Capitol Hill is an incredibly dense neighborhood but we’re also blessed with some of the most well preserved old, single-family housing stock in Seattle. Also, fyi, Seattle exists on historically shaky ground. Add those factors together and Capitol Hill homeowners might be interested in attending this upcoming seminar organized by Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management:
Earthquake Home Retrofit
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013, 11AM – 1:30PM
Location:Douglas-Truth Branch Library
2300 E Yesler Way
This two-hour class provides guidance on what homeowners can do to seismically secure their home (especially homes built prior to 1980) to its foundation. Information on the City’s permit process, techniques, tools needed, plan sets and other resources are provided. Class is designed for those considering doing the job themselves, as well as how to become an educated consumer on what to ask of anyone who may be hired to do the job. Instructors will extend class by 30 minutes for “Tech Talk,” to address more specific how-to questions. Class is free and open to adults. No children please.
You can learn more about Seattle home retrofitting permits here.
For more information on emergency preparedness around the neighborhood, check out the Capitol Hill Prepares group on Facebook.
I used to own a very old home and the main thing was to get the house bolted to the foundation. Old homes are sitting on their foundations by gravity alone and will fall off it in a big quake. Anything built in the 1960s on is almost always already bolted to some degree. During a quake of course move away from any masonry and get under something or stand in a doorway. Wooden houses are actually one of the safest places to be in a big quake.
I think the greater danger on Capitol Hill is landowners who see $$$ in their eyes on their property and would instead rather have ground level retail and six floors of apartments on top of a cookie-cutter building rather than the risk of a shaker happening.
I was just thinking and wondering about how the new brick facades and apodments will hold up during the next shaker. The old buildings have lasted through many already – right?
Many of the old buildings have also had work done to make sure they stay standing:
http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2011/09/chs-schemata-x-marks-the-brace-resisting-earthquakes-on-hills-heritage-buildings/
Many also haven’t
http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2013/01/callahans-auto-shutters-as-earthquake-readiness-mandates-loom-for-capitol-hill-buildings/
Not to sound snarky, but were there any casualties during the last Seattle earthquake?
Evon, you are right that wood framed houses perform well in earthquakes – in most regards. Older wood homes (including brick veneer homes) have certain vulnerabilities at the basement or crawl space level. These include no A anchorage to the foundation, lack of B bracing of weak cripple walls, and C lack of positive framing connections. Building codes required some anchor bolts beginning about 1965, but homes built before about 1980 probably need retrofitting.
Agreed and Pod:
In the past 100 years we have had three moderate earthquakes and many small tremors. And yes, our wood framed houses survived these events with minimal damage.
However, we are due for a much more destructive type and size of earthquake, and many houses WILL fail when we experience a shallow slab earthquake on the Seattle Fault Zone. Just ask residents of Northridge, CA or Christchurch, NZ.
I’m not saying you should live in fear, but don’t assume that the Nisqually earthquake was as bad as it gets.
I am not associated with the class mentioned in the article, but I know the instructors do a much better job of explaining the real risk than I can in this post. The class is a worthwhile way to spend 2 and a half hours.
The brick facades are that, facades. They are not structural components of the building. The only concern with them should be falling debris during a significant earthquake.
As for aPodments, they are stick builds, tall and sender. They should actually hold up quite well when a tremor hits.