Earthquake scenarios of Blida city

Blida is located in the north part of Algeria, classified zone III, an area with high vulnerability to seismic hazard according to the Algerian Seismic Code (RPA99 version 2003). The city has known a big development within its urban, administrative, industrial, commercial, leisure and sanitary sectors during these last years. As several destructive earthquakes had already shaken the city in the past, particular attention should be made to protect the city from such hazard. Indeed, seismic disaster scenarios of the city have been investigated using the Radius (Risk Assessment Tools for Diagnosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disaster) method to assess casualties resulting from possible earthquakes, allowing local authorities to curry out preventive actions to reduce damages. The analysis is considering both, the geological aspects of the land and the structural aspects of the urban system.