Major Earthquake Would Collapse Over a Thousand Buildings in Los Angeles

A report in the LA Times has said that over 1,000 older concrete buildings in Los Angeles would collapse if a major earthquake occurs. Although they have known about the danger for more than four decades, officials have failed to ensure that the owners make the buildings safe.

Frequent calls have been made to list the buildings, but this has been rejected by officials.

Scientists, although concerned for public safety, have decided not to make the information public.

Recent earthquakes have spotlighted the deadly potential of buildings held up by concrete. A 2011 quake in Christchurch, New Zealand, more than two years ago toppled two concrete office towers, killing 133 people. Many of the 6,000 people killed in a 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan, were in concrete buildings. In 1971, the Sylmar earthquake brought down several concrete structures, killing 52.

“We know darn well that if a bunch of people dies, there will be lots of stories, lots of reports, things will change,” said Thomas Heaton, director of Caltech’s Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory. “But the question is, do we have to have lots of people die in order to make this change?” (source)

University scientists are more than happy to provide the City with a copy of their report but so far no officials have requested a copy.