Ten Years After the 1988 Spitak Earthquake: Reconstruction and New Lines of Earthquake Engineering Development in Armenia

Abstract

Armenia suffered a series of devastating shocks between late 1988 and the early 1990’s - the earthquake, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and a trade blockade due to regional political disagreements. The December 7, 1988 Spitak earthquake struck Northern Armenia, causing extensive damage and loss of life. It has been estimated that the lives of 800,000 individuals had been disrupted as a result of the earthquake, which was considered at a Richter scale of 7.0. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people died in the earthquake and approximately 530,000 persons were left homeless, a serious blow to a country of less than 4 million people. In addition, 40 percent of the country’s manufacturing capacity was destroyed just before the country achieved independence and was faced with the need to adopt market reforms and find new trade partners. Leninakan (Gumry), population 270,000, Kirovakan (Vanadazor), population 185,000, Stepanavan, population 30,000 and Spitak, population 25,000, as well as more than 80 villages were paralyzed.