The devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in 2023 served as a stark reminder of the immense destruction that seismic events can bring. With over 50,000 lives lost, these disasters left many Californians wondering: Could a similar catastrophe strike closer to home?
Experts provide a clear answer: Yes, it’s not […]
In the morning of January 10, 2025, San Francisco Bay Area residents were reminded of California’s precarious geological reality. A preliminary magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck near the San Francisco Zoo, shaking the city awake. While light and weak shaking rippled across the region, no injuries or significant damage were reported. […]
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 […]
We don’t know exactly where or when the next major earthquake will strike, but we do know that quakes are inevitable in California and many other states.
It’s also clear what buildings will likely suffer the most severe damage from seismic shaking.
Beyond these facts, it’s wise to assess your apartment building’s […]
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 […]
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 […]
Insurance carriers track the pulse of California’s earthquake liabilities, just as they monitor trends in fire, flood, hurricanes, and other hazards that cause claims to be filed for property damage, injury or death.
Warnings from seismologists that California is long overdue for a major earthquake has property owners and insurance actuaries […]
Where can potentially unsafe, soft-story apartment building be found in San Diego? And how many such buildings are there?
Those questions and similar ones about other counties in California led Optimum Seismic, Inc. and the U.S. Resiliency Council to team up with Esri, a leading mapping company, to combine resources to […]
Did you feel that jarring 4.0 magnitude jolt of an earthquake recently?
People across San Diego County reported feeling the Jan. 30 temblor, which struck near the Palomar Observatory but could be felt from Chula Vista to Escondido, and into parts of Riverside and Orange counties.
“It was really powerful,” Valerie Mitchell […]
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 […]
