14 Percent of Soft-Story Structures in L.A. Now Comply With Seismic Retrofit Law, Zero Progress on Concrete Buildings
Since 2015, 14 percent of the soft-story structures in Los Angeles are now compliant with seismic retrofit law. While this is great news for residents in these vulnerable structures, there has been zero progress in seismic retrofits for concrete structures. Mayor Eric Garcetti signed the …
New Map Shows Most At-Risk Earthquake Areas in California
The California Department of Conservation released a new map showing the most at-risk earthquake areas throughout California. In addition to highlighting which regions in the Golden State are considered “hazard zones” based on their relation to the fault lines that makeup the area, it also …
Scientists Say California’s Earthquake Drought Coming to An End
California’s earthquake drought won’t last forever. According to new data by the USGS, the century between 1919 and 2018 is the only 100-year period in over the past 1,000 years where there hasn’t been an earthquake large enough along one of its active faults to …
West Hollywood Working with Landlords to Reduce Earthquake Retrofitting Costs
There’s good news for building owners in West Hollywood. The City of West Hollywood announced Monday they will be looking into several options to reduce the costs to landlords of retrofitting vulnerable apartment buildings in the area. The city recently joined the likes of Los …
Pasadena City Council Approves Soft Story Retrofit Ordinance
Pasadena is about to become a much safer place to live. The city counsel recently passed a new soft story retrofit ordinance law which will mandate the retrofit of older, wood-frame residential buildings that were built between the ‘20s and ‘70s. While originally given 5 …
What Causes Foundation Problems?
Foundation problems tend to occur over time. Natural elements, age, and the materials used can cause a home’s foundation to eventually weaken. Sometimes it’s the soil conditions, the humidity in the air, the year the house was built or poor construction that can upset the …
Despite False Alarms, California’s New Earthquake Early Warning System Is Worth Using
In a new study from scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey and Caltech, researchers found that despite accuracy limits with California’s new earthquake early warning system it’s better to be safe than sorry – meaning, sending people false alarms is better than sending no warning …
Foundation Damage – The Warning Signs
The sooner you can identify foundation damage in your home, the more affordable the repairs will be. When left unchecked and unrepaired foundation damage can worsen overtime which means any repairs associated with the damage will be more expensive and time consuming. As a homeowner, …
Earthquake Safety Tips for 2019
There’s nothing better than starting off a new year by accomplishing new tasks. A task that every homeowner should be preparing for is earthquake safety. Los Angeles marked a major milestone in January with the launch of their very own earthquake warning app which will …
