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Bucharest Mayor Wants To Step Up Building Refurbishment After Quake

Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu on Monday urged the ministries of Housing and Culture and district mayoralties to “tighten co-operation” and step up refurbishment of buildings in danger of collapsing.
Bucharest Mayor Wants To Step Up Building Refurbishment After Quake
27 apr. 2009, 16:41, English

Oprescu’s call came two days after an earthquake of 5.3 on the Richter scale with the epicenter in the eastern region of Vrancea was felt in the Bucharest as well (with an intensity of some 3 to 4 degrees on the Mercalli scale). 
 
Oprescu said only 12 out of 318 buildings in high danger of collapsing have been rehabilitated in Bucharest over the past five years, while works at other buildings in the same risk category are currently ongoing.
 
“For the 318 buildings in the 1st category of seismic risk, we cannot estimate the length of refurbishment works, as owners’ associations don’t work with the municipality and many people believe that if they let us in to consolidate their homes they will end up losing them,” Oprescu said.
 
Another issue that blocked refurbishment projects was that the authorities were unable to provide people with a place to stay for the duration of the works, Oprescu mentioned.
 
He said Bucharest authorities currently have a necessity fund of 300 buildings to be used during refurbishment works. An additional reserve of 126 buildings can be used as well, Oprescu noted.