FOREWORD

Dear Colleagues,

This is the first issue of the EAEE Bulletin for the year of 1999. Unfortunately, the publication of this issue was delayed due to very busy summer and also due to the devastating earthquakes that affected our lives in this part of the World. Once again we have witnessed the extensive damage and agony caused by major earthquakes. As you all know by now, the 17 August 1999 Kocaeli earthquake took place in densely populated areas in the eastern Marmara region causing large number of casualties. Then came the 12 November Düzce earthquake, another big earthquake that caused additional damage in the region. We realised one more time the importance of our efforts to mitigate earthquake effects and in post earthquake activities. Unfortunately we also realised that life will never be the same and we need to work harder to overcome the effects of these two major earthquakes for a long time.

We would like to express our gratitude to all who expressed their concern and support by telephone, by faxed letters and by e-mail messages. We are also very grateful to those who came from everywhere to help in the rescue operations and later to help us to overcome the difficulties that we have encountered after the earthquakes.

The Kocaeli earthquake was an expected event. The major reason for such wide spread damage was poor implementation of earthquake resistant regulations, chaotic urbanisation and an unconcerned approach of the public authorities and the people living in these areas.

We realised that the major problem is the awareness of the public of earthquake hazard. The technical issues and earthquake research is important however the implementation of the results obtained is much more difficult and much more crucial.

We also need to remember what has happened in Athens during a medium strong earthquake as well in Taiwan during another major event.

We are more aware of the need to increase the collaboration among our member societies and among earthquake engineers in Europe. EAEE has a very good history of mutual friendships and joint activities among our member societies. As we approach to the end of twentieth century, we would like to advance our joint activities and improve our communications to attain more effective means to exchange information, research findings, experimental and observational data.

We hope that these events have shown to everybody that the only way to survive during earthquakes is to design and build according to earthquake codes. As earthquake engineers this implementation is our basic responsibility and contribution to our society and to human race.

Atilla M. Ansal