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Things to know

1. British Columbians live in an active earthquake region where some of the largest earthquakes in the world occur. more »

   It has been reasonably quiet for the past 50 years however; each year seismic experts predict that we're ever closer to a major destructive earthquake. Quake Safe is designed to make you aware of the risks your home and family face in the event of a major earthquake in coastal British Columbia. Once you understand what the risks are, you can make educated decisions on the best way to avoid catastrophic damage to your home and minimize serious injury or death in your family.

2. A major earthquake is predicted in British Columbia within the next 50 years. more »

   ScienceDaily (May 25, 2010) -- The major earthquakes that devastated Chile earlier this year and which triggered the catastrophic Indonesian tsunami of 2004 are more than just a distinct possibility to strike the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States, scientists say.

   There is more than a one-in-three chance that it will happen within the next 50 years.

   New analyses by Oregon State University marine geologist Chris Goldfinger and his colleagues have provided fresh insights into the Northwest's turbulent seismic history -- where magnitude 8.2 (or higher) earthquakes have occurred 41 times during the past 10,000 years. Those earthquakes were thought to generally occur every 500 years, but as scientists delve more deeply into the offshore sediments and other evidence, they have discovered a great deal more complexity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Continue reading a copy of the article

3. To survive an earthquake your home must be securely bolted to its foundation. more »

   The most significant issue is keeping the house on its foundation. Three main weak points have been identified in older construction: the foundation (Sill plate) not being bolted or properly bolted to the foundation, the cripple wall or central bearing wall having insufficient support to handle horizontal forces and the floor of the house not being adequately connected to the cripple wall or bearing wall. Often the house can handle the horizontal motion, but the force of the house shifting on or falling off the foundation would likely cause the house to collapse.

   Many older homes have masonry foundations, character walls and chimneys that are not reinforced. By themselves, bricks and concrete blocks cannot handle horizontal forces and need to be reinforced in order to provide integrated stability to avoid collapse.

   When large earthquakes occur the utilities and emergency services can be significantly disrupted leaving access to food, water, shelter, communications and medical care out of reach.
   
   
   

4. Most homes built prior to 1980 are not bolted to their foundations. more »

   A little History: Most buildings are well designed for withstanding vertical forces, but the horizontal component of ground motion is critical to earthquake-resistant building design. Most homes in British Columbia are built from wood, which is proven to be resilient to earthquake damage compared to other materials. That doesn't mean wooden houses are completely safe; in recent years the building code has changed considerably to include building practices specific to improving home survival in an earthquake. Many houses built before these changes have serious inadequacies that may lead to complete collapse or heavy damage in a large earthquake.

5. Many homes built after 1980
   are improperly secured to their foundations and will not withstand
   earthquakes.
6. When your home is shaken from its foundation, major damage, injury and loss of life may occur.
7. Your house, property and family can be protected from the catastrophic effect of an earthquake for as little as $4,200.00 by bolting your house to its foundation.
8. We recommend earthquake insurance but even with the annual premiums and astronomic deductibles it will be very difficult to find equipment, labour and resources to rebuild your home. It can be years before homes are rebuilt in a severely devistated area.
9. QuakeSafe bolting methods are shown to minimize earthquake damage and loss.

Quick Terms Reference

Foundation - This is a perimeter of cement that supports the house.

Crawl space - This is the space between the ground under the house and the floor you walk on. Often the cripple wall and foundation creates this space.

Floor - This is the area you walk on that is above the sill plate or basement.

Sill plate/Mudsill - This is the layer of wood that rests on top of the foundation. The entire weight of the house rests on this layer and it should be secured to the concrete foundation. This is not the case in an older home and in an earthquake the entire sill plate could slide causing the house to fall off the foundation.

Cripple Wall - Not all homes have a cripple wall. This wall is the support between the sill plate on the foundation and your floor. It is often used to raise the house off the ground and foundation creating the crawl space. In older homes the cripple wall is not properly reinforced and in an earthquake the horizontal motion will cause the cripple wall to rock back and forth like a domino ultimately causing it to topple over bringing the house crashing to the ground.

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Why retrofit and how?