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Strategic public buildings must be made as efficient as possible to allow for emergency operations, like search and rescue activities, taking care of victims, and evacuation. Looks at strategic public buildings as part of urban and regional systems. Addresses factors such as physical vulnerability to a seismic event, location, accessibility, interaction with the soil, links with other public facilities, and the way the latter are used under normal conditions. Considers whether public facilities can continue providing their service under stressful conditions, even when a certain degree of physical damage has been suffered by structures or by medical equipment. The health‐care system has been chosen as a key test field: the result is a framework which helps assess the vulnerability of hospitals serving an area prone to seismic risk.

Shows a framework to assess urban and regional vulnerability. Starting from the first attempts to measure the vulnerability component of risk (the latter given as the combination of hazard and vulnerability) which have been carried out in Italy but which considered only single buildings, the method used until now is broadened to take into account also the vulnerability of the subsystems which are part of regional systems as well as social and economic vulnerabilities. Some important parameters have been identified to evaluate these vulnerabilities, and put in a framework which aids the assessment of overall regional and urban vulnerability. According to the authors’ opinion such a framework can be very useful in addressing planners’ and public administrators’ decisions both on preventive strategies and during the preparation of reconstruction plans. This framework has been applied to a small seismic settlement in Lombardy, Toscolano Maderno.

The paper defines Malta’s disaster risks parameter. Various data are given on Malta’s earthquake‐related hazards. By referring to mean damage ratios and death rates, earthquake losses are equated as a percentage of the gross domestic product, and the number of casualties and homeless estimated. Being a small island, the need for foreign help in the aftermath of a large disaster is analysed. Because of the present large number of vacant premises available, the amount of material foreign help required is minimized, as households could be evacuated to other regions of the Island. The above risks could further be minimized if Malta adopts strategic preparedness and mitigation management. Retrofitting of the present building stock is necessary, as is actively encouraging the purchase of disaster insurance, together with preparation of planning tools and strategic choices.