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Building Code Lessons From the 1994 Northridge Earthquake
At 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1994, the M6.7 Northridge struck in the San Fernando Valley, roughly 20 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Although the duration was only 10 to 20 seconds, the ground motions included a reading of 1.82g, the highest ever recorded in an urban area in North America, and the MMI was IX (violent). The earthquake resulted in around 60 fatalities, and damage estimates were as high as $50 billion.
Building Code Lessons From the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake
At 6 a.m. on Feb. 9, 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck outside Los Angeles in the foothills above the San Fernando Valley. An estimated half a billion dollars in damages and 65 deaths were attributable to the earthquake. Most of the deaths occurred in two nearby hospital complexes, Olive View and Veterans, both of which suffered significant damage.
Murray, Utah School District Seismic Retrofits
Around 2010, the Murray School District decided to mitigate against future earthquakes and other natural disasters by undertaking a multiyear retrofit program that brought all its campuses up to current earthquake safety standards.
Fix The Bricks! Fortifying Salt Lake City, Utah – Past, Present and Future
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 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.
HAZUS-MH Used for American Indian Reservation Pre-Disaster Mitigation
FEMA REGION I - Since 2000, Indian tribes, along with State and local governments, have been writing pre-disaster mitigation (PDM) plans in order to achieve compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2000).
Oregon's Plan for Mitigating Earthquakes
OREGON - The Cascadia Subduction Zone Fault is a long sloping fault located off the West coast of the United States which stretches from mid-Vancouver to Northern California. As a result of its enormous size, this fault is capable of producing devastating earthquakes.
Colton Schools Seismic Mitigation
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA - The Colton Unified School District, located in San Bernardino County in Southern California, has 26 elementary, middle and high schools and eight separate departmental facilities.
HIHUG Hawaii HAZUS Atlas
To help Hawaii’s disaster managers better prepare for and respond to potentially devastating earthquakes, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC)—in collaboration with Hawaii State Civil Defense and the Hawaii State Earthquake Advisory Committee (HSEAC)—has created the Hawaii HAZUS Atlas (HHA).
Acquisition and Relocation from Multiple Hazards
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA - After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the Castaic Union School District conducted a study of the earthquake-related risks.
Public School Retrofit Program Efforts Prompted By Parents and Staff
LAKE WASHINGTON, WA - It was April 29, 1965, when the last major earthquake struck western Washington State. While aware of the possibility of another event, locals had been lax in their efforts to take action.