Seismic Resilience

1 May, 2023

Does your apartment building pass the 80% test?

By |2023-05-16T17:03:21+00:00May 1st, 2023|AAGLA, Earthquake Retrofit, Earthquake Retrofit Benefits, Earthquake Risk, Seismic Resilience|

Real estate trends are fueled by popular opinion. Wood paneling and shag carpet have long since made way for today’s bright walls and wood-style flooring. Functionality has changed as well, with tenants demanding larger open spaces, natural light, and now — seismic safety.

A whopping 80% of Los Angeles residents support […]

3 March, 2023

Is L.A. Ready for a $250 billion earthquake disaster?

By |2023-03-17T17:36:50+00:00March 3rd, 2023|AAGLA, earthquake preparedness, Earthquake Resilience, Seismic Resilience, Seismic Retrofit|

Los Angeles County suffered more than $100 million in damage to public property from the barrage of fierce atmospheric river storms that battered the state in early 2023. Costs associated with that damage include debris removal, road and bridge repair and flood damage to buildings – including a sink hole […]

2 March, 2023

How much would an earthquake cost you?

By |2023-03-17T17:31:53+00:00March 2nd, 2023|AAOC, Earthquake Retrofit, Seismic Resilience, Seismic Retrofit|

Sixty miles up the 405 freeway stands the sprawling 95-acre Anheuser-Busch brewery where, since 1954, some of the world’s most famous beer labels are made: Budweiser, Bud Light and more recent labels like Bud Ice, Kirin Ichiban and Chelada.

That Van Nuys facility today is a testament to the financial benefits […]

1 January, 2023

The ABCs of Earthquakes and Seismic Engineering

By |2023-01-03T23:54:16+00:00January 1st, 2023|AAGLA, Earthquakes, Seismic Engineering, Seismic Resilience|

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 shaking.[i]

When a small quake […]

29 December, 2022

Mayor Bass Applauds LA’s progress on Earthquake Retrofits of Apartment Buildings

By |2023-01-04T00:13:00+00:00December 29th, 2022|Earthquake Retrofits, Optimum Seismic, Seismic Resilience, Seismic Retrofit|

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 […]

9 June, 2022

Seismic retrofits protect affordable housing

By |2022-06-15T13:16:08+00:00June 9th, 2022|AACSC, Seismic Resilience, Seismic Retrofit|

Plans to convert Long Beach Community Hospital into a multi-service health care campus were recently stalled as officials reviewed a state law requiring governments to give priority to affordable housing developers when selling or leasing surplus land.

When the 98-year-old hospital failed to meet California’s more stringent seismic requirements for a […]

1 August, 2021

‘King of Beers’ is the business model for earthquake resilience

By |2021-08-06T18:46:12+00:00August 1st, 2021|AAGLA, Earthquake Resilience, Earthquake Resilient Communities, Seismic Resilience|

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 […]

6 June, 2021

Seismic resilience for hospitals saves money and lives

By |2021-06-15T18:07:09+00:00June 6th, 2021|AACSC, Seismic Resilience|

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 […]

2 January, 2021

New Bridge Built with Earthquakes in Mind

By |2021-02-02T18:10:21+00:00January 2nd, 2021|AACSC, Earthquake Protection, Earthquake Resilience, Seismic Engineering, Seismic Resilience|

More than 60,000 vehicles pass daily over the new Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach – a 2,000-foot-long expanse of cables and steel connecting downtown and the 710 freeway to the port.

Opened in October, it is built to accommodate taller ocean cargo vessels, which are expected to rise to nearly […]