National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

Overview

Section 11 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-124,42 U.S.C. 7701 et. seq.), as amended, requires NEHRP to include a post-earthquake investigations program, the purpose of which is to investigate major earthquakes, so as to learn lessons which can be applied to reduce the loss of lives and property in future earthquakes. 

The fundamental objectives of this component of NEHRP are as follows: 

1. analysis of the causes of the earthquake and the nature of the resulting ground motion;
2. analysis of the behavior of structures and lifeline infrastructure, both those that were damaged and those that were undamaged; and
3. analysis of the effectiveness of the earthquake hazards mitigation programs and actions relating to its area of responsibility under NEHRP, and how those programs and actions could be strengthened.

USGS, in coordination with the other NEHRP agencies, developed USGS Circular 1242: The Plan to Coordinate NEHRP Post-Earthquake Investigations (2003).   This Plan is currently being updated. 

This website serves as a highlight of NEHRP activities for those major earthquakes in which the post-earthquake investigations program has been activated.

Ongoing NEHRP Post-Earthquake Investigations

• 2023 Kahramanmaras, Turkey, Earthquake Sequence