The surfside condominium building that collapsed just north of Miami shares similarities to some older high-rises here, Long Beach Building Superintendent David Khorram told media representatives shortly after the June 24 disaster.
The Florida building was built about 40 years ago, and there are many mid- and high-rise residential buildings that […]
The Santa Ana Mountains are a regional treasure, providing a spectacular backdrop to Orange County.
The range begins at the Whittier Fault and stretches south to the Santa Margarita River. Major summits are scattered along the ridge, the mightiest being Modjeska (5,496 feet) and Santiago (5,689 feet) – which form our […]
Let’s talk business.
When the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Van Nuys suffered significant damage in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, the company invested $11 million in retrofitting structures on site to withstand the next major temblor – which came in 1994 with the Northridge quake.
Even though the brewery was located just a few […]
Insurance doesn’t save lives, it saves your livelihood. Earthquake retrofits do both.
Most apartment owners have worked very hard for what they have. Yet while San Diego is more seriously at risk of earthquake devastation than previously thought – many prefer to hope that the worst never happens, rather than to […]
It’s been a difficult year for owners of rental income properties, with up to 20% of Southern California tenants behind on rent and many owing balances in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to various reports.
News coverage cites anonymous owners afraid to speak out on how policies put in […]
Does your apartment building meet today’s standards for seismic safety and interior layout? If built before the mid-1970s, it could benefit from an upgrade of both.
Many building owners in these circumstances are taking advantage of the financial benefits of renovating their building’s interior spaces along with their seismic retrofit project.
The […]
Nearly everyone has experienced some of the widespread economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic — business closures, loss of income, unemployment, working remotely, or unavailability of services we have come to depend on.
And many of us know someone who has been personally impacted by illness or death.
COVID-19 raged into our […]
Surfside, Florida. Not long ago, this beachfront community was known best for its eclectic restaurants, five-star Bal Harbour shopping, upscale hotels, and multi-story condominium buildings lining the sun-kissed sands of the Atlantic coast just north of Miami.
But on June 24, a wing of the 12-story Champlain Towers imploded – bringing […]
Should hospital buildings be required to meet safety standards to withstand a major earthquake?
It’s a question being raised throughout the state as the deadline approaches for hospitals and their outpatient buildings considered at “significant risk” of failure to be retrofitted for safety.
Many of us remember the devastating Sylmar quake of […]
UC San Diego, home to one of the world’s foremost research centers for earthquake safety, also has several buildings on and off campus—including student housing, theaters, gymnasiums, laboratories, and cafes – that are at serious or severe risk to life, according to a seismic safety survey done of several University […]
