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 specific risks by having it inspected by a qualified engineering team to identify its unique strengths and weaknesses.
Building failure is the primary cause of death, injury, and property loss suffered from earthquakes.
Many structures considered safe 25 or more years ago have since been proven very vulnerable to violent ground movement experienced during major quakes. Even smaller quakes can weaken buildings over time to cause critical failures. Engineers and scientists have pinpointed five types of structures that present significant risks to building owners, tenants and communities.
Earthquake risks in Los Angeles
Active earthquake faults crisscross Los Angeles County. More than 100 faults with names such as the Hollywood, Santa Monica, Newport-Inglewood, and Puente Hills periodically rattle nerves in the County. These faults can also unleash destructive earthquakes.
The largest of these faults is the mighty San Andreas, which is the primary feature of the system and the longest fault in California, slicing through Los Angeles County along the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains. It can cause very powerful earthquakes—as big as magnitude 8.
Hillside communities throughout Los Angeles County can experience landslides. The Rancho Palos Verdes community on the Palos Verdes Peninsula suffered a landslide in July 2023 that claimed a number of expensive homes. Neighboring Orange County has seen rail service interrupted along the coast and homes threatened by hillside movement further inland. Such landslides that can be triggered in a major earthquake and by wet soils that can undermine the foundation of a building, or cause if to slide.
Liquefaction areas can be found throughout the county, most notably in the southern portion of the San Fernando Valley and the middle of the region. Water contributing to liquefaction may flow either above or below the ground in the aquifer-rich region.
Given this variety of threats, income property owners should consider several potential economic losses when weighing the cost benefits of a seismic retrofit. These factors include potential loss of building, loss of income, loss of equity, bankruptcy, and owner’s liability for negligence associated with damage, death and injury caused by earthquakes.
1 in 16 buildings compromised
Officials estimate there are as many as 300,000 structures in Southern California could crumble or collapse in an earthquake. That’s one in every 16 buildings, according to a United States Geological Service assessment.
In fact, buildings in the Greater Los Angeles area (which encompasses Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties) have up to a 5% chance of being damaged by an earthquake during the year, according to the USGS.
These vulnerable structures include but are not limited to:
- Soft-story structures built before 1978
- Concrete tilt-up built before 1980
- Non-ductile concrete built before 1977
- Steel moment frame built before 1996
- Unreinforced masonry built before 1933
If your building falls within one of these categories, you should arrange for an engineering study to assess the structure’s unique circumstances, which will include its structural design and composition, as well as soils composition and proximity to nearby fault lines.
The benefit of knowing your risks
An engineering study of your property can help give you a clear understanding of your risk. This information will help you determine the best course of action to guard against the impacts of a major earthquake.
This information may lead you to seriously consider earthquake retrofit upgrades that enhance structural safety and provide several benefits to property owners.
- Protect your equity in your building
- Guard against liability for owner’s negligence
- Preserve your cash flow from the building
- Avoid demolition and environmental cleanup costs
- Qualify the property for financing or re-financing
- Qualify for insurance coverage on the building
- Enhance the overall value of the property
- Enhance the marketability of units to tenants concerned with safety
Most apartment owners have worked very hard for their property. Rental income may be what they rely on for their retirement or mortgage payments. It’s smart to protect these investments.
Understanding potential earthquake risks to your building is an important step in protecting your financial health and well-being.
Let the Optimum Seismic team help you better understand these risks and your options. Visit optimumseismic.com for more information, or call us at 833-978-7664.
