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 …
Vulnerable Steel-Framed Skyscrapers Still Ignored Under LA’s Mandatory Retrofits
Many of Los Angeles’s steel-framed skyscrapers were built far before the devastating Northridge earthquake of ’94. The same earthquake that saw the destruction of apartment buildings, commercial buildings, freeways and homes throughout Los Angeles. “Us engineers, we wish we could go back in time and …
The Northridge Earthquake – 25 Year Anniversary
If you’ve grown up in Los Angeles, the Northridge Earthquake is a memory that’s hard to shake. On January 17, 1994 a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the San Fernando Valley at 4:31 am. The devastating temblor killed more than 60 Angelinos, injured some 9,000 people …
LA’s Early Earthquake Warning App Now Available
The long-awaited ShakeAlertLA app is finally here! The app functions as an early earthquake warning system, notifying users up to one minute before a large earthquake occurs. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made the official announcement on Thursday. “Angelenos should have every chance to protect …
