CompuServe Messages

Hi … I don't know about the building codes in Kobe, but I did learn some interesting stuff from some books and emergency management people when I was looking at what to build/buy in California. Here were some things passed along to me: (1) Wood-frame house are supposed to stand up best. They will list wildly to port or starboard, but are less likely to come down! (2) Brick fireplaces, even in wooden stuctures, are bad news! You'll almost always lose one of them, and some- times they'll come down on the inside, rather than the outside, of the house. (3) Masonry is a disaster. (4) Never build a house on land that has more than a 30% grade. There are any number of cliff-dwellers who were not told of this when the drew up the blueprints! (5) Do not bury your fuel tank in the ground. Liquefaction can cause it to "float" out of the ground like a surfacing submarine, and the resulting breakage of fuel pipes can start a fire that may run right into your house. It's better to put it overground. This is the one that scares me the most. (6) Most people hurt in earthquakes are hurt breaking, flying glass or by fire. This applies to buildings that don't come down, but which sustain damage. In the 1972 Northridge quake, which was my most up-close-and- personal experience, virtually everything made of glass disintegrated. A Southern-born person, I was completely shocked by the experience and didn't know anything. So, I didn't go stand in the door like any normally intelligent person would have done. I tried to run east as fast as I could. On the way from the bedroom down the hall, there was "water" spraying out of the bathroom. On the way through the living room, there was "water" spraying out of the front of the television and the doorway to the kitchen. But it wasn't water: it was glass. There was glass everywhere. When I got to the front door and opened it, THEN there was water. Swimming pool water. It was getting bounced off the bottom of the pool and onto the 2nd-floor roof of the building. That's when I gave up and starting having rapid conversations with the deities of my choice. I know that after Loma Prieta and Northridge a lot of the companies that do earthquake evaluations went back to the drawing boards. I had some friends building houses at the time in California and they had people come back in for a second time. The second time they had a LOT more suggestions to make. I guess this is an evolving issue and always will be as public health people try to find a way to make us safe. I feel so sad for the Japanese. It seems like the shock factor was so deep it was nearly paralyzing for a few days. … I hope they heal fast. Write more! What else did you find out in Santa Cruz????? <G>