Two significant earthquake threats face communities in the Apartment Association of California Southern Cities area. The first is the risk of building damage associated with seismic shaking. The second is more localized along low coastal areas — the danger of a tsunami triggered by an earthquake that may occur thousands […]
Many older homes and apartment buildings contain lead and asbestos. Owners sometimes downplay the health hazards these substances pose to humans and the environment alike, and feel tempted to bypass the rules by removing these contaminants undercover — hoping that no one finds out.
Failure to comply with the law on […]
Demolition of the “old” Long Beach City Hall – dedicated on the day of the nation’s bicentennial on July 4, 1976 – is underway. By the end of the year, it could be completely razed.
Deemed a threat in a major earthquake, the 14-story tower was closed in 2019 due to […]
Luigi De Sarno was part of a team of advisors brought in to help the government of Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 200,000 people.
He and other representatives of the World Bank met several times with the Ministries of Health and Public Works, recommending […]
Earthquakes have baffled civilizations for thousands of years.
In ancient times, many people believed earthquakes were the result of giant animals, angry gods, and giants.
The Japanese believed a giant catfish living at the bottom of the ocean would shake the Earth when he moved. The Greeks blamed Poseidon, the god of […]
I recently ran across the following question in a social media post:
Q: Is there a way to know how safe your apartment building is in case of an earthquake?
One person commented that if her apartment is still standing, it has survived everything until now — wrongly implying that the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Should new construction be allowed on top of live earthquake faults? And, what about the thousands of structures already perched upon these fearsome fissures?
These are questions playing out in Hollywood and other parts of the Southland today, where a worrisome weave of active faults snakes its way through our communities.
The […]
