The projects described below occurred before the March 28, 2025 M7.7 earthquake in Myanmar. These efforts highlight the importance of identifying and addressing risks before disasters occur in order to save lives and protect communities.

Developed university earthquake engineering curriculum and supported strengthening of graduate program; advanced structural analysis capacity and extensively mentored practicing engineers.

Earthquake scenarios and action plans provide city-specific objectives for disaster preparedness and mitigation, and were developed with government, science, business and academic sectors.

Many coastal communities throughout the world are exposed to coastal hazards such as hurricanes, storm surge, tsunami and sea level rise. As climate change worsens, the occurrence of these hazards is expected to be more frequent and intense, amplifying the risks to life, livelihood and assets along the coasts. Low-income coastal communities and small island developing nations are at particular risk as they usually lack access to disaster resilience resources other than those provided by nature, such as mangroves.

Created seismic retrofit designs for typical building types using local materials and construction techniques, and strengthened representative schools.

Investigations of still dangerous slopes in Idukki, where 2018 landslides damaged thousands of homes. Partnered with Kerala University, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), local officials.

One objective was to quantify and plan how to mitigate the high vulnerability of public schools. This led to hands-on training and seismic retrofit of many schools.

An annual learning event and simultaneous national school drill for all schools in Bhutan, which lies in a high seismic zone.

This study found significant earthquake vulnerability in Gujarat public school buildings and recommended steps to reduce and mitigate the risk.

Scientists, engineers and planners together developed a likely scenario of earthquake impact to Quito, and based on this local leaders planned programs to mitigate that risk.

Created school programs and disseminated disaster awareness materials to over 50% of schoolchildren in cities with high seismic risk:Tashkent, Dushanbe and Almaty.

Engineers gained on-the-job experience to design and install retrofit solutions for a large school, which cost less than to rebuild and became a model.

This program developed practice in Bhutan to identify the structural vulnerabilities of local buildings before an earthquake occurs, which can inform risk mitigation, and developed detailed guidance for life-safety evaluations of local buildings after an earthquake, which can help the country manage efficient recovery.

Mansons trained hands-on to build bearing walls and reinforced concrete frames, applying Nepal’s building code that addresses reinforcement in simpler buildings.

Local engineers, geologists, and professors learned in intensive field courses how to assess hazard risk, apply safe development regulations and map hazards, and reduce landslide risk.

Thimphu Thromde (City), Bhutan’s capital, is vulnerable to a range of natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires. With the city’s continued growth and urbanization, and the resulting increase in population density and infrastructural developments, the risks from these hazards also grow, further compounded by the effects of changing climate patterns. Recognizing these challenges, the Thimphu Thromde Disaster Management and Contingency (TDMCP) has been developed by the Royal Government of Bhutan in 2016 to provide a proactive and systematic approach to disaster risk reduction and emergency management.

Nepal is located in one of the most seismically active areas in the world. Based on government and GeoHazards International (GHI) data, a vast number of school buildings are highly vulnerable to heavy damage or collapse. No child should have to risk their lives to get an education.

A disaster preparedness plan and drills tailored for students with visual impairments, so they practice how to respond safely during and after emergencies.

Global researchers, engineers, architects, builders and officials developed new design guidance to improve seismic behavior of concrete frames with masonry infill walls, a common building type.

Westernmost Nepal, is threatened by a major earthquake that most of its buildings, including most schools, have not been designed or built to withstand. This places schoolchildren at great risk, and common school construction practices need to be made safer.

Villagers helped masons to seismically retrofit the local adobe school. In the process, they learned why and how to build in ways that resist earthquake damage.

An undergraduate internship included real world field study and a research report, which aligned with their studies and prepared them to apply for graduate school and pursue professional careers.

Nepal is located in one of the most seismically active areas in the world. Based on government and GeoHazards International (GHI) data, a vast number of school buildings are highly vulnerable to heavy damage or collapse during earthquake shaking. No child should have to risk their lives to get an education.

GHI is supporting Nepal in improving school safety, through longer-term solutions like constructing safer, new schools and strengthening existing vulnerable buildings. However, at the current rate of schools being replaced or strengthened, it will take close to 200 years to make all school buildings safe. In the meantime, there are many children who remain at high risk from their school buildings collapsing or experiencing heavy damage during earthquakes.

This initiative has significantly improved hospital fire preparedness across the region. Hospitals that used the checklists have identified and addressed critical safety gaps, reduced fire risks, and strengthened their emergency response systems. By combining practical tools, capacity building, and digital innovation, GHI’s work is helping create safer, more resilient healthcare systems—ready to protect lives when it matters the most.

Locally made Earthquake Desks are affordable, withstand heavy loads, and provide safer cover in schools that are not yet earthquake resistant.

Volunteers from an engineering company’s local office taught students, faculty and parents about disaster risk, preparedness, and how to mitigate specific vulnerabilities in buildings.

This innovative online disaster awareness curriculum, including self-study and teacher training, scaled nationwide and reached remote corners of Turkey.

A detailed scenario process engaged leaders and technical professionals in India’s most populous hill city to understand, assess and mitigate Aizawl’s very high risk of landslides and earthquakes.

A person’s immediate action when an earthquake begins makes a difference in safety. This evidence-based guidance emphasizes protective action for the local context.

In their own voice and style, youth in Cap-Haïtien share new knowledge about their city’s extreme earthquake and coastal risks, and how to take action for disaster resilience.

GeoHazards International (GHI) invested in local masons’ capacity to build earthquake-resistant schools that protect children, and to similarly construct other buildings. GHI worked with local officials and partner National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) Nepal to train local masons on earthquake-resistant building techniques, who then went on to construct an earthquake resilient school in Godawari Municipality, Kailali.

A manual and intensive training program for staff to back up utility systems, anchor objects, practice response, and prepare their hospitals to function through disasters.