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Title: CAN YOUR HOME TAKE A QUAKE?

Each year the southern California area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and about 15-20 are greater than magnitude 4.0.

If there is a much larger earthquake, the aftershock sequence can produce many more earthquakes of all magnitudes for many months.

The Northridge earthquake in 1994 was magnitude 6.7, with the highest ever recorded ground acceleration in North America (1.82g).

It was felt as far away as Las Vegas.

Aftershocks followed, including several over 5.0 magnitude, causing further damage.

57 people died, and over 8,700 were injured.

Sections of major freeways collapsed, including the 5 and the 14, and severely damaged others including the 10.

Total damage estimates from the Northridge earthquake fall between $13-$44 billion — that’s somewhere between the cost of the 2016 London Olympics and the net worth of Facebook.

(For additional visual reference: $1B could buy the Chicago Cubs, $100B buys the International Space Station.)

Scientists agree that a considerable earthquake will rock Southern California within the next 30 years, likely magnitude 8.0 or larger.

Is your home ready?
In 2016 the city of L.A. released a list of 13,500 apartment and condo soft-story buildings at greater risk of earthquake damage, most built before 1979.

If your property is on that list,- or if your house was built prior to 1994, you’ll need an earthquake retrofit contractor to help bring you up to code.