<span>Building Damage and Business Continuity Management in </span>the Event of Natural Hazards: Case Study of the 2004 Tsunami in Sri Lanka

<span>The Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami event on the 26 December 2004 has provided a unique and valuable opportunity to evaluate the performance of various structures, facilities and lifeline systems during the tsunami wave attacks. There are especial</span><span>ly</span><span> meaningful observations concerning </span><span>the structural changes</span><span> due to the tsunami forces, which </span><span>open up a</span><span> wide area of research to develop the mitigation procedure. The </span><span>business </span><span>restoration process of business companies in terms of buildings, facilities and lifelines have shown </span><span>greater</span><span> research interest. In this study, we investigate</span><span>d</span><span> the restoration process of business </span><span>sectors</span><span> in </span><span>East and S</span><span>outh</span><span> coastal region in </span><span>Sri Lanka </span><span>after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami</span><span>. </span><span>A field survey was conducted</span><span> in </span><span>East and S</span><span>outh </span><span>coast </span><span>of Sri Lanka, in order to </span><span>study</span><span> the affecting parameters to damage</span><span> assessment in the restoration process of</span><span> the business companies. </span><span>T</span><span>he results of </span><span>the questionnaire-based</span><span> field survey are then compared with the </span><span>statistical analysis results</span><span>.</span><span> </span><span>Finally, the factors affecting the restoration process after </span><span>the </span><span>tsunami are </span><span>identified. As a main conclusion, </span><span>financial support could be the most important reason for delay</span><span>s</span><span> in restoration.</span><span> Moreover, i</span><span>t has been </span><span>observed</span><span> that the tsunami inundation level </span><span>of higher than</span><span> one meter may have </span><span>had </span><span>more effect concerning</span><span> the</span><span> damage to </span><span>the </span><span>structures</span><span> and requires additional time for restoration than other areas</span><span>.</span><span></span>