According to Professor Roberto Castelluccio, professor of Technical Architecture at Federico II, in an interview with Fanpage.it, a Civil Protection Plan is needed for Bradisism.

“A Civil Protection Plan for Bradisismic Risk is needed, in addition to the existing and to be updated risk scenarios for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, considering the prolonged soil uplifting phase. The Bradisism of Campi Flegrei is a unique volcanic phenomenon in the world, which causes significant deformation of the ground. This, in turn, leads to the fracturing of rocks and the consequent low-intensity, high-frequency earthquakes that affect the infrastructure and buildings. If the ground continuously deforms and vibrates, the network systems such as water pipelines, sewage systems, gas and energy networks are also deformed, and buildings undergo various stresses that affect the technical elements and could eventually affect the structural framework,” says Professor Castelluccio, who is a professor of Technical Architecture at the Department of Civil, Building, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Federico II in Naples, as well as a consultant for the Municipality of Pozzuoli in multi-risk expertise for civil protection planning.

Professor Roberto Castelluccio

Professor, are you considering creating a Civil Protection Plan for bradisism risk?

“We have brought this issue to the attention of the Department of Civil Protection and Minister Musumeci, who immediately showed interest in the proposal and activated it. For Pozzuoli, bradisism is an additional risk scenario compared to the usual seismic and volcanic risk scenarios, the latter being associated with the hypothesis of an eruption. Bradisism is a third risk scenario that cannot be considered simply as a risk associated with a low-intensity seismic phenomenon, as it would be too simplistic. Why is that?

“The structural part of the building system is capable of withstanding low-intensity earthquakes. But it should be noted that bradisism is a repetitive phenomenon that affects the integrity of technical elements (plasters, facades, cornices, etc.), which are generally not very flexible. Their damage directly affects the urban areas and exposes the population to risks. Moreover, over time, even low-intensity stresses can fatigue the structural elements of buildings, in addition to deforming the network systems that could release water flows into the ground. Finally, bradisism deeply affects the mood of the population, and this is not a negligible factor.”

“Our proposal is to continue and enhance all the activities of analysis, monitoring, and prevention that have been ongoing for several years for volcanic and seismic risk scenarios, and to quickly conduct a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the subsoil, the built and plant systems, which will allow us to develop specific vulnerability analyses, as also indicated by Minister Musumeci, based on direct knowledge of buildings and networks rather than on expedited statistical analysis as used in traditional codified methodologies.”

“We started with third-level microzonation and investigations into cavities; we need to act quickly on buildings and infrastructure to ensure compliance with seismic regulations. We need to provide reassurance to the population that the building system in Pozzuoli is as resilient as possible against all the risk scenarios the city is subjected to. Support initiatives for the population, who are understandably stressed by this situation, need to be activated so they can learn to live with this prolonged seismic scenario caused by bradisism. Today, knowledge of seismic phenomena is more advanced, instruments are more precise and monitor more parameters. The rate of ground deformation is currently lower than in 1980, but the number of earthquakes has certainly increased and strongly impacts the lives of ordinary citizens who are not technicians and are constantly subjected to stress. What interventions are needed? Interventions can be of various types, and some have already begun. We need to act on all fronts: technical, urban planning, sociological, in order to reduce the vulnerability of the urban system and increase its resilience. I think of the upgrade of school buildings, which municipalities have been doing for some time. It is reassuring for families. Parents should be confident knowing that even in the event of an earthquake, their children are in safe schools. Similarly, hospitals and crowded sports facilities need to be considered… We need to address the issue of residential buildings, which we have brought to the table for institutional discussion.”

“We also need to counter misinformation that generates panic. We should only listen to official data studied by INGV (Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology). If the Grandi Rischi Commission, supported by all the competent centers, decides to maintain the yellow alert, we can have confidence. What should someone do if they notice a crack in their house? It is possible that this may happen in a territory strongly subject to low-intensity but high-frequency seismic events. In these cases, a technician should be called to assess the impact and ensure that there is no damage to the load-bearing structures or to the various technical elements that make up the building, especially those projecting onto public spaces.”

Have the continuous earthquakes damaged buildings? So far, the damage has been minimal. Mayors are conducting extensive verification actions, and the cases of damage are very few and concentrated in already damaged buildings. After the bradisism of the 1980s, measures have been taken to improve the seismic resistance of structures. What is the current situation of buildings? Many buildings have been reinforced since the 80s. However, we have proposed developing detailed analysis plans. On the other hand, intervening in private buildings is more complicated for a public administration, and discussions are underway at an institutional level. The goal is to have a detailed and in-depth knowledge of the condition of buildings in Pozzuoli, in order to promptly intervene if necessary. That’s why we have proposed a plan to analyze the facades of buildings to determine if the elements projecting onto public streets could pose risks.”

Source: Fonte