Earthquake risk reduction

News and Updates

Building that has been destroyed by a tornado

NIST, NSF Award More Than $7.6 Million to Support Disaster Resilience Research

May 4, 2022

The agencies are funding 20 projects to be conducted across 24 institutions through the Disaster Resilience Research Grant (DRRG) program, which they manage

A steel column with a deep web on the left and a steel column with a shallow web on the right.

Proposed Updates to Steel Building Standard Could Enhance Earthquake Resilience

January 7, 2022

Since the mid-1990s, a type of steel column that commonly features slender cross-sectional elements has become more prevalent in buildings along the West Coast

Integrating Science & Technology with Disaster Response

June 1, 2021

Each year, communities across the United States are devastated by disasters. As the frequency, severity, and cost of many of these disasters continues to

Projects and Programs

Developing Cost-Effective Relationships Between Federal Building Profiles and Seismic Retrofit Cost

Completed

Advancements in measurement science are needed to evaluate the benefits and costs of risk mitigation activities (retrofits) implemented to improve seismic

Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of Pre-Northridge Earthquake Panel Zones in Steel Moment Frames

Completed

Steel moment frame design prior to the 1994 Northridge Earthquake (1985-1994 era) favored 1) panel zones that would yield before the adjacent beams and 2)

Reliability of Fiber Reinforced Composite Systems in Resilient Infrastructure

Ongoing

The resilience of infrastructure is often improved using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and fiber reinforced fabric cementitious matrices (FRCMs)

Options for Improving Post-Earthquake Re-Occupancy and Functional Recovery Time

Ongoing

The goal of this project is to assess and recommend options for improving the built environment and critical infrastructure to reflect performance goals stated

Publications

Standards of Seismic Safety for Existing Federally Owned and Leased Buildings; ICSSC Recommended Practice 10 (RP 10-22)

January 31, 2023

Author(s)

John Harris

RP 10 allows federal agencies to identify conditions in an existing building that may pose unacceptable seismic risks to the agency in case of undesirable

A Framework to Evaluate the Cost-Effectiveness of Recovery-Based Design

May 24, 2022

Author(s)

Juan Fung, Yating Zhang, Katherine Johnson, Dustin Cook, Siamak Sattar

Modern building codes and standards are generally focused on safeguarding public health and safety by ensuring buildings meet life safety performance objectives

ICSSC Biennial Progress Report for 2018: Report on Progress Towards Implementation of Executive Order 13717: Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard - Reporting Period: February 2, 2016 to February 1, 2018

October 21, 2021

Author(s)

John Harris, Katherine Johnson, Steven McCabe

On February 2, 2016, President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13717: Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard. The EO establishes a minimum

Lessons on Return to Function After the 2018 Cook Inlet Earthquake

September 30, 2021

Author(s)

Katherine Johnson, Siamak Sattar, Christopher Segura, Steven McCabe

The magnitude 7.1 Cook Inlet Earthquake of November 2018 greatly affected Anchorage, AK area residents. Although shaking likely did not exceed the hazard level