Pasadena: High Earthquake Risk Confirmed in New Seismic Hazard Report

Posted December 16, 2019, under Blog

Pasadena is at a high-risk for destructive earthquakes.

The news was confirmed in a report from the National Seismic Hazard Model which estimates where earthquakes are more likely to occur in Southern California and at what frequency and strength.

Thanks to oil-prospecting studies, which have been conducted throughout the Los Angeles Basin, there’s a lot of data surrounding the various faults and their seismic activity in the Los Angeles region.

As for Pasadena, the high risk for earthquakes both in frequency and strength remains the same according to the study.

The new report likewise found that cities in Long Beach and Ventura are at a greater risk for violent earthquakes, according to the ground motion in the region.

“We worry about taller buildings in the basins,” Mark Petersen, a research geophysicist with the USGS, said about the study. “The fact that they’re so deep is what we worry about. The update helps us to understand better, in more detail for different types of levels.”

Pasadena resides in an area between the Los Angeles Basin and the mountains, which is where a lot of sediment collects.

Luckily, the city recently passed a mandated retrofitting measure which goes into effect January 1st, 2020.

While experts agree that Californians are much more prepared today for a large earthquake – compared to when the 6.7 temblor struck Northridge and killed 60 people, injuring 9,000 – there is still a lot to be done.

What needs to be done is the retrofitting of vulnerable buildings in high-risk regions – especially soft story structures which saw the most death, damage and destruction after the Northridge quake.

In Pasadena, it’s estimated that there are 472 local soft story structures which are home to roughly 4,500 Pasadena residents.

If you think you own a property that’s in need of earthquake retrofitting, contact Julian Construction today.

You can schedule a free inspection with us, where we’ll send over one of our qualified foundation specialists to inspect and analyze the area in order to determine the best way to strengthen and secure the building.

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