Who knows what could happen
Re “High-rises shouldn’t give L.A. the shakes,” Current, March 25
To encourage the idea of constructing ultra-dense high-rise commercial and residential structures in Los Angeles flies in the face of scientific data and just plain common sense. During the 1994 Northridge quake, well more than 150 steel-frame buildings had unanticipated brittle fractures in welded steel beam-to-column connections. Any effective retrofitting or re-engineering of these connections can only be judged by future quakes. And quakes here have taught us that re-engineering anything is still best-guessing. Seismologists are warning that the next big quake will be equivalent to 20 Northridge-sized quakes. No one can say what will happen under those conditions.
PATTY MORRISON
Glendale
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
