Engineering Chamber of FBiH Appeals to Citizens of Zenica After Earthquake

(Patria) - The Engineering Chamber of FBiH draws the attention of the public and citizens in the affected area of last night's earthquake to the possibility of new earthquakes in the coming days.

- Experiences after the tragic earthquake in Petrinja, which colleagues from the Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers shared with us, as well as our people who went to help with damage repair in Croatia and Turkey, point to the following steps: affected areas should be inspected by experts, as well as buildings with compromised stability (appearance of cracks, fissures, collapsed elements). Buildings with compromised static stability can be catastrophically devastated in the first impact with the most severe consequences, and in subsequent tremors of earthquakes smaller than 6 degrees - emphasize the Engineering Chamber of FBiH.

Therefore, they call on citizens to inspect their buildings and assess any changes, contact the FUCZ for inspection and inventory, and assess damages with guidelines and recommendations.

-Citizens are also asked to temporarily leave visibly damaged buildings if they have the possibility of alternative accommodation outside their homes in the coming days. The EC FBiH has contacted representatives of the FUCZ; at this moment, the reactions of the local authorities, primarily the Ministry of Internal Affairs and cantonal civil protection, appear timely and useful. The EC FBiH, primarily its Parent Section of Civil Engineers, will monitor the situation and react in case of deterioration in accordance with the signed Protocol on Cooperation with the FUCZ - state the chamber.