Benefits of Earthquake Resilient Communities Subject of New Webinar Series on Feb. 17

LOS ANGELES, CA – Ways earthquake resilient buildings can protect residents, businesses and entire communities from powerful earthquakes will be discussed during “The Resilience Advantage,” webinar on Wednesday, Feb. 17 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

To register, visit optimumseismic.com/the-resilience-advantage/. There is no fee to sign in.

A coalition of leading business organizations launched the educational webinar series in 2020 to help property owners and business leaders evaluate decisions they must make to better safeguard their buildings, businesses, employees and tenants.

Program Champions for the February webinar episode are the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and California Building Officials (CALBO).

The Resilience Advantage webinar series is sponsored by Optimum Seismic, Inc. in cooperation with Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., Los Angeles County Business Federation, and the U.S. Resiliency Council.

The webinar will include a 20-minute video featuring interviews with leading experts addressing earthquake resilience issues, challenges and accomplishments. Interviews in the February episode focus on how the private and public sectors are working together to withstand the serious damage that can be caused by California’s greatest natural hazard – earthquakes.

An expert panel will examine how making communities more resilient benefits everyone by preserving jobs, housing, vital services and the local economy. Panel discussions will be followed by an interactive period allowing audience members to raise questions to leaders in business, engineering, government, architecture and other fields.

Panel members are: Jeremy Harris, President / CEO, Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce; Jeffrey Fullerton of Plenary Group, developer of the Long Beach Civic Center project; Laurie Schoeman, Affordable Housing / Resiliency Expert, Enterprise Community Partners; and Shane G. Diller, President, California Building Officials.

“Earthquakes can have devastating impacts on vulnerable buildings, people and our economy, but they don’t have to be disasters,” says U.S. Resiliency Council Executive Director Evan Reis. “This webinar show how communities are steadily becoming more resilient one building at a time.”

“Investing in resilience is good economics, sound business, and responsible public policy,” adds Reis.

“The very survival of California’s economy and quality of life is at stake,” says Optimum Seismic Co-Founder Ali Sahabi, a leader in earthquake retrofitting and the resilience movement. “These webinars show property owners and businesses the importance of protecting their investments, tenants, employees and the community at-large as part of their business plans.”

“If they don’t take earthquake threats seriously and act promptly, owners risk building collapse, business failure, liability, bankruptcy and more,” adds Sahabi. “The bottom line is that the economic benefits of earthquake resilience are impossible — and dangerous – to ignore.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates 40 percent of businesses that close their doors as a result of disasters will never reopen. When buildings collapse, businesses close and communities are hurt as workers lose their livelihoods and housing. Recovery can take years, if not decades.

USC researchers estimated Southern California could suffer property damage of $113 billion in a major temblor, with additional business-related impacts of $68 billion or more. Estimates put damages caused by a magnitude-7 earthquake on the Puente Hills fault running through downtown Los Angeles at more than $252 billion with thousands killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
More than 90 percent of buildings in California’s urban areas are estimated to not comply with modern building codes.

In addition to the costs of physical damage, business interruption and lost market share caused by earthquakes, courts have determined property owners can be held legally liable for deaths and injuries occurring in their buildings if they are found negligent of maintaining a hazardous condition by not taking reasonable actions to safeguard their facilities.

The Resilience Advantage webinars are exploring throughout 2021 how improved resilience can safeguard California’s businesses and communities in the face of natural hazards such as earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and pandemics. Upcoming webinar dates and topics include:

Feb. 17            Benefits of Resilient Communities

Program Champions: California Building Officials (CALBO) & Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

March 17         Earthquake Retrofits Protect Investments, Improve Safety

Program Champions: Los Angeles County Business Federation & Los Angeles Conservancy.  11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

April 21           Sustainability & Resilience – A Natural Connection

Program Champions: United States Green Building Council LA & Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.  11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

To register for complimentary The Resilience Advantage webinars visit optimumseismic.com/the-resilience-advantage/. For additional information call Optimum Seismic at 323-605-0312.