Los Angeles is considered one of the most earthquake-prone urban areas in the nation. According to the United States Geological Survey, there’s a 60 percent chance an earthquake measuring in at magnitude 6.7 or higher will strike the Los Angeles area in the next 30 years; there’s also a […]
The urgent need for disaster resilience becomes clearer with each news cycle. Business owners and community leaders must adopt strategies and practices that can help communities prepare for, respond to, and bounce back after disasters like major earthquakes. The following six steps can help your business or community achieve disaster […]
Preparing your commercial buildings for the next earthquake isn’t just a theoretical exercise in California. We know earthquakes can hobble businesses, damage the economy and injure or kill people in our buildings. Even “newer” buildings constructed as late as the 1990s have elements known to fail during major earthquakes. This […]
Could your business withstand a major earthquake today? Is your inventory secure? How earthquake resilient are your buildings? Do your employees know what to do if the ground starts shaking? Do you have an emergency plan in place that everyone is prepared to implement on a moment’s notice? If you […]
Big earthquakes in Southern California can put any building to the test, sometimes with tragic results. Loma Prieta and Northridge loom in our memories. Keep in mind that every day is one day, closer to the next big earthquake that will put your building to the test. That’s why there […]
It only takes a glance at the news to see what earthquakes can do to buildings unprepared for strong shaking. The cracks, crumbling and total collapses of walls, floors, ceilings and facades can kill hundreds of people, leave thousands homeless, and disrupt critical infrastructure for months or longer. Many earthquake-damaged […]
Earthquakes are a part of life in Southern California. “The Big One” can hit anytime. Buildings with a “soft-story” are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. Soft-story buildings usually have a large, open ground floor space like a parking area, with one or more stories above it. Without shear walls and other […]
The final judge of the quality of any seismic retrofit work is really the next big earthquake. Everyone living, working and owning property here in Southern California knows this, but sometimes this fact gets muddled with legislation, owner’s liability concerns, building codes, and the cost of earthquake retrofits. Obviously, there […]
In recent decades, engineers and architects have learned a lot about how to make structures more impervious to earthquakes. New materials and designs have been introduced to make buildings better equipped for future earthquakes to come.
However, there are delays in building authorities adopting these newly developed materials due to inertia […]
