Challenge
The Wasatch Fault poses one of the most catastrophic natural threat scenarios in the United States. Despite the lack of high magnitude earthquakes in recent history, the Wasatch Front has a 43% chance of experiencing a 6.75 or greater magnitude earthquake in the next 50 years.
The devastating potential of the Wasatch Fault is due in part to its proximity to Utah’s most densely populated areas. Many Utahns work, study and live in unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings heightening the danger for collapsed buildings after an earthquake.
During an earthquake, URM Buildings — which are composed of brick walls without steel reinforcement — can collapse inwards and outwards causing injury, property damage, and loss of building function. Since the 1970s, Utah building codes prohibit new construction of URM buildings, however it’s estimated that the Wasatch Front has more than 140,000 of these structures, many of which are historic.
Solution
To address this issue, the City of Salt Lake has partnered with the state to fund life-safety level retrofits to URM homes through the “Fix the Bricks” program, increasing the likelihood of an occupant’s ability to survive a damaging earthquake. The program is funded in part through the FEMA’s legacy Pre-Disaster Mitigation program which was sunset in 2019. Participating homeowners living in URM dwellings in Salt Lake City can receive FEMA funding to cover a portion of seismic retrofit costs.
Fix the Bricks particularly emphasizes two retrofit techniques to enhance life safety: 1) strengthening the roof/wall connection, which enhances the ability of the walls and roof to mutually support each other against collapse; 2) bracing chimneys to prevent collapse. These pre-identified techniques, sourced from the Utah Guide for the Seismic Improvement of Unreinforced Masonry Dwellings and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), retrofitted historic structures.
Preserving Historic Buildings
Chris Hansen, a Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer with the Utah’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) reports that before the 1940s, a significant number of residents in Utah built with unreinforced masonry. “This type of construction was very popular in Utah; you see it throughout Wasatch region. It works well for other conditions outside of earthquakes and was very prevalent up until World War II. Pretty much any home 50 years or older is unreinforced masonry.”
“Fix the Bricks” retrofits did not compromise the historic character and architectural integrity of qualified buildings in Salt Lake City’s East Side, Liberty Wells and other historic districts, as Hansen and his SHPO colleagues remained actively involved.
“When FEMA and Salt Lake City approached us with the Fix the Bricks program, we consulted with them early on and looked at measures to upgrade properties that didn’t impact their historic character,” Hansen explains. “We focused on bracing chimneys and connecting walls to roofs, especially on the interior, “there’s not much visual impact with that.”
In March 2020, the Magna Earthquake struck, damaging some homes beyond repair, like the 1896 Septimus and Isabella Sears House in Salt Lake City.
Immediately after the Magna Quake, SHPO drove through affected historic districts to evaluate structural damage. They were pleased to discover that homes that had already gone through the Fix the Bricks program received little or no seismic-related damage.
Located close to the epicenter, the City of Magna on the western edge of the Salt Lake City metro area received special attention from Hansen and his crew. “The focus on Magna was in part because the community reached out to us,” Hansen explains. “They were concerned about their historic downtown and we wanted to do more with Magna’s downtown in terms of listing the commercial district on the National Register of Historic Places so that property owners can take advantage of the tax credit that we offer.”
In addition to giving them a chance to appraise the impact the earthquake had on historic structures, the survey gave the Historic Preservation Office an opportunity to tell residents about mitigation resources available. Among these resources are a staff architect who can provide technical assistance, a tax credit program with financial incentives, and a local government program that can offer small grants.
Living on a Fault Line and Protecting Your Property
Scores of homeowners have already fortified their homes through Fix the Bricks, including Carole Straughn, who lives in the city’s Sugar House neighborhood. “When we moved here in 2009, we had no idea we were buying a house on a fault line,” she remembers. “But pretty soon I started hearing about it.” The potential risk came into even sharper focus during a visit to a local farmers’ market, where Straughn saw a chart with a map showing where the destruction would be when the “big one” hit Salt Lake City.
“I was searching online for more information about how to strengthen your home for earthquakes when I ran across the Fix the Bricks grant. I thought there’s no chance we’ll get it, but we applied and got [the grant].”
Straughn hired a local licensed contractor, to perform the retrofits in the fall of 2017. The work took about a week to complete, but during that time Straughn and her family were able to keep living in the house without disruption to their daily lives.
She feels the Fix the Bricks program was a major reason her home survived the Magna Quake without any damage, a factor that has given her more peace of mind. “I just feel safer,” she says. “A feeling that it’s more solid. As if I can feel it being stronger.”
Kelly Dazet first came across Fix the Bricks through an article in local newspaper and decided to apply. “This is an earthquake zone, and we have a masonry brick house that’s at risk in the event of a serious earthquake so we thought it would be wise to participate. It seemed like a good investment,” says Dazet.
Dazet’s retrofit took place in December 2019. The first big test came just three months later, when the Magna Quake struck Salt Lake City. “I had never been in an earthquake before. The whole house was moving back and forth, up, and down, it was scary,” says Dazet. “I didn’t notice any damage to the house. If nothing else, it’s reassuring to have the work done for our personal safety — so we don’t have the roof, the house, collapsing around us during the earthquake.”
A byproduct of undertaking the Fix the Bricks retrofits was Dazet’s ability to get earthquake insurance for his home. After the Magna Quake, State Farm Insurance initially denied coverage as unreinforced masonry construction.
“I gave them all of the paperwork that I got from the program — which included architectural drawings showing exactly what they were doing,” Dazet explains. “Upon looking at it, they approved our application for insurance. In that regard it was a big plus having had this retrofit done.”
“Based on the reconnaissance level survey that was undertaken, what we found is that buildings that had been through Fix the Bricks held up really well in the earthquake,” says Chris Hansen, a preservation planner and the State Historic Preservation Office’s deputy director. “There wasn’t any significant visual damaged to those properties. We felt happy with the results of the program, that it was successful.”
“It’s definitely a very important safety factor that people with homes like ours should do,” says Dazet. “In case there’s a major earthquake, it can save lives.”
Future
Fix the Bricks has grown due to strong public interest and increasing contractor capacity. The pilot 2016 grant of over $700,000 funded the retrofit of 29 homes, while a 2019 grant of more than $5 million aims to retrofit another 200 homes.
“This was a good learning experience for us and we’re glad that FEMA and our state emergency management office were willing to work with us, reached out to us,” Hansen adds. “I think we gained some good partnerships moving forward into the future.”
Key Takeaways
- Planning ahead to address natural risks is always a good idea for residents and communities.
- Hazard Mitigation has funds available before and after a disaster:
- For more information on local earthquake risk and preparedness visit: State of Utah’s Earthquake Resources
- USGS: Earthquake forecast for the Wasatch Front region of the Intermountain West
- United States Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program
- Utah State Historic Preservation Office
- FEMA Earthquake Risk
- Fix the Bricks – Salt Lake City Seismic Retrofit