Will your building hold up in a major earthquake?

Los Angeles is no stranger to earthquakes and, like other cities in California, has suffered extensive damage in previous seismic events, which has led to significant advances in earthquake engineering. Some might say that to L.A. It has been the epicenter of seismic code development since the Long Beach Earthquake of 1933. Due to its long history of seismic events and their aftermath, Los Angeles has taken on a leading role in creating a long-term public education program, helping builders to seismically strengthen their buildings, and improving overall community resilience after the next earthquake.

According to the United States Geological Survey, there is a 60 per cent chance that a magnitude 6.7 or higher earthquake will hit the Los Angeles area in the next 30 years; there is also a nearly one-in-three chance that a magnitude 7.5 earthquake will hit the Richter scale.

An important part of this is understanding the risks that you may face in the place that you are likely to be in the next major quake: home. Thousands of homes and apartment buildings are at risk of major damage in Los Angeles, although new rules requiring seismic refurbishment for some of the most vulnerable structures should help mitigate destruction.

Mayor Eric Garcetti has issued a report to help improve the city’s seismic preparedness, addressing telecommunications, water system infrastructure and building vulnerability. The report calls for proposed ordinances, several of which relate to buildings and structures: 1) Seismic Retrofit of Existing Wood-Framed Soft-Story Buildings 2) Seismic Retrofit of Existing Non-Ductile Concrete Buildings 3) New Cell Phone Communication Tower Design Requirements In 2016, Los Angeles City released a list of more than 13,000′ Soft Story’ buildings vulnerable to collapse.

Property owners have seven years to comply with these orders, so it’s best to check in with your landlord to get a better idea of when the building upgrades will be complete.

To get started today or for more information, please contact us today to schedule a FREE on-site inspection by our team of Soft Story experts or call us at 888.901.2607