Red Spot

[ladorada]

Hello!

All deteriorated buildings in my city have to have a "red spot" near the entrance to show that they are dangerous in case of an earthquake.

Are there any similar ways of signaling that a building is dangerous?

More details in the following article:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/mar/25/risky-cities-red-equals-danger-in-bucharest-europes-earthquake-capital

The collocation appears in a poem that is to be translated into English and I'm not sure if "my brain as a red spot" suggests the reference to an earthquake. Most probably it doesn't...

Best,
D

[Old_Geezer]

Didn't know that. So having been warned are you expected to refuse to go in ?
Surely building regs should be such that all are to a minimum standard and any that deteriorate below that are deemed unsafe and not to be used ?

[Old_Geezer]

Are all Hindus considered dangerous in an earthquake ?

[ladorada]

I'm not sure but people (including the officials) seem to have ignored these signs over the last decade. The biggest earthquake was in 1977, when about 1000 people living in the centre died. That made Ceausescu decide to demolish part of the buildings in the city centre and build the huge People's House. I'm not a specialist in constructing engineering or legal issues and I don't know when exactly the measure was adopted (probably in the 1990s). I wonder if this measure has been useful for the population and for the city in general. It seems more useful for real estate agents, who can establish lower rents. Since the fire at the Colectiv pub in November 2015, it seems that the local administration has become more aware of the dangers. Some walls may fall without the help of an earthquake.

A Hindu's red spot -- that's funny!

[Old_Geezer]

It seems to me that the authorities have a responsibility to protect the people so a law should be passed to ensure no building is left in a lower than set standard, and the owners legally obliged to maintain or demolish within a certain period. It'd stop the single objection issue. And since permission for demolition would not be forthcoming for listed buildings, maintenance would be forced this could all be corrected in a couple of years.

[douglas9401]

In the UK, an indication of at least mild peril within is signified by the word Wetherspoon above the entrance.

[ladorada]

A Wetherspoon sign? :)

I suppose there is no equivalent sign on buildings in the UK to say they are dangerous in case of an earthquake. The informing procedure must be different.