Have you ever wonder why Earthquake fault maps do not have conventional street addresses? You may wish to ask the politicians, developers, and real estate agents why they lobby for lesser disclosure rather than more disclosure.
It is not an unknown danger to the residents of Los Angeles as I have written before …
So why are the politicians, developers, property owners, and real estate agents still fighting against a seismological building survey?
I can see the obvious. The developers do not want “seismo” restrictions on their property that would impact profitability. The property owners do not want the costs of mitigating the dangers and bringing older building up to a modern building code. The real estate agents do not want to tell their prospects that their property values are constrained by “seismo” restrictions or are greatly reduced in value. And, the politicians are just following the money that supports their campaigns.
The politicians would rather blame “global warming” for the types of natural disasters which cost time, effort, money, and most importantly, lives. Not overtly mentioning that much of the property damage is caused by improper siting in known danger zones, building codes that are grossly inadequate for the known risks, older structures that do not meet current building codes, and zone which increases the population density and the number of lives put at risk.
Look at what the Los Angeles Times is currently reporting on October 13, 2013 …
Many older L.A. buildings could collapse in an earthquake -- The city has rejected calls to make a list of concrete buildings at risk of collapsing in a major quake, but a Times analysis finds there could be more than 1,000 — many of them homes and offices.
Hundreds of old concrete buildings could collapse in a major quake, killing or injuring thousands in L.A. Officials have known about this for 40 years and have failed to act.
The city has rejected calls to make a list of concrete buildings at risk of collapsing in a major quake, but a Times analysis finds there could be more than 1,000 — many of them homes and offices.
More than 1,000 old concrete buildings in Los Angeles and hundreds more throughout the county may be at risk of collapsing in a major earthquake, according to a Times analysis. By the most conservative estimate, as many as 50 of these buildings in the city alone would be destroyed, exposing thousands to injury or death. A cross-section of the city lives and works in them: seamstresses in downtown factories, white-collar workers in Ventura Boulevard high-rises and condo dwellers on Millionaires' Mile in Westwood.
Despite their sturdy appearance, many older concrete buildings are vulnerable to the sideways movement of a major earthquake because they don't have enough steel reinforcing bars to hold columns in place.
Los Angeles officials have known about the dangers for more than 40 years but have failed to force owners to make their properties safer. The city has even rejected calls to make a list of concrete buildings.
In the absence of city action, university scientists compiled the first comprehensive inventory of potentially dangerous concrete buildings in Los Angeles. The scientists, however, have declined to make the information public. They said they are willing to share it with L.A. officials, but only if the city requests a copy. The city has not done so, the scientists said.
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. Twenty-three years later, the Northridge earthquake wrecked more, including a Bullock's department store and Kaiser medical office. Seismologists said a bigger quake is overdue. Read more at Many older L.A. buildings could collapse in an earthquake - latimes.com
This is nothing short of criminal negligence and the failure of those we elect to political office to protect and serve the residents of Los Angeles and surrounding communities. Perhaps, we should hold our politicians, their appointees, and the professionals working for the government responsible the loss of lives and any property damage should a quake occur and destroy one of these suspect buildings.
And, it doesn’t appear it is going to end. Again, from the Los Angeles Times …
Century City tower site runs into quake fault questions - Los Angeles approved a residential tower without a fault review. But an MTA study suggests the site might lie over an active fault.
When Los Angeles officials approved plans for a 39-story luxury residential tower in Century City, they declared the site suitable for development without a review of underground earthquake faults.
Not long after, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority examined the area as the site for a subway station. It was alarmed at what it found: an earthquake fault running below Santa Monica Boulevard. The MTA concluded that the area was too hazardous for the subway station. The agency's research also shows a strand of the Santa Monica fault runs underneath the tower property.
Responding to questions from The Times about the site, the city acknowledged Tuesday that it did not require a fault investigation before the City Council approved the tower in 2009. Such a study would determine definitively whether the fault is actually below the proposed tower.
City Planning Director Michael LoGrande said in a statement "there may be new fault information revealed by other more recent nearby projects" that could prompt the city to require a fault study before the developer is given construction permits.
The tower development illustrates a loophole in state law banning new buildings directly above faults. Experts say structures built on top of faults can be torn in two during a large earthquake as the ground splits. Los Angeles is sliced by multiple active fault lines. The Santa Monica fault, which runs about 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean to Century City, is considered active by the state. Seismologists believe it is capable of producing an earthquake greater than magnitude 7.0.But California has not yet drawn the fault on its regulatory map. As a result, the Century City property is not covered by the state's building ban known as the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act.
The city is already facing criticism over its decision to approve several developments in Hollywood without having required detailed fault studies despite their proximity to the Hollywood fault. Like the Santa Monica fault, state officials say the Hollywood fault is active and should be covered by the zoning law. Read more at: Century City tower site runs into quake fault questions - latimes.com
This is pure bullshit! I grew up in West Los Angeles and my Junior High Science teacher took the class to stand on Santa Monica Boulevard, looking up at the Los Angeles Mormon Temple. You could clearly see the fault’s escarpment (An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from faulting and resulting erosion and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.) that forms the Temple’s lawn. Then we followed the fault lines to Hollywood and saw evidence of faulting near the iconic Capitol Records building.
“Soon we come to the beautifully manicured lawn of the Mormon Temple sloping down to Santa Monica Boulevard. Yup, you guessed it. This is the best-landscaped fault scarps in the world.” The building on the flatter side of the escarpment with the grey band is our local UPS depot.
“In downtown Hollywood the Hollywood fault, which exhibits several strands in this reach, is just north of, and parallel to, Hollywood Boulevard. Look north up any of the streets west of Vista del Mar and you can see the scarp to your right. It is especially prominent on Vine and Ivar Streets, and we may get out and briefly discuss the fault while standing near the corner of Hollywood and Vine (1 block south of the fault). With the Capitol Records Building in the foreground this is a great photo stop.”
For those living in Los Angeles, you may wish to read “Faults of Los Angeles” by James Dolan (USC/SCEC) or more formally:
FIELD TRIP GUIDE: ACTIVE FAULTS AND EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS OF THE NORTHERN LOS ANGELES METROPOLITAN REGION
JAMES F. DOLAN
Department of Earth Sciences and Southern California Earthquake Center
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740
Bottom line …
I knew from an early age where some of the most prominent faults in the area were located, including the Newport-Inglewood Fault said to be capable of producing an 6.0 – 7.4 magnitude (moment magnitude scale) quake that could topple Los Angeles. And, there are others.
That our corrupt politicians take money for the special interests to hide these natural disasters waiting to happen is both criminal and unconscionable. Quit playing games with people’s lives and hoping you will be out of office when the big one hits. Of course, the disaster response will be so overwhelming, most of these crooks will probably resign and hightail it to a safer location before the significant aftershocks that accompany any strong quake begin.
-- steve
Thought you might like to hear the real story …. No need to Snopes this….Channel 12 in Beaumont Texas did the reporting Story appears on Bea...
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