Earthquake yesterday.....

[waltky]

Temples and pagodas damaged in Myanmar earthquake...

Quake damages scores of Myanmar's heritage Bagan temples
August 25, 2016 — It was a time of conquest and conversions. Above all, it was a time of construction, on a scale never seen before. Over 250 years, from the 11th century onwards, the rulers of Bagan built more than 10,000 magnificent religious monuments.

The stupas, temples and monasteries became the defining emblems of Bagan, the capital of the Pagan (pronounced PUH'-gahn) empire that ruled Myanmar from roughly 1044 to 1287. On Wednesday, scores of the monuments — of which only about 2,200 remain — were damaged in a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake. Yet much of what fell was modern material, sanctioned by Myanmar's former army rulers who had put top priority on restoring the temples with little regard for the original architectural styles. King Anawratha, who unified the country formerly known as Burma, and his successors built the temples in a frenzy, believing they would gain spiritual merit. Still, piety didn't stop them from making war or killing to gain power. One king, Narathu, slew his father, elder brother, and one of his wives. He also killed the architect of the magnificent Dhammayangi temple so he couldn't repeat the feat, and chopped off the hands of sloppy workmen.

This photo provided by Soe Thura Lwin shows a damaged temple in Bagan, Myanmar, on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. A powerful earthquake measuring a magnitude 6.8 shook central Myanmar on Wednesday, damaging scores of ancient Buddhist pagodas in Bagan, a major tourist attraction, officials said.

As more and more monuments rose in the dusty plains of central Myanmar, Bagan became the political, economic and cultural center of the empire, promoting religious as well as secular studies, including philosophy, astrology, medicine, law and Pali, the language of Buddhist scriptures. The city became an educational destination for monks from as far away as India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. But Bagan declined as rapidly as it rose. It was abandoned around 1287 for reasons not entirely clear, and the city — once home to up to 200,000 people — was reduced to the status of a small town. Some historical accounts cite Mongol invasions but others dispute that, saying the Mongol armies may not have reached the city. But the dead city left a legacy that future generations are benefiting from. Bagan covers more than 80 square kilometers (32 square miles) of a flat plain. It is the country's biggest tourist attraction, and along with Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Indonesia's Borobudur temple, the temples of Bagan are considered one of Southeast Asia's major historical landmarks.

Yet unlike those Southeast Asian archaeological cousins, Bagan is not listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to a tangled modern tale of neglect followed by a fervid if misguided effort at renovation in the 1990s, partly to restore damage from a 1975 earthquake. As the ground shook on Wednesday, the tremors dislodged spires, loosened bricks and cracked the mortar, revealing modern material that was the result of haphazard restoration by the former military regime. These efforts drew widespread international condemnation and forced UNESCO to deny Bagan the World Heritage Site stamp, even though it acknowledged that "these monuments represent the outstanding artistic and technical achievement of an original and innovative Buddhist school of art." Much of the blame lies with the junta that took power in 1988, after crushing a pro-democracy movement. By 1995, restoration was in full swing to complete the work before the Visit Myanmar Year in 1996, which the generals of this once-pariah nation hoped would bring in much-needed tourist income.

A woman plows a field in front of the Sulamani Temple which was damaged during Wednesday's strong earthquake in Bagan, Myanmar, Thursday, August 25, 2016. The powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook Myanmar, killing at least four people and damaging 185 ancient Buddhist pagodas in the former capital of Bagan, a major tourist site.

The plan was a limited success, due to still underdeveloped infrastructure and a boycott call by human rights groups against the military regime, which had placed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. The country emerged from military rule this year after Suu Kyi's party won to become the country's de facto leader. Pierre Pichard, a UNESCO consultant who had long been associated with Bagan, said impressing visiting generals rather than cultural priorities dictated restoration while military-ordered excavation has been done "hastily, without proper preparation and without the requested scientific methodology and records." UNESCO was even more disturbed when a 60-meter (198-feet) -high viewing tower opened in 2005, saying it's out of scale and detracts visually from the historical monuments. State tourism authorities responded that the tower would prevent tourists from climbing on fragile pagodas and stupas and damaging them.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/quake-dam...89.html?ref=gs

[waltky]

Rebuilding Bagan after Myanmar earthquake...

Bagan earthquake: Is there a silver lining for Myanmar?
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 - A recent earthquake may bode well for the preservation of Myanmar's ancient temple city of Bagan, as BBC Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher reports.

More than 400 of Bagan's buildings were damaged in the earthquake and on the flanks of one of them, Sulamani Pagoda, we watch as a man attacks a lump of rock with a hammer. Until very recently this lump had sat proudly at the very top, now it's in the process of being smashed apart. After several percussive blows a grey slab falls away. It's put into a basket and passed down rickety scaffolding alongside the pagoda. There's a human chain of several hundred volunteers waiting to receive it. Like Aye Theingi, a nun dressed all in pink, many of them have travelled long distances to help. "I came overnight from Hinthada [500km away] and I haven't slept yet," she says with a smile. "I have come from very far away so I will gain a lot of merit."

Buddhists believe that that they gain merit through doing good deeds, like fixing pagodas, and will be rewarded in this life, or the next. Further down the line are policemen, monks and workers from Bagan's many hot air balloon companies. There's clearly plenty of merit on offer. Just outside the temple complex the human chain comes to an end and the broken piece of pagoda tower is unceremoniously tipped onto a pile of rubble. A supervisor wearing a fluorescent jacket takes a quick look, declares it to be concrete and moves on. Like much of Bagan, it has no historical value.

Ancient fragments

Sulamani Pagoda may have been built in the 12th century but the new reinforced concrete tower was added in 1996. There's no point in keeping its mangled pieces. "The old structure and the new structure didn't join well," Thein Lwin, the deputy director general of Myanmar's Department of Archaeology, told me with a shake of the head. "What happened here is that the new part has damaged some of the old as it fell down." The focus now is on trying to locate any ancient fragments among the 20th century debris. Looking further around Bagan, at the tarpaulin and scaffolding, it's clear that most of the damage is to the newer construction. The older, lower, historically important parts have survived numerous earthquakes in the past and appear to have done so again. The question is what happens next.

As a living breathing Buddhist site with more than 2000 pagodas built on a seismic fault, Bagan has regularly been damaged, renovated and rebuilt. It's evolved steadily over the centuries but things stepped up a gear in the 1990s when the country's generals became involved. At the time, Myanmar was an international pariah and its military rulers saw Bagan as a prestige project that could deliver both merit, and much craved legitimacy. Between 1995 and 2005 development accelerated dramatically. Official statistics show that 689 "brick mounds" were renovated. That may sound impressive but "renovation" in this case means a new pagoda being built on top of some old bricks. It was an archaeologist's worst nightmare. Researchers say nearly 90% of the pagodas have either had major reconstruction or been completely rebuilt. During the building boom donors were encouraged to sponsor "renovations" as a way to earn merit. Former dictator Than Shwe led the way, adding a new gilded top to a pagoda called Sin Myar Shin (Master of the Elephants).

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[waltky]

Aftershock of earlier quake...

New Earthquake, Third This Month, Hits Mexico
September 23, 2017 - A powerful earthquake rocked Mexico on Saturday, triggering new alarms in a country struggling to recover from two recent quakes that killed a total of nearly 400 people.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the new quake had a magnitude of 6.1 and was centered in the southern state of Oaxaca, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) southeast of Mexico City, which was still reeling from Tuesday's 7.1 magnitude quake that killed at least 300 people. Officials said Saturday's quake was felt in Mexico City, swaying buildings in the capital. It was not immediately clear whether it caused damage, injuries or deaths. Mexico's disaster agency said Saturday's quake was an aftershock of the 8.1 quake that hit Mexico's southern coast on September 7, killing nearly 100 people. Rescue workers continued to search through rubble from Tuesday's quake, but were forced to suspend some rescue efforts by the shaking Saturday, according to Mexico's civil protection agency.

Rescue workers and volunteers stand in the middle of the street after an earthquake alarm sounded and a small tremor was felt during rescue operations at the site of a collapsed building in Roma Norte, in Mexico City

The crews, supported by teams from nations around the world, including Israel, Japan and the United States, have rescued at least 60 people in Mexico City and surrounding towns. On Thursday, the U.S. Agency for International Development sent a more than 60 disaster responders and tools and medical equipment to Mexico City. As of Friday, rescuers were finding more bodies than living survivors, but officials said there were signs of life at some sites picked up by dogs and sensors. The Mexican military said 115 people had been pulled alive from the rubble.

Rescue workers, some holding their arms up as a sign to maintain silence, search for survivors at an apartment building at Amsterdam and Laredo streets that collapsed during an earthquake in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City, Mexico

President Enrique Pena Nieto insisted rescue operations would continue. He praised Mexicans' rapid response to the disaster, while stressing the priorities remained saving lives and getting medical attention to those in need. "I need to recognize the volunteers who are unconditionally helping those who need it," Pena Nieto said. National Civil Protection Chief Luis Felipe Puente said 155 of the fatalities had occurred in Mexico City. In a tweet Friday, he said the death tolls remained unchanged in other areas, with 73 in the state of Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

While officials remained focused on searching for survivors and caring for those who were injured in Tuesday's temblor, those whose lives were upended were wondering what would happen to them. About 2,000 homes were damaged in the quake. Many were rendered uninhabitable. Mexico set up 50 shelters to house quake survivors, but some people were choosing to sleep in the streets, fearing more aftershocks.

https://www.voanews.com/a/new-earthq...y/4041426.html

[waltky]

Who's fault is it?...

Blame starts to fly over Mexico earthquake collapses
Wed, Sep 27, 2017 - Allegations of negligent construction and poor oversight began to fly on Monday after deadly building collapses during Mexico’s earthquake on Tuesday last week, as hope faded of finding more survivors of a disaster that killed more than 300 people.

The most high-profile collapse occurred at a school where 19 children were killed last week — a structure which was built illegally on land reserved for housing, local media reports said. The Mexico City mayor, the minister of education and the top official for the district all traded blame after reports that the Enrique Rebsamen elementary school operated using false documents. “If confirmed, it would be very serious,” Mexican Minister of Education Aurelio Nuno told TV network Televisa, adding that he had ordered an investigation.

The government has also been criticized by anguished families of people still missing after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake. “All they tell us are lies,” said Anel Jimenez, 42, whose cousin Martin Estrada, a 30-year-old accountant, was inside a seven-story office building when it collapsed. “No one from the government has come to show their face. They just send low-profile officials, who always have clean helmets and shiny shoes. They just come to see what they can get out of other people’s pain,” Jimenez said. Political analysts said the quake underlined politicians’ lack of credibility, less than a year out from presidential elections.

A man carries shovels on Monday after an earthquake in San Juan Pilcaya, Mexico, the epicenter of last week’s magnitude 7.1 quake.

Just 35 percent of Mexicans approve of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s response, a poll by the Reforma newspaper said. “Anger with the political class will be the political aftermath of the earthquake,” the Eurasia Group consulting firm said. “This shows the deeply rooted discontent which is likely to continue.” Rescue workers have now wrapped up their efforts at all but five sites in Mexico City, and the chances of pulling any more survivors from the rubble are dim. However, Pena Nieto has been careful to insist that authorities will not send in bulldozers to start cleanup until rescuers are absolutely certain there are no more people in the rubble.

The building where Estrada’s cousin was located, at 286 Alvaro Obregon Avenue in the trendy Roma neighborhood, is now the main search site. It crumpled into a tangled heap of concrete and steel with 132 people inside. Twenty-nine people were rescued alive from the building in the first days, and 69 across the city. However, since late Friday, only bodies have been recovered. In Mexico City, people have began to warily return to work and school. After nearly a week of eerie quiet in the sprawling city of 20 million people, the capital’s notorious traffic jams were starting to appear again. Of the capital’s 8,700 schools, 103 reopened on Monday, the Mexican Ministry of Education said. The rest were due to resume classes in the coming days, after undergoing architectural inspections.

The stakes are high for an already widely criticized government. After an earlier earthquake on Sept. 7, all schools were given a clean bill of health. However, the city was shocked by the elementary school collapse that killed 19 children and seven adults. An aftershock on Saturday that shook Mexico City has made the country all the more jittery. And the sense of vulnerability has only been heightened by the fact that Tuesday’s earthquake struck on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that killed more than 10,000 people, the worst in Mexican history.

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Collapsed Mexico School Raises Questions About Quake Codes
September 26, 2017 — On paper at least, the Mexico City school appeared to be structurally sound and built to withstand a major earthquake. But it collapsed, killing 26 people, most of them children. Authorities are now looking into whether an apartment reportedly built on top of the two-story school was to blame.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the borough president of the southern Mexico City district where the school went down in the 7.1 magnitude quake, said at a news conference Tuesday that the school appeared to have its paperwork in order, at least according to documents filed by architects and engineers who supposedly inspected the structure. She said investigators would look for abnormalities not revealed in those documents. "We can't stop just with the paperwork," Sheinbaum said. "We are going to do a review of the building itself."

Volunteers bring pieces of wood to help prop up sections of the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school, as rescue workers search for children trapped inside, in Mexico City

Authorities said that the owner of the privately owned Enrique Rebsamen school built an apartment for herself on top of the collapsed wing, which local media said included a Jacuzzi, and were looking into whether the extra weight may have played a role in the collapse. Sheinbaum said that she didn't know whether that was true, but that the owner, Mónica García Villegas, had a permit dating to 1983 to build a school and apartments on the lot, though it was unclear whether she had permission to add a third story to the section of the school that collapsed.

Were standards followed?

The school was just one of dozens of buildings that collapsed in the September 19 quake that killed at least 333 people, 194 of them in Mexico City. Questions have been raised about whether new building standards put in place after a 1985 quake that killed 9,500 people had been adequately followed. Although construction began on the school in 1983 — two years before the new codes went into effect — it was expanded over the next 34 years with no evidence of noncompliance, Sheinbaum said. She said the only immediately evident paperwork problems during that time were two cases of unregistered expansion work, and Garcia Villegas paid a fine for not registering the work and was allowed to proceed. Phone calls to a number registered to Garcia Villegas — who was pulled alive from the rubble — rang unanswered.

Rescue workers and a trained dog search for children trapped inside the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City

Seismologists and engineers say the Mexico City buildings most at risk in a quake are those, like the school building, that were built atop an Aztec-era lake bed, where the muddy soil can amplify earthquake waves. But, although an architect signed a document certifying the school was structurally sound, experts questioned the method used to evaluate it, which Sheinbaum said involved piling sandbags on its upper floors to simulate 85 percent of the structure's maximum design-carrying weight and then measuring the resulting floor sag. Kit Miyamoto, a structural engineer and California Seismic Safety Commission member, said sandbags can't test for earthquake resistance. "Seismic is a lateral force, so if you just put a whole bunch of sandbags, it is not going to tell you the story of the seismic capacity of the building at all," Miyamoto said. "You can do testing, to determine what kind of reinforcement" a building has, including ground-penetrating radar or exposing rebar.

Additions, floors