ON Monday, Dec. 8, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed an ambitious earthquake plan calling for a retrofitting of thousands of at-risk buildings.
The report released Monday afternoon detailed action steps on seismic safety “to address the city’s greatest earthquake vulnerabilities. The recommendations include building retrofitting and steps to secure our water supply and communications infrastructure,” according to a statement from the Mayor’s office.
Garcetti’s recommendations for owners target two of the riskiest types of buildings in LA built before 1980: concrete buildings and wooden structures built on top of weak first floors, such as those on top of carports and garages and supported by slender columns. Quake retrofits would be required within five years for the “soft first story” buildings, and within 25 years for “non-ductile reinforced concrete” buildings.
“Instead of being complacent and then jarred into action by a devastating earthquake, LA is moving forward proactively with a comprehensive package of preparedness and resiliency measures to fortify our buildings, protect our water supply, and keep our telecommunications online when the ‘Big One’ hits,” Garcetti said.
Thousands live and work in these weaker, older buildings, and seismic officials have warned of hundreds of deaths across Southern California if nothing is done to strengthen these buildings before a large earthquake hits once more.
The plan also calls for “significant investments” in fortifying LA’s water supply, as well as upgrading the city’s telecommunications network.
Garcetti’s proposal includes a plan to ensure firefighters won’t be left helpless by ruptured water pipes emptying hydrants from burning neighborhood fires, which was what happened during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Mayor called for the development of a backup water delivery system for firefighters, modeled after the San Francisco water network.
Not wanting to leave Angelenos without phone or Internet connection after a major quake, Garcetti also aims to beef up the city’s telecommunications network, including creating solar-powered wireless Internet access that can be used during emergencies in public places such as schools and recreation centers.
Other recommendations in the report included a voluntary rating system for earthquake safety of buildings. A one-star building would likely cause loss of life, and a five-star would be considered excellent. Another suggestion is a law that would require a faster retrofit if a smaller earthquake damages a whole building.
The mayor’s announcement came nearly a year after he launched a comprehensive study of seismic safety in Los Angeles, with prominent US Geological Survey (USGS) seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones acting as the official science advisor.
“If all of these recommendations are enacted, I believe that Los Angeles will not just survive the next large earthquake, but we will be able to recover quickly and thrive,” said Dr. Jones.
Los Angeles once innovated urban seismic safety, being one of the first cities in California that required retrofitting of brick buildings in the 1980s. Out of about 8,000 buildings, all but three have been retrofitted or demolished after 1981. As a result of the citywide retrofitting, no one died from brick building damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
An earlier LA Times report found that, by a conservative estimate, as many as 50 of over 1,000 old concrete buildings in Los Angeles could completely collapse in a major tremor, exposing thousands to injury or even death. As many as 8,000 could be in at-risk commercial concrete buildings that could partially or totally collapse if a 7.8 quake strikes the San Andreas fault in SoCal.
No other city in California has gone as far as implementing mandatory retrofits for concrete buildings, which proves costly for large office and residential buildings. The cost of an engineering assessment of a modest wooden apartment can range from $60,000 to $130,000.
Concerns about costs have killed earlier efforts in the city to identify and order property owners to retrofit their buildings. Many have said they shouldn’t have to pay for expensive fixes on their own. Tenant advocates have expressed concerns that they should shoulder the cost, even those on rent control.
The mayor offered suggestions such as business tax breaks for those who comply with the retrofitting requirements; a five-year exemption from the city’s business tax for firms that relocate into newer buildings; and helping owners of wooden buildings get access to private lenders. Discussion for additional measures by the City Council to protect low-income tenants were also a suggestion.
While the cost of retrofitting is high, the cost of doing nothing could hobble Los Angeles’ economy for many years, Mayor Garcetti pointed out. A crippling of Los Angeles would have national consequences, damaging the home of the largest container and cargo port in the nation, according to the Mayor and USGS’s report.
“The time for retrofit is now,” the mayor said. “Retrofits target buildings that are known killers. Complacency risks lives. One thing we can’t afford to do is wait.”
(With reports from ABC7, Los Angeles Times)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek December 10-12, 2014 Sec. A pg.4)
