Large Earthquakes & Tall Buildings

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English: Mexico City Earthquake, September 19,...

English: Mexico City Earthquake, September 19, 1985. Eight-story frame structure with brick infill walls broken in two. The foundation also came off. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey Department of the Interior/USGS/I.D. Celebi Source:http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/show_picture.cgi?ID=ID.%20Celebi,%20M.%2024ct (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I always wonder how large buildings will sustain a large earthquake since both my husband and I work in high rise buildings.

I recently found an article that reviews possible scenarios with earthquakes and how various buildings will handle the stress from the shaking ground. What I discovered was interesting and a bit scary…

First, when it comes a 9.0+ earthquake many scientists really don’t know how “skyscrapers” will handle the prolonged seismic activity. For one thing, severe earthquakes are rare (thankfully) and the large earthquakes aren’t always striking urban landscapes.

Bottom line, we don’t really know.

There are some simulations that help illustrate what could possibly happen and the results were interesting. There is a theory that with a large 9.0 earthquake that tall buildings could possibly collapse since they are not designed to severely sway for up to 5 minutes. A wood-framed small home (per this research) could sustain the 9.0+ earthquake and possibly get out with broken windows and of course, damaged contents.  A brick building might partially collapse under the stress.

Here is the interesting part… say if you have a 7.0 earthquake (think Haiti) – which are often times shallow with a short and abrupt land movement for up to 60 seconds… these earthquakes could slide a wood-framed home off of its foundation, the brick building could totally collapse and the “skyscraper” might have minor damage.

The article also alluded to findings after the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and in that quake (around an 8.1 on the Richter scale) the small and tall buildings survived. Buildings with 6-15 floors had a difficult time absorbing the shock waves  therefore 60% of the buildings in this size range were significantly damaged or collapsed.

How a  building performs is the condition of the shaking and the engineering/design of the structure.

Whatever building type that you and your family live, work, or reside in… may it always be safe.

Source:

http://www.iris.edu/hq/files/programs/education_and_outreach/retm/tm_100112_haiti/BuildingsInEQs.pdf

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Tsunami Formation and Early Signs

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This is an interesting look at how Tsunami’s are formed after an earthquake. I am fascinated by the description of the receding water as it rushes out to sea before the momentum turns and it creates a wall of water headed towards land.

English: A picture of the 2004 tsunami in Ao N...

English: A picture of the 2004 tsunami in Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand. Français : Image montrant le raz-de-marée de 2004 à Ao Nang, en Thaïlande. Italiano: Una fotografia del maremoto dell’Oceano Indiano ad Ao Nang, in Tailandia. Español: Imagen del terremoto del Océano Índico de 2004 en Ao Nang, Tailandia. മലയാളം: 2004-ൽ ഇന്ത്യൻ മഹാസമുദ്രത്തിൽ ഉണ്ടായ സുനാമി, തായ്‌ലാന്റിലെ ആവോ നാങിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ചിത്രം. Myanmasa: ဆူနာမီ (Photo credit: Wikipedia) – that bit of knowledge saved lives.

I also recall the little girl vacationing during the Indian earthquake who recognized the draining sound taught to her as a key indicator of a tsunami. That bit of knowledge saved lives.

So remember, if you are ever on the coastline, after a local earthquake or one on the other side of the ocean, please keep in mind… if the ocean recedes quickly and or you hear a draining noise from the water as it rushes out to sea…. RUN… RUN as fast as you can for the highest point you can possibly find. In fact, whenever I visit the beach, I always scope out the highest point and the easiest route if I need to get my family to higher ground.

Be safe.

Source:

http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01724/causes_formation.html

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Albany, OR Elementary School Receives Seismic Upgrade Grant

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This is a great story where this elementary school received a grant from the State of Oregon. I would love to see more schools receiving these grants so we can keep our kids safe.

Heiwa elementary school %u5E73%u548C%u5C0F%u5B...

Heiwa elementary school %u5E73%u548C%u5C0F%u5B66%u6821 _18 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Source:

http://www.albanytribune.com/22042013-albany-school-celebrates-earthquake-awareness-and-state-funded-seismic-upgrades%E2%80%8F/

An Interesting History of the Richter Scale

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Here is an interesting history on the Earthquake Early Warning system and the history of the Richter Scale.

Earthquake Richter Scale

Earthquake Richter Scale (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Source:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/history-of-the-san-francisco-e/10658668

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A Cost Effective Way to Retrofit Schools

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hans chr. hansen, architect: hanssted skole / ...

hans chr. hansen, architect: hanssted skole / school, copenhagen 1954-1959 (Photo credit: seier+seier)

Here ‘s an interesting look at how to upgrade schools that might not be able to sustain a significant earthquake. This creates a “cage” so students can assemble in a reinforced area of the school in the event the building crumbles under the stress. This may be a cost effective way of retrofitting schools while facing current budget challenges.

Source:

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/11/earthquakes_and_portland-area.html

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Water Heaters: When the Earth Shakes it’s a 600 lb Missile Sitting in Your Garage

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Water heater sm

Water heater sm (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This may sound dramatic which I am at times (just ask my husband about my infamous hyperbole over the years) but we are all sitting on a potential 600 pound “Missile” in our homes. A full size water heater can be extremely dangerous if it’s not anchored when a megathrust earthquake hits.

In fact, according to the State of Oregon Building Codes Division: “The water heater seismic strapping requirements and applicableseismic zones have changed with the adoption of the new codes. Now all water heaters under the 2005 Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code statewide must be strapped. Water heaters installed in buildings within the scope of the 2005 Oregon Residential Specialty Code are required to be strapped in all counties in the state except the following: Wasco, Jefferson, Deschutes, Crook, Sherman, Wheeler, Gilliam, Marrow, Grant, Harney, Umatilla, Union, Baker, Malheur and Wallowa.”

Sample Product (this is not an endorsement, I just pulled the top ranking site that popped up on Google):

http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/100067210/10-3-in-w-x-13-2-in-d-x-2-in-h-galvanized-steel-water-heater-earthquake-restraining-straps-reviews/reviews.htm

I urge everyone to anchor their water heaters before the big one hits, however, I have to add this story that I happen to find very interesting, ironic, sad, whatever… you decide.  We had our water heater replaced and I was informed by the plumber that I need to anchor it down. Not a problem. I went to… now I dislike using store names but I am going to do it this once since I know this large company (like the company I work for) has a listening tool and Google Alerts set to notify their Marketing team back at their headquarters when their brand is referenced online and I want them to see their “logic” at work. OK, so I went to Lowes in Tigard and I asked for an earthquake restraining strap. The clerk on the West side of Portland told me that they don’t have any in this particular store. I was puzzled. She then proceeded to tell me that earthquake straps are available on the East side of the Willamettte River. Huh? I countered that the subduction zone is off the Oregon coast and last time I checked the Pacific is to the west of the Willamette. In fact, the west side of Portland is probably a bit more vulnerable due to the additional proximity to the fault. The clerk nodded and agreed but then she said “try explaining this to our distribution center in North Carolina. In their mind the only thing threatening our area in Mt. Saint Helens.” Really?!? That’s just so…. 1980. So Lowes Companies, Inc. (I am really trying to hit their alerts now) will you please advise your distribution center that seismic straps need to be distributed to ALL of your Portland stores?!?

And, since Home Depot being another large corporation has alerts set up for their competitors (I know this because our company does this) as well, Hi Home Depot, can you please check to ensure that all of your Oregon & Washington stores carry this strap vs. only having it in one store for a silly reason like Lowes… Thanks.

Reference Link:

Click to access Int100.pdf

The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964

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The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964

A year ago today Prince William Sound in Alaska experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2. I had an opportunity to see the ghost forest, which is a direct result of the quake, where the tree roots sank and the salt water rose resulting in some trees dying and they are still frozen in time. (It’s fascinating, if you have a moment look it up)

My friend’s mom was also living in Anchorage while pregnant with her daughter at the time of the earthquake (which is the only reason I remember the year of the event) and she was told that her husband, who was in law enforcement, was thought to be killed by a hillside that that collapsed over a major roadway. The authorities told her pregnant mom that she was a widow since that highway was her husband’s last known location. Thankfully, my friend’s dad did make it home that night as he had narrowly missed the landslide. This is a constant reminder that life is very precious..

Bouncing off of the Walls in a 6.5 Earthquake Trying to Save a Goldfish

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I lived on the Central Coast of California and I have a few earthquakes under my belt — nothing too crazy — I think the most was 6.5 on the Richter scale. I was definitely aware of the earthquake. I lived in a 3 story townhouse at the time and I was on the middle floor and was home from work that day. I recall being faced with a dilemma — save our Christmas tree or run upstairs and make sure the 39 cent goldfish “Ahi Tuna” remained safe and sound. I headed up the stairs to the top floor and I recall being amazed at how much the building swayed. Ahi made it — I grabbed his bowl before it fell off of the bookcase. Success.

My boyfriend at the time came home from school and asked how I was doing and I was so proud that I saved Ahi from a brutal demise, of which I was greeted with a lecture from a Turkish national who had survived several very deadly earthquakes. According to him the key is to get out of the building. In fact, earlier that day he had a friend from Turkey, who was attending the same university, actually jump from a bathroom window for fear the university’s building would collapse with the 6.5 quake. Poor guy.

I of course scoffed at his concerns because after all we were in California and our building codes were superior… It’s not like buildings collapse from earthquakes in our region?!?! (See CNN article documenting the deaths from the older building collapse) Oh, the hubris. He was right. This was the turning point where I realized that we are all vulnerable — some  aspects of protection are based on pure luck while others are based on how we choose to respond when the ground begins shaking.

Earthquake Richter Scale

Earthquake Richter Scale (Photo credit: Wikipedia)    (Poor guy.) That just floored me. I reminded him that we were in the United States and we, of course, (Cut me some slack, I was very naive at the time) had better building codes in the state of California (Please check out the CNN story at the end of this post… two people died from this earthquake because of a building collapse… touche he was correct). Please forgive the hubris.

What did I learn from this experience? 

  • Don’t rely on the building code
  • Secure your bookcase and if you are worried about something valuable (even if it’s a 39 cent goldfish, keep it close to the ground)
  • Make a sound decision to either duck and cover (if it’s a new building) and if it’s un-reinforced masonry then make a call to get out of the building as soon as possible. This is your call — size up the building and determine what works for you. (Again, I am no expert – it’s purely up to you)
  • Find someone who has been through a larger earthquake to give you sound advice

CNN Article:

http://articles.cnn.com/2003-12-22/us/ca.earthquake_1_marilyn-zafuto-bill-ellsworth-original-quake?_s=PM:US

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The Sixth Sense: I Can Hear Earthquakes (seriously)

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No seriously… I can. It’s completely bizarre and I won’t promise that it’s for every earthquake but while I lived in California I could hear them coming. It was bizarre. The first time I heard an earthquake it sounded like a large Semi roaring through my quiet neighborhood — 30 seconds later the house would shake.

Initially it freaked me out but then it became a parlor trick.

In 2003 we had a series of small earthquakes that would rattle the house and my boyfriend at the time would be sitting in our living room with another Turkish friend and I would pass through the room saying “Earthquake” – 30 seconds later the house would shake. (I am completely serious…) They would frantically look at each other and I would return to the room and tell them I was a witch.

I could be, but I highly doubt it. It was fun watching them question and worry about it.

I have read about other people hearing the loud Semi truck roaring before an earthquake hits so I don’t feel like I am all alone on this one.

At most, “touched” individuals (I love this expression) could predict a quake was coming 30 seconds prior but nothing more. So who knows if my skills remain in tact but I sure hope I don’t hear a Semi truck any time soon.

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English: A picture of the 2004 tsunami in Ao N...

English: A picture of the 2004 tsunami in Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand. Français : Image montrant le raz-de-marée de 2004 à Ao Nang, en Thaïlande. Italiano: Una fotografia del maremoto dell’Oceano Indiano ad Ao Nang, in Tailandia. Español: Imagen del terremoto del Océano Índico de 2004 en Ao Nang, Tailandia. മലയാളം: 2004-ൽ ഇന്ത്യൻ മഹാസമുദ്രത്തിൽ ഉണ്ടായ സുനാമി, തായ്‌ലാന്റിലെ ആവോ നാങിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ചിത്രം. Myanmasa: ဆူနာမီ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)