Since the ‘71 Sylmar quake, rescue workers have invested in high-pressure air bags capable of propping up 72 tons, fiber-optics search cameras and dogs to aid in scouting for victims. Despite the new equipment, officials fear they lack the trained personnel to cope with massive casualties.
Caltrans, the state transportation department. began retrofitting bridges and overpasses shortly after the ‘71 quake. After the ‘89 temblor it instituted a second round of construction to shore up highway pillars with steel, shock-absorbing buffers and restraining hinges. Most reinforced structures withstood last week’s quake, but several of the 600 awaiting improvements collapsed. Among the hardest hit was the Santa Monica Freeway, scheduled to be steel retrofit next month.
Older, unreinforced masonry buildings and “soft,” modern, wood-frame apartments built on top of ground-floor garages sustained some of the heaviest damage. While earlier quakes prompted changes in building codes, officials now are calling for new provisions requiring better-reinforced walls.
Seismic design laws haven’t been implemented, in part because it would be so complicated and costly. The quake ruptured power and gas lines and severed three water aqueducts, cutting off service to thousands of Angelenos.
