San Simeon earthquake: Ten years later
Posted: Nov 25, 2013 by Victoria Johnson, KSBY News
The last time someone died in an earthquake in the U.S. was on the Central Coast. It's been almost 10 years since the San Simeon quake. Although many people remember it like it was yesterday, the physical scars have almost vanished.
The 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit December 22, 2003 at 11:15 a.m. The epicenter was six miles northeast of San Simeon. The shallow quake occurred about five miles below the surface and caused serious damage. Two people died and more than 40 others were injured. Most damage occurred to old buildings not prepared for such a high magnitude quake, such as Atascadero's old City Hall and Paso Robles' historic clock tower. "I came out and I turned around and it was like a bomb had hit the clock tower. It exploded. It's our landmark and it exploded. It was awful, just awful," said Norma Moye, former President of the Paso Robles Main Street Association, shortly after the quake.
Since 2003, buildings have been strengthened, emergency responders have gone through new training and cities have purchased better first response equipment. According to city planners, they say we are safer, but like anything, there are no guarantees. "Some had been reinforced and it was evident which ones made it through. Like the Odd Fellows building, the historic building on Park Street with its third floor being a beautiful ballroom. It had just been finished being reinforced and made it through beautifully," said Meg Williamson, Paso Robles Assistant City Manager.
The evidence was in those buildings left standing. Some buildings made it through, while others didn't fare so well. Paso Robles was one of the hardest hit areas. "All unreinforced masonry buildings within our downtown core were on a schedule to be retrofitted prior to the earthquake. After the earthquake, the city council accelerated that schedule," said Chief Ken Johnson, Paso Robles Fire Department. That retrofitting has resulted in stronger and safer buildings, but that only goes so far. According to Chief Johnson, response needed to improve, too. "We have since purchased much of that equipment.
People received additional training in that area. We've also teamed up with Atascadero so we have a 16 member technical rescue team that would respond not only to downed buildings in an earthquake scenario but on a more day-to-day basis of other types of rescues," said Chief Johnson. That partnership is important to Atascadero's residents as well. Their city also took a major hit, particularly to the City Hall. Now, Atascadero's mayor says City Hall is stronger than ever. "We literally built a building inside of a building. This is reinforced concrete, you can see this part left open where the rebar is exposed," said Tom O'Malley, Mayor of Atascadero.
Even with all rebuilding, retrofitting and training, city planners and first responders all agree, nothing can prepare you for everything. "We live in California. We're still subject to that risk," said Chief Johnson. Fred Turner is a Staff Structural Engineer with the California Seismic Safety Commission. He says that retrofits connect the walls, roofs and floors to try to keep buildings from coming down. He adds that once a building has been retrofitted, it is expected to withstand a short duration of severe ground motion in order to reduce the risk of loss of life.
However, a long duration quake can still cause damage. How much damage done depends on multiple factors such as the building's location and distance from the epicenter. According to a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey, it's hard to predict when or where the next earthquake will be. However, the U.S.G.S. is forecasting a 70% chance of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hitting California before 2030, most likely in the San Andreas Fault zone.
Click here for more information from the American Red Cross on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.
http://www.ksby.com/news/san-simeon-earthquake-ten-years-later/
The 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit December 22, 2003 at 11:15 a.m. The epicenter was six miles northeast of San Simeon. The shallow quake occurred about five miles below the surface and caused serious damage. Two people died and more than 40 others were injured. Most damage occurred to old buildings not prepared for such a high magnitude quake, such as Atascadero's old City Hall and Paso Robles' historic clock tower. "I came out and I turned around and it was like a bomb had hit the clock tower. It exploded. It's our landmark and it exploded. It was awful, just awful," said Norma Moye, former President of the Paso Robles Main Street Association, shortly after the quake.
Since 2003, buildings have been strengthened, emergency responders have gone through new training and cities have purchased better first response equipment. According to city planners, they say we are safer, but like anything, there are no guarantees. "Some had been reinforced and it was evident which ones made it through. Like the Odd Fellows building, the historic building on Park Street with its third floor being a beautiful ballroom. It had just been finished being reinforced and made it through beautifully," said Meg Williamson, Paso Robles Assistant City Manager.
The evidence was in those buildings left standing. Some buildings made it through, while others didn't fare so well. Paso Robles was one of the hardest hit areas. "All unreinforced masonry buildings within our downtown core were on a schedule to be retrofitted prior to the earthquake. After the earthquake, the city council accelerated that schedule," said Chief Ken Johnson, Paso Robles Fire Department. That retrofitting has resulted in stronger and safer buildings, but that only goes so far. According to Chief Johnson, response needed to improve, too. "We have since purchased much of that equipment.
People received additional training in that area. We've also teamed up with Atascadero so we have a 16 member technical rescue team that would respond not only to downed buildings in an earthquake scenario but on a more day-to-day basis of other types of rescues," said Chief Johnson. That partnership is important to Atascadero's residents as well. Their city also took a major hit, particularly to the City Hall. Now, Atascadero's mayor says City Hall is stronger than ever. "We literally built a building inside of a building. This is reinforced concrete, you can see this part left open where the rebar is exposed," said Tom O'Malley, Mayor of Atascadero.
Even with all rebuilding, retrofitting and training, city planners and first responders all agree, nothing can prepare you for everything. "We live in California. We're still subject to that risk," said Chief Johnson. Fred Turner is a Staff Structural Engineer with the California Seismic Safety Commission. He says that retrofits connect the walls, roofs and floors to try to keep buildings from coming down. He adds that once a building has been retrofitted, it is expected to withstand a short duration of severe ground motion in order to reduce the risk of loss of life.
However, a long duration quake can still cause damage. How much damage done depends on multiple factors such as the building's location and distance from the epicenter. According to a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey, it's hard to predict when or where the next earthquake will be. However, the U.S.G.S. is forecasting a 70% chance of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hitting California before 2030, most likely in the San Andreas Fault zone.
Click here for more information from the American Red Cross on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.
http://www.ksby.com/news/san-simeon-earthquake-ten-years-later/
--
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment