  The paper presents a comparison between the results of the analytical
assessments of the damage potential of seismic ground motions, based on two
different parameters: the Park-Ang damage index and the Sandi instrumental
seismic intensity. The Park Ang damage index is largely used for structural
damage assessment due to its simplicity and its calibration against
experimental data. The instrumental intensity has the advantage of being
calibrated with respect to the EMS 98 intensity scale. Based on the processing
of ground motions recorded during the strong earthquakes generated by the
Vrancea seismic source in 1977 (moment magnitude Mw=7,4) and 1986 (Mw=7,1), the
values of the considered parameters are determined and maps of their spatial
distribution are generated. The results of the two approaches are compared to
one another, as well as with the information provided by the reports concerning
the effective damage observed in buildings due to the considered earthquakes.
