Earthquakes have confused and terrified people throughout human history.
In ancient times, many people believed earthquakes were the result of angry gods, giants and huge animals.
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 […]
California has an average of about 21 earthquakes per day, 150 quakes per week, 7,750 a year.
Most are too small to be noticed, yet our state sees more seismic activity than virtually any other place in the world. California also experiences more earthquake damage than other parts of the U.S. […]
How would a massive earthquake impact California’s housing shortage?
The answer is obvious. A major earthquake that hits densely-populated urban areas would make California’s housing shortage much worse.
Such an earthquake could take a heavy toll on California’s affordable housing supply, particularly the older, soft-story apartment buildings that are most at-risk of […]
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 earthquake. Even though the brewery was located just […]
Are you worried your apartment building may be seriously damaged in a major earthquake resulting in casualties and loss of your future income?
If so, doing the proper homework will get you off on the right foot towards a successful earthquake retrofit project.
The most important part of the process is selecting […]
People often reference the Northridge earthquake of 1994 when they speak about seismic disasters. After all, it’s something many of us experienced first-hand: an event that we can relate to.
The 6.7-magnitude thrust of the quake rattled Southern California a mere 10 to 20 seconds and caused $67 billion in widespread […]
Chances are you felt at least one of the many earthquakes that rattled Southern California last month.
The initial 6.4-magnitude quake near the desert community of Ridgecrest was just a precursor to a larger 7.1-magnitude giant, with many other quakes to follow in the days succeeding these temblors.
It can be a […]
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 answered that if the apartment is still standing, it has survived everything until now — wrongly implying the building must […]
While a growing number of local governments in California have moved forward with seismic retrofit ordinances in the last decade, most cities still don’t have these important public safety laws in place.
And since earthquakes can strike virtually anywhere at any time in California, communities which have not addressed seismic issues […]
Santa Monica is recognized as a leader in California earthquake safety, having retrofitted more than half of its seismically vulnerable buildings.
Ambitious efforts to upgrade several types of structures that historically have caused death and destruction during major earthquakes set the city apart as a model for communities starting to deal […]
