LA May Make List Of Quake-Sensitive Buildings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The city of Los Angeles is looking into creating a list of so-called soft-story buildings that are vulnerable to collapsing during an earthquake.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that building officials are expected to report back to a City Council committee in about two months with recommendations on how such a list would be compiled.
Soft-story buildings are the type built over carports and held up only with narrow columns, making vulnerable to collapse during a quake.
About 200 such buildings were destroyed or badly damaged during Los Angeles' 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Among them was a San Fernando Valley apartment complex where 16 people died when the multi-story building pancaked, crushing people in their apartments.
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