Earthquake, Hazards, and Disaster News

The MCEER Information Service is a comprehensive source for information on earthquake engineering, hazards mitigation, disaster preparedness, and related topics. IS posts new content frequently, covering a wide range of news and research topics.

As an added service, IS reviews published materials, maintains a database for conferences & continuing education opportunities, a portal to noteworthy Web sites, and other topics of interest.

Current News

Building Houses to Resist Earthquakes

(February 9, 2010) Article 25, a nonprofit architecture group based in London, works with local craftspeople to develop a design that could withstand earthquakes and trains them to build the structures… CNN

DOT Budget Includes $4 Billion National-Infrastructure Fund

(February 9, 2010) One big, new spending item is a $4 billion national-infrastructure fund that would invest in "high-value" regional and national projects… Wall Street Journal

China Quake Activist Sentenced on Subversion Charges

(February 9, 2010) A Chinese activist who investigated whether shoddy construction contributed to deaths in the 2008 Sichuan quake has been sentenced to five years in jail… BBC

'Niagara' of Mud Hits Homes

(February 9, 2010) An unexpectedly powerful rainstorm unleashed a torrent of mud that inundated more than 40 houses, leaving La Cañada Flintridge's northernmost neighborhood awash in boulders, dented cars and broken homes… Los Angeles Times

Newsom Pledges to Require Quake Retrofits

(February 9, 2010) San Francisco Mayor Newsom is proposing a measure that would require retrofitting of the city's 2,800 buildings labeled at high risk of collapsing during a catastrophic earthquake… San Francisco Chronicle

City Moving Towards Making Retrofit of "Soft-Story" Buildings Mandatory, Not Voluntary

(February 9, 2010) A task force has almost completed putting together an ordinance that would mandate earthquake retrofitting of soft-story buildings in San Francisco… SF Appeal

An Engineering Marvel Takes Shape Near Hoover Dam

(February 9, 2010) Less than a mile downstream from one of the nation's best-known engineering marvels, the Hoover Dam, a second is taking shape: a soaring 1,900-foot span across the gorge created by the Colorado River on the Arizona-Nevada border … Yahoo

Thawing Land Has Some Unsettled

(February 9, 2010) Engineers froze land around the South Station in Boston to allow trains to keep running during the Big Dig decades ago, however, the thawing soil has caused the ground to shift and move tracks by several inches… Boston Globe

With Spotlight on Quakes, Region Looks at Risks

(February 9, 2010) The earthquake that devastated Haiti Jan. 12 has provided Ebel the spotlight to tell anyone who will listen that such an event - although rare - could also hit this part of the United States… Boston Globe

Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone

(February 1, 2010) In the last two weeks, more than 100 mostly tiny earthquakes a day, on average, have rattled a remote area of Yellowstone National Park… NY Times

Earthquakes Caused Deadliest Disasters in Past Decade

(January 29, 2010) A United Nations report finds more people died from earthquakes in the past decade than from any other disaster… UNISDR

Mudslides Trap Tourists Near Peru Ruins

(January 29, 2010) Five days after mudslides crippled roads and rail access near the Machu Picchu ruins, more than 1,000 people had been evacuated by helicopter, but hundreds more remained stranded…NY Times

Mississippi Delta Earthquake: America's Haiti Waiting to Happen?

(January 29, 2010) Scientists predict a Haiti-magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid fault during the next 50 years… CS Monitor

Floods Prompt Bolivia Emergency

(January 29, 2010) Bolivian President has declared a state of emergency in areas of the country, as heavy rains and floods affect some 24,000 families… BBC

B.C. Legislature Would Likely Collapse into Rubble during an Earthquake

(January 21, 2010) British Columbia’s legislative buildings would likely collapse into rubble during an earthquake… Calgary Herald

Strong Aftershock Shakes Haiti, Week after Earthquake

(January 20, 2010) A strong aftershock has rocked Haiti, sending screaming people running into the streets, eight days after another quake devastated the country… BBC

Asian Building Codes Aim to Reduce Quake Damage

(January 20, 2010) Experts say enforcement is the key… VOA News

Storms Could Test L.A. County's Aging Flood-Control System

(January 20, 2010) Powerful storms are expected to further soak hillside communities and could test the aging Los Angeles County flood-control system, which was developed in 1915… LA Times

California Hospitals Struggle to Meet Tougher Quake Standards

(January 19, 2010) The massive earthquake in Haiti provides a sobering reminder in quake-prone California of the risks hospitals face in a catastrophic tremblor… Sacramento Bee

U.S. Needs an Infrastructure Bank

(January 15, 2010) The US investment in our physical infrastructure is far below what is necessary to meet its needs, hence the recommendation by the Economic Recovery Advisory Board to establish a National Infrastructure Bank… Wall Street Journal

Haiti Devastated by Massive Earthquake

(January 13, 2010) A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti… BBC

California Governor Declares State of Emergency

(January 13, 2010) Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the Northern California county struck by a weekend earthquake, saying damage from the magnitude-6.5 temblor was expected to top $28 million… San Francisco Chronicle

California Adopts Greenest Building Codes in US

(January 13, 2010) The new code, dubbed Calgreen, will take effect next January and is the most stringent, environmentally friendly building code standards of any state in the nation… San Francisco Chronicle

NYS Comptroller Faults DOT on Bridge Repairs

(January 13, 2010) The state comptroller, Dinapolli, reported that bridge repairs in Western New York move at too slow a pace, outlasting state Department of Transportation deadlines to address serious problems… Buffalo News

Design Fantasies for Obsolete Bay Bridge Span

(January 12, 2010) It's a safe bet that most Bay Area residents view the eastern half of the Bay Bridge as an aged structure that can't be replaced soon enough. But a handful of designers see much more, an icon ready for a bold new life - such as a working farm that shares the deck with a hotel… San Francisco Chronicle

Residents of Eureka Still Shaken after Quake

(January 11, 2010) California's far North Coast was struck Saturday afternoon by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake… San Francisco Chronicle

National Hurricane Center to Provide Greater Lead Time in Watches and Warnings

(January 8, 2010) The National Hurricane Center will begin issuing storm watches and warnings about half a day sooner in the biggest change to its warning system in decades… NOAA News

Research & Professional News

Salting of Roads Brings Alert on Bridge Corrosion

(February 9, 2010) The goal of the UCD research is to develop ways to detect hidden bridge corrosion long before it gets so bad that the entire bridge needs replacement…Irish Times

11-Ton Wind Turbine to Help UCSD Test for Massive Quakes

(February 9, 2010) UC San Diego researchers will shake a 80-foot, 23,400- pound wind turbine in a series of simulated earthquakes of up to 7.0 magnitude, to see how “non-building” structures can be built more temblor-resistant… San Diego News Network

New Earthquake Information Unearthed by San Andreas Fault Studies

(January 25, 2010) Recent studies of stream channel offsets along the San Andreas Fault reveal new information about fault behavior… NSF

Scientists Close on Earthquake Warning System

(January 20, 2010) After five years of research and experiments, scientists working on an earthquake early warning system say they should soon be able to alert Bay Area residents as much as a minute before a distant quake reaches them… SF Chronicle

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