Predicting Quake Damage: It is only a...

Predicting Quake Damage: It is only a matter of time before another earthquake sends tremors through Southern California buildings. Now a computer program developed by EQE International, a San Francisco-based engineering firm that specializes in building safety studies, can help landlords assess the probable damage their buildings would suffer in an earthquake.

“We compute a number of factors, including the structure’s location, condition and type of construction,” explained Elwood Smietana, regional manager of the company’s Costa Mesa office. Then California’s 149 active faults and their estimated intensities are folded into the formula to predict property loss.

Smietana said the program helps insurance companies and real estate investors spread risks throughout their portfolio, balancing earthquake-vulnerable properties with less precariously situated ones.