Optimum Seismic, Inc.
April 2022, Newsletter
Ali Sahabi, GEC
Principal,
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
LA This Week features Optimum Seismic project to show benefits of retrofits
I recently joined L.A. Metro Public Safety Advisory Committee Member Jessica Kellogg on LA This Week to discuss how seismic retrofits can protect homes and businesses from severe damage or collapse during major earthquakes. Retrofits of wood-framed, soft-story buildings, which feature open parking areas with units above, can prevent earthquake damage.
Jessica explained the benefits of seismic retrofitting, and how common soft-story buildings are in Los Angeles. She encouraged owners and tenants to look into the safety of their buildings. Help is available through the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.
Call us at 833 978-7664 if you think your building may be at risk of damage in an earthquake. We can help you get the information you need to find a solution that is right for you. Visit OptimumSeismic.com.
LA This Week features Optimum Seismic Retrofits
Jessica Kellogg from the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department recently met with Optimum Seismic COO Ali Sahabi and a construction team at a client’s site to discuss seismic retrofitting in Los Angeles. Thank you to the City of Los Angeles for featuring Optimum Seismic on this important segment about building safety in L.A.! If you missed us on tv you can watch the episode here.
Culver City Chamber Partners with Optimum Seismic on Earthquake Retrofit Workshop
The Culver City Chamber of Commerce has forged a new partnership with a private company to conduct seminars and webinars on the importance of earthquake retrofits for owners and managers of apartment and commercial buildings. The next will be co-sponsored by the Culver City Chamber of Commerce and Optimum Seismic, Inc. on April 18.
Read more
Earthquake Resilience Project at Cedars – Sinai Hospital
Construction of a new patient tower is underway at Cedars – Sinai Hospital as a result of the “Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act, a 1983 state law which requires that all of California’s acute care hospitals to be able to withstand a major earthquake by the year 2030.
7.4 quake in Tokyo underscores benefits of seismic engineering
Impacts of Tokyo’s recent 7.4-magnitude earthquake were mild, given the massive size of last month’s temblor. Japan has taken serious action to prepare for these devastating events. Even so, Toyota and other companies reported business delays from the damage.
Where can you see earthquake faults in the Bay Area?
Have you ever seen an earthquake fault? According to John Metcalfe, author of the attached article, earthquake fault lines are all around us if we know what to look for. Enjoy the stories behind fault locations and find examples of where you can see fault lines.
Deadly quake could ravage West Coast at some point
An earthquake in the West Coast “will spell the worst natural disaster in the history of the continent,” The New Yorker warned. “Houses not bolted to their foundations will slide off… Something on the order of a million buildings will collapse or be compromised.” The odds of a 9.0 quake striking in the next 50 years is about 14% — about the same that an NFL kicker will miss a 37-year field goal. Will you take those odds and bet against it happening? (Photo at left shows huge cracks at the port of Kobe, Japan, following a devastating 1995 earthquake.)
Read more
Will your business survive a major earthquake?
Imagine if the economic hardship brought on by the pandemic had included the destruction of thousands of buildings? Recovery for small businesses is often worse when structural loss, or infrastructure collapse comes into play. Following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, 39% of all businesses surveyed reported suffering as a result of the quake. A year and a half later, nearly a quarter of those businesses had still not recovered.
Washington OKs funding for seismic retrofits of schools
An effort to jump-start the pace of earthquake retrofits to vulnerable, older school buildings in Washington has passed the Legislature unanimously. The Evergreen State has lagged behind other West Coast states and provinces in reinforcing schools to withstand strong shaking from earthquakes.
