OPTIMUM SEISMIC, INC.
September 2023 NEWSLETTER
Evolving Challenges of Emergency Response
Ali Sahabi, GEC
Principal,
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
A recent interview with former Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate by PBS News Weekend anchor John Yang raised some interesting points.
Fugate spoke about the increasing frequency and severity of major disasters caused by extreme storms, wildfires, and public health emergencies such as the COVID vaccine distribution. He said it seems FEMA is perpetually responding to one disaster after another, and it’s no longer just the same type of disasters repeating in the same locations.
He was asked who should be responsible for preparing communities that have a high exposure to disaster risks.
“This is a shared responsibility. Much of the preparedness, everything from evacuations to getting communities ready starts at the local level,” stated the former FEMA Administrator. “But another major impact on the outcome of these disasters is the use of building codes and land use planning to make sure communities are built in such a way that they are resilient to disasters.”
“You’re seeing that play out in homes side by side,” he said referring to the importance of building codes in disasters such as hurricanes. “One (home) is destroyed, one’s in pretty good shape. A lot of that comes down to when was it built and under what building code. Those are things state and local governments regulate. But it has a major impact on the federal taxpayer when it comes to recovering from these disasters.”
These are important messages for public officials, business and community leaders. It’s your responsibility to act now to mitigate the next disaster before it happens.
Contact Optimum Seismic to learn how earthquake retrofits can protect your community, its housing and businesses by calling (323)605-0000 or visiting www.optimumseismic.com.
September is National Preparedness Month
Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA) is a public-private-grassroots partnership of people and organizations that work together to improve earthquake and tsunami preparedness, mitigation and resiliency.
ECA develop resources and organize activities to help everyone who lives, works, or travels in California’s earthquake country to be ready to be prepared to survive and recover quickly.
You can start to prepare by following the Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety.
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A hundred years ago this month, Tokyo was flattened. The Great Kanto Earthquake, a magnitude 7.9 event, demolished the nascent Japanese capital, killing more than 100,000 people — some 3% of the city’s population at the time.
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Months after Turkey’s quake, people still await new housing
In the shade of a tree on a hot summer morning, women and children sit patiently outside a makeshift bakery squeezed into a small, temporary building. One of the women says she comes here most mornings, because this bakery has loaves of bread to give away to families in distress — like hers.
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California Storm, Quake and Fire Rattle Nerves
All of California’s vulnerabilities seemed to be on display on a recent Sunday afternoon.
In addition to lashing rains from a very rare tropical storm, a sizeable earthquake rattled most of Southern California, and firefighters near the Oregon border were battling a wildfire that grew by 2,000 acres overnight.
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Pasadena City Council Approves Plan to Retrofit and Repair Central Library
The Pasadena City Council approved a plan to seismically retrofit and repair the Pasadena Central Library during its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. The decision marks a significant step towards preserving the city’s history while embracing the future.
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Strong 6.3 quake and 5.7 aftershock shake Colombia’s capital city
A strong earthquake followed quickly by a strong aftershock shook Colombia’s capital of Bogota and other major cities Thursday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
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Is Your Building On Solid Ground Against Earthquakes?
Apartment buildings in the Greater San Diego Area may sit on soil that is prone to liquefaction, landslides or other instability when shaken by an earthquake.
Building owners should learn what steps they can take to protect their buildings, equity and income.
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Optimum Seismic Retrofitted the Union Building in Pasadena
With Tokyo facing more rainfall, rising sea levels and more in the 2040s, the city is upgrading its infrastructure to be more resilient in the face of disasters like rain, typhoons, flooding, earthquake and fires — as well as power outages, communications disruptions and the outbreak of infectious diseases.
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