage to infrastructure systems: roads and bridges, underground utilities (water, sewer, gas, etc.); coastal facilities, airports, etc.
- behaviour of geological formations (e.g., liquefaction of sandy deposits, landslides, earth dams, etc.)
- performance of building and infrastructure systems during the earthquake - what worked and what didn't.
This mission is being made possible by the collaborative efforts of Canadian and Taiwanese organizations. Technical support for the Canadian team is being provided by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taiwan. Logistics such as ground transportation and accommodation are being arranged by the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) and are being facilitated by Taiwanese authorities. Air Canada has kindly agreed to support airfares for the team members.
The team will be leaving on Friday, October 1. They are expected to be in Taiwan for seven to ten days.