Like almost all interviews, most of what I said got cut. I talked about how Seattle is not the only place with unreinforced masonry buildings and that these structures have the same risks as buildings in Pioneer Square. While Seattle schools are in pretty good shape because they have worked to address the issue, in the rest of the state, especially smaller and poorer districts, those school hazards still exist.
Question: What About Earthquake Impacts Here in the U.S.?
This is a question people are asking.
This past week I participated in an interview on the above topic with a focus on Washington state. The interview ended up homing in on the city of Seattle: “Hundreds of buildings in Seattle remain at risk for collapse in event of major earthquake.”
Like almost all interviews, most of what I said got cut. I talked about how Seattle is not the only place with unreinforced masonry buildings and that these structures have the same risks as buildings in Pioneer Square. While Seattle schools are in pretty good shape because they have worked to address the issue, in the rest of the state, especially smaller and poorer districts, those school hazards still exist.
My prediction is the buildings will fall down before they are actually retrofitted. It is expensive to do retrofits and there are interests in the communities that have other priorities, such as cheap housing and historical preservation. Me, I’m for public safety. Make that “people” safety.
Like almost all interviews, most of what I said got cut. I talked about how Seattle is not the only place with unreinforced masonry buildings and that these structures have the same risks as buildings in Pioneer Square. While Seattle schools are in pretty good shape because they have worked to address the issue, in the rest of the state, especially smaller and poorer districts, those school hazards still exist.
