Media Coverage of the Earthquake Forum

Earthquake report spurs retrofitting of old buildings in Nevada
Story from Reno Gazette Journal, April 25, 2016
By Scott Sonner, Associated Press

“A new report raising the likelihood of a destructive earthquake striking Salt Lake City in the next half-century has underscored the urgency to retrofit more than 30,000 older brick homes and other unreinforced buildings at high risk of collapsing.

It’s also getting attention in neighboring Nevada, where a significant quake is overdue along the Sierra. Nevada officials are anxious to see if Utah succeeds in a first-in-the-nation attempt to secure federal disaster funds for private homeowners to aid in such efforts.”…

“He [Craig dePolo] estimates there are 1,400 unreinforced buildings in Reno, Sparks and Carson City above a series of Sierra-front faults where earthquakes of 6.5 hit on average every 30 years but haven’t struck in more than 60 years.
‘Thirty to 40 percent of those will partially or totally collapse during strong shaking,’ dePolo said.”
You can read the entire article with quotes from Craig dePolo (Research Geologist at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology) and Graham Kent (Director of the Nevada Seismology Laboratory) here.

Related publication: Preliminary assessment of potentially unreinforced masonry buildings in Nevada

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Sierra overdue for earthquake
Nevada Appeal, April 19, 2016

“The Sierra’s eastern front is long overdue for a large earthquake along the California-Nevada line, where a magnitude-7 event expected on average every 30 years hasn’t occurred in six decades, scientists said Tuesday.

Nevada Seismological Laboratory Director Graham Kent said the region’s earthquake “drought” is likely one of the reasons the public has a misconception there’s a low risk a serious quake will strike.”…

“Rich Koehler, an assistant professor of geology at Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, said a magnitude-7 earthquake could potentially hit anytime, anywhere along the California-Nevada border.”

You can read the story here.

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Global experts to inform region on economic recovery after devastating earthquakes: Earthquake Economic Resiliency Forum for public, economic leaders and disaster officials
Nevada Today, April 12, 2016, by Mike Wolterbeek
http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2016/earthquake-economic-resiliency-forum