DisastersList of most-at-risk L.A. buildings to be released
Scientists have compiled a list of concrete buildings in Los Angeles which could be at risk of collapsing in a major earthquake. The list identifies about 1,500 concrete structures built before 1980 which need further study to determine their risk level. Structural engineers insist that hundreds could die if any of the buildings collapsed.
Scientists at University of California, Berkeley have compiled a list of concrete buildings in Los Angeles which could be at risk of collapsing in a major earthquake. Led by engineering professor Jack Moehle, the list identifies about 1,500 concrete structures built before 1980 which need further study to determine their risk level.
The Los Angeles Times reports that in a meeting last Tuesday with Los Angeles’s top building official, Raymond Chan, and other city officials, Moehle said he would share the data with city officials once the research has been formally published.
“It is our goal as researchers to have our work play a positive role in improving life and safety in California and around the world,” Moehle said in the statement.
The list of buildings was produced as part of a study supported by a $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). According to scientists involved in the study, about 5 percent or seventy-five buildings surveyed in the research could collapse in a major earthquake.
Structural engineers insist that hundreds could die if any of the buildings collapsed. Knowing which buildings are at risk is critical for the city in order to save lives and property during an earthquake. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has requested that such a list be prepared. In a joint statement after Tuesday’s meeting, the UC Berkeley researchers and the mayor’s office said: “The department and the researchers agreed to coordinate regarding how the city might use data generated by the study following scientific publication.”
UC Berkeley, concerned about the legal and ethical constraints of releasing the preliminary research data to the city, has rejected earlier verbal request by the city for the list. “I think it would be helpful to see, as long as people understand … that it’s not definitive,” Mayor Eric Garcetti told theTimes.
Several attempts to identify and publish Los Angeles’s risky concrete buildings have failed over the past forty years after opposition from property owners. “Public safety is our top priority and we look forward to analyzing this as part of our work to protect the city,” Raymond Chan, the city’s top building official, said in a statement.
