Earthquake in El Salvador
Summary of Earthquake Damage Assessment of Two Key Hospitals
16 January 2001

San Juan de Dios Hospital, City of San Miguel

Six-story hospital building with 400 beds and 18 specialties.

Current situation

Hospital evacuated except for a few operating rooms that are still in use. A field hospital has been set up in the hospital grounds and is caring for both children and adult patients. If they require admittance, patients are referred to other hospitals of the Ministry of Health and the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (ISSS). Laundry, lab, and other support services are being carried out in sheds that the hospital employed for parking and other uses.

Damages Found

• No structural damages to the building that might compromise its stability.
• Significant non-structural damages, such as:
  • Collapse of ceilings.
  • Vertical cracking of partitions.
  • Fall of lighting fixtures.
  • Breakage of external and internal glass windows.
  • Rupture of water pipelines.
  • Elevators out of order except for the ones for carrying heavy supplies and equipment.
• The hospital equipment, pharmacy, and other hospital supplies remain in good condition.
• Normal supply of water, electrical power and communications.

San Pedro National Hospital, in Usulután

Five-story hospital building with 200 beds.

Current Situation

The hospital has been completely evacuated. A field hospital has been set up next door, to care for both children and adult patients. A building formerly used as a kindergarten handles emergency cases. Patients who require it are being referred to other hospitals.

Because of exposure to the sun, the tents of the field hospital reach high temperatures, a critical situation for newborns.

Damages Found

• Slight structural damages that do not compromise the stability of the building (cracks in some columns).
• Non-structural damages such as:
  • Collapse of ceilings.
  • Vertical cracking of partitions.
  • Rupture of water pipelines.
  • Elevators out of service.
• The hospital equipment, pharmacy and other hospital supplies are in good condition. · The supply of water, electricity and communications is normal.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Since neither hospital suffered structural damage that might compromise its stability, both could be back to normal functionality after the following tasks are carried out:

• Remove debris and give the hospitals a general cleaning.
• Remove the stucco that was damaged, and which due to its current instability might collapse because of new tremors.
• Replace the ceilings that have collapsed.
• Produce a preliminary written assessment on the safety of the buildings that can be used by the hospital administrators and the Ministry of Health authorities to rehabilitate the hospitals.
• Assess and perhaps repair the damage to the elevators.
• Repair the leaks in the water pipelines.
• Explain the situation to the hospital staff so that they feel safe inside the facilities.