Will your Building be 1-of-16 Red-Tagged? By Ali Sahabi

Will your Building be 1-of-16 Red-Tagged?

Evaluate your apartment building for earthquake risk

BY ALI SAHABI

Nobody knows exactly where or when the next major earthquake will strike, but we do know that quakes are inevitable in California and many other states.

It’s also clear what types of buildings will likely suffer the most damage from seismic shaking.

Beyond these basic points, it’s always best to assess your apartment building’s specific risks by having it inspected by a qualified engineering team to identify its unique strengths and weaknesses.

Building failure is the primary cause of death, injury, and property loss suffered from earthquakes.

Many structures considered safe 25 or more years ago have since been proven very vulnerable to violent ground movement experienced during major quakes. Even smaller quakes can weaken buildings over time to cause critical failures. Scientists and engineers have pinpointed five main building types that present significant risks to building owners, tenants and communities.

Earthquake risks in Orange County

Active earthquake faults in Orange County run along the coast and mountain ranges, hitting places such as Huntington Beach and Yorba Linda.

And the hillside communities of Laguna Beach, San Clemente and Santiago Canyon are prone to landslides that can be triggered in a major earthquake, potentially undermining the foundation of a building, or sliding into one.

Liquefaction areas can be found throughout the county, most notably wherever water flows either above or below the ground such as in the aquifer-rich region of central and coastal Orange County, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, and Yorba Linda, to name a few.

Given these findings, income property owners should consider several economic factors when weighing the cost benefits of a seismic retrofit. These factors include potential loss of income, loss of equity, bankruptcy, and liability associated with damage, death and injury caused by earthquakes.

1-in-16 buildings compromised

Officials estimate there are as many as 300,000 structures in Southern California standing today that could crumble or collapse in an earthquake. These numbers equate to one in every 16 buildings, according to a United States Geological Service assessment.

In fact, buildings in the Greater Los Angeles area (which encompasses Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties) have up to a 5% chance of being damaged by an earthquake this year, according to the USGS.

These vulnerable structures include but are not limited to:

• Soft-story structures built before 1978

• Unreinforced masonry built before 1933

• Concrete tilt-up built before 1980 • Non-ductile concrete built before 1977

• Steel moment frame built before 1996

If your building falls within one of these categories, you should arrange for an engineering study to assess the structure’s unique circumstances, which will include its structural design and composition, as well as soils composition and proximity to nearby fault lines.

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The benefit of knowing your risks

An engineering study of your prop-

erty can help establish clear parameters of your risk. This information will help you determine the best course of action to guard against the impacts of a major earthquake.

This information may lead you to seriously consider earthquake retrofit upgrades that enhance structural safety and provide several benefits to property owners. • Protect your equity in your building • Guard against liability for owner’s negligence • Preserve your cash flow from the building • Avoid demolition and environmental cleanup costs • Qualify the property for financing or re-financing • Qualify for insurance coverage on the building • Enhance the overall value of the property • Enhance the marketability of units to tenants concerned with safety

Most apartment owners have worked very hard for their property. Rental income may be what they rely on for their retirement or mortgage payments. It’s smart to protect these investments.

Understanding potential earthquake risks to your building is an important step in protecting your financial health and well-being.

Let the Optimum Seismic team help you better understand these risks and your options. Visit optimumseismic.com for more information, or call us at 323-978-7664.

About the Author: Ali Sahabi, a licensed General Engineering Contractor (GEC), is an expert in seismic resilience and sustainability. He is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of

Optimum Seismic, Inc., which has completed more than 3,500 seismic retrofit and adaptive reuse projects for multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial buildings throughout California.

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