The ABCs Of Earthquakes And Seismic Engineering
Most Californians have experienced earthquakes. There are the large ones – sudden, jarring jolts followed by more strong shaking that can last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. Farther away, these feel like a gentle “bump,” often followed by more rolling […]
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 […]
Asking “what’s the worst thing that could happen” is the best way for apartment owners to begin preparing to prevent costly earthquake losses that could lead to bankruptcy.
Imagine you wake up tomorrow to terrible shaking. Within hours you learn the apartment buildings you worked for throughout your life have partially […]
Earthquakes are a constant threat in California. “The Big One” can hit anytime, and cause severe damage to vulnerable apartment buildings, along with death and injuries.
Apartment buildings with a “soft-story” are particularly at-risk of earthquake damage. Soft-story buildings usually have a large, open ground floor space like a parking area, […]
After the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Van Nuys suffered significant damage in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, the company invested $11 million to retrofit structures to withstand the next major temblor – which struck in 1994 with the Northridge quake.
Even though the brewery was located just a few miles from the epicenter […]
Structural engineering plays a very important role in our society today. We show our great confidence into the work of structural engineers every time we drive on an overpass, pass through a tunnel, or enter a building. In every case we trust our lives to the knowledge and workmanship of […]
Mayor Karen Bass praised the earthquake safety achievements of the City of Los Angeles during her inaugural speech on December 11, 2022.
Mayor Bass credited the achievements to former Mayor Eric Garcetti by telling him “Your legacy is large.” She noted Angelenos will be benefitting from Garcetti’s leadership in the years […]
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 […]
Humans, in ancient times, believed earthquakes were caused by huge animals, angry gods and giants.
Current folklore attempts to find causal links between moon phases and earthquakes, but this theory has been debunked by science.
What we do know is that earthquakes are frequent in California, and that Southern California is long […]
We put a lot of trust into structural engineering. Every time we drive on an overpass, pass through a tunnel, or enter a building – we trust our lives to the knowledge and workmanship of the people who built them.
Structural engineers design the bones and muscles that form and define […]
