California faces same risk of huge earthquake

Cities now mandating stronger building standards

LOS ANGELES— A huge earthquake like the one in Nepal on Saturday could happen in California.

Like Nepal, California is at the intersection of huge pieces of the Earth’s crust and is prone to seismic activity. There have been quakes in California larger than Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude quake in Nepal, which killed thousands.

Most notably, the 1906 San Francisco quake killed an estimated 3,000 people and was estimated to be 7.9 magnitude.

Significantly smaller quakes in highly populated areas have has resulted in major loss of life. Three modern quakes — the Loma Prieta in 1989, the Northridge in 1994 and the Sylmar in 1971 — were each less than 6.9 magnitude but each killed more than 60 people.

The 1933 Long Beach quake was 6.4 magnitude and killed 115 people.

The Long Beach quake sparked a serious effort to make buildings that better withstand earthquakes. Building code changes over the decades have significantly strengthened structures.

In Nepal, experts had long feared that weak buildings would bring mass casualties in the event of a major quake. A study by Geohazard International found that two-thirds of the structures built in the area did not meet the country’s own seismic code standards. Buildings in California are better equipped to survive a huge quake.

There are now efforts in California to retrofit buildings that experts say are at greatest threat of collapse in a big quake. San Francisco is now requiring owners of wood apartments with weak first storeys to strengthen them. Los Angeles is moving to follow suit.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has also proposed requiring retrofitting of brittle concrete buildings as well as various pieces of the city’s infrastructure. Experts have said these concrete buildings pose the greatest risk of loss of life in the event of a major quake.