Great ShakeOut Preparedness Leaders to Call for Greater Building Safety

Too Many So Cal Buildings Are Still At Risk

SEAOSC to Host Conference that Tackles the Challenges of Making California Earthquake Safe

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One week ahead of this year’s Great California Shake Out earthquake preparedness drill on October 18, the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) will host its annual Buildings at Risk - Earthquake Loss Reduction Summit on October 11 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel to spur the community into action to address the thousands of critically earthquake-vulnerable residential and commercial buildings across the Southland that must undergo seismic retrofitting and risk mitigation.

“It’s a fact that California is still not ready to withstand the effects of a major earthquake. And we are not only due for 'the big one' but we are overdue. We must prepare to keep people safe and ensure minimal damage to our buildings”

“It’s a fact that California is still not ready to withstand the effects of a major earthquake. And we are not only due for 'the big one' but we are overdue. We must prepare to keep people safe and ensure minimal damage to our buildings,” said Joe La Brie, S.E., president of SEAOSC and Makeitright Hospital Building Design Professionals and Dynamic Certification Laboratories. “We simply must close the gaps of earthquake safety expectations among building owners, engineers, contractors, insurance companies, architects, and the building officials because too many structures across Southern California are still vulnerable to total or partial collapse from seismic activity. Educating building owners about both the risks and solutions is our priority.”

SEAOSC’s Buildings at Risk Summit aims to educate policymakers, home owners, multi-unit residential owners and commercial building owners about how to best prepare their structures to withstand California’s next major earthquake and how to recover once it happens.

The event is presented in association with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech), the Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA), the California Earthquake Authority and the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC).

Conference keynoter Dr. Lucy Jones, Senior Science Advisor for Risk Reduction to the U.S. Geological Survey and event panelists will engage building officials, architects, building owners, government officials, engineers and public safety representatives to stop the inaction and call to develop and implement an aggressive plan for earthquake loss mitigation.

For the full conference agenda, roster of speakers and more information about SEAOSC’s BAR Summit, please visit the SEAOSC website.