Explains how earthquakes damage wood-framed buildings of various ages and styles. Shows detailed methods to strengthen various weaknesses. Methods are based on author's experience investigating hundreds of existing wood-framed houses and small apartment buildings and designing retrofit systems that work in the real world. Discusses structural and non-structural earthquake hazards and how to mitigate them. Illustrated with over 400 photos, illustrations and construction details.

Wood-framed shear walls are a crucial part of modern residential and small commercial buildings. Shear walls resist wind and earthquake forces to protect buildings from collapse. This book explains the engineering principles involved with shear wall design and proper construction. It is written in non-technical language intended for carpenters and builders. The basic, unchanging physical principles are explained with illustrated examples. This guide goes into detail that no other book on the subject even approaches. Over 180 pages and 150 color photos and illustrations show actual construction conditions and examples of proper and improper installations. It is extensively indexed for quick reference to specific topics. A detailed two-page illustration shows many basic requirements in graphical format for easy guidance. Specific sections of the International Building Code and International Residential Code are referenced where appropriate. This edition includes a new chapter on earthquake strengthening methods for existing buildings. This chapter was itself expanded into a completely separate book (over 250 pages) titled "Earthquake Strengthening for Vulnerable Homes." The book is intended mostly for carpenters and builders, but engineers and building inspectors also find the information very useful. Engineers may learn methods to make their shear wall designs more efficient and effective. An extensive inspection checklist (over 70 items) is included. This checklist is the basis for Special Inspection Guidelines for Wood-Frame Construction, currently under development by the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California.

The Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco area on October 17, 1989, causing 63 deaths and $10 billion worth of damage. This book reviews existing research on the Loma Prieta quake and draws from it practical lessons that could be applied to other earthquake-prone areas of the country. The volume contains seven keynote papers presented at a symposium on the earthquake and includes an overview written by the committee offering recommendations to improve seismic safety and earthquake awareness in parts of the country susceptible to earthquakes.

The Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) handbook can be used by trained personnel to identify, inventory, and screen buildings that are potentially seismically vulnerable. The RVS procedure comprises a method and several forms that help users to quickly identify, inventory, and score buildings according to their risk of collapse if hit by major earthquakes. The RVS handbook describes how to identify the structural type and key weakness characteristics, how to complete the screening forms, and how to manage a successful RVS program.

Earthquakes represent a major risk to buildings, bridges and other civil infrastructure systems, causing catastrophic loss to modern society. Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems reviews the state of the art in the seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems.Part one reviews research in the quantification of uncertainties in ground motion and seismic hazard assessment. Part twi discusses methodologies in seismic risk analysis and management, whilst parts three and four cover the application of seismic risk assessment to buildings, bridges, pipelines and other civil infrastructure systems. Part five also discusses methods for quantifying dependency between different infrastructure systems. The final part of the book considers ways of assessing financial and other losses from earthquake damage as well as setting insurance rates.Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems is an invaluable guide for professionals requiring understanding of the impact of earthquakes on buildings and lifelines, and the seismic risk assessment and management of buildings, bridges and transportation. It also provides a comprehensive overview of seismic risk analysis for researchers and engineers within these fields. - This important handbook reviews the wealth of recent research in the area of seismic hazard analysis in modern earthquake design code provisions and practices - Examines research into the analysis of ground motion and seismic hazard assessment, seismic risk hazard methodologies - Addresses the assessment of seismic risks to buildings, bridges, water supply systems and other aspects of civil infrastructure

A comprehensive overview of the concepts of vulnerability and resilience for natural hazards research for both physical and social scientists.

In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a "return to normal." But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs - both economic and social - of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities - thereby better preparing them for future challenges. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. This book makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities in order to meet human recovery needs and create healthy built and natural environments. The conceptual framework presented in Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive - communities that are better prepared for future adversities.