DisastersCalifornia schools seismically unsafe, lack funding for retrofits
Hundreds of thousands of students across California are at risk, as school districts have not retrofitted aging concrete buildings that are susceptible to collapse; the state has identified dozens of structures at schools that are at risk of collapsing in a strong earthquake, but most are still in use and have no plans for repairs; engineers are particularly concerned about old concrete school buildings that were erected before 1976; these structures are constructed with “non-ductile” concrete, a type of material that did not hold up well in the recent earthquake in New Zealand; cash-strapped school districts are hesitant to begin long and expensive retrofitting projects even with state help
Hundreds of thousands of students across California are at risk, as school districts have not retrofitted aging concrete buildings that are susceptible to collapse.
The state has identified dozens of structures at schools that are at risk of collapsing in a strong earthquake, but most are still in use and have no plans for repairs.
The Oakland Unified School District recently received a $30,000 grant to assess its building and identify which structures were seismically unsafe and how much retrofits would cost. The study found several buildings including a large auditorium at Oakland Technical High School that were located near the Hayward fault line and in need of seismic repairs.
Estimated costs for building repairs totaled $3.6 million to $7.2 million. These costs are prohibitively expensive for the Oakland school district which has faced steep budget cuts in recent years as the state struggles to pay its bills.
Troy Flint, a spokesman for the school district, said, “We barely have the resources to even do our core mission of instruction, let alone take on one of these major facilities projects.”
He added, “It’s really symptomatic of the … denigration of California’s public education system and its financial status as a whole.”
Engineers are particularly concerned about old concrete school buildings that were erected before 1976, when California changed its building codes. These structures are particularly vulnerable as they are constructed with “non-ductile” concrete, a type of material that did not hold up well in the recent earthquake in New Zealand.
According to Craig Comartin, a former president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, there are 25,000 to 30,000 buildings made with non-ductile concrete in the state.
Comartin said, “The tough thing about these concrete buildings is that it’s not obvious which are dangerous. If I analyze a building built before (code changes), I have to look at drawings and do calculations before I know whether it’s safe or not.”
In 2006 California voters approved the $199.5 Million Seismic Mitigation Program which helps schools pay for retrofits. But so far the program has only disbursed $4.7 million to three school districts.
The program has been slow to distribute funds due to poor data and reluctant school districts.
Identifying dangerous buildings requires using old blueprints which has led to inaccurate lists that contain buildings that have long been demolished or are no longer in use. Additionally, cash-strapped school districts are hesitant to begin long and expensive retrofitting projects even with state help.
Carol Kocivar, president of the California PTA, said, “This is just one more example of things we’re not doing to make sure our children are safe and educated. It’s terrible when the safety of children is an afterthought.”
