Safety Guidelines Prepare Soft-Story Buildings for Natural Disasters

The Foundation Works Founder and Owner, Tom Pelletier outlines three critical guidelines for property owners to prepare soft-story structures for the best possible outcomes during natural disasters.

Burbank, United States - September 26, 2017 /PressCable/ —

The Foundation Works, a Burbank, California based foundation repair company, announced a new checklist today with guidelines for soft-story building owners to help them prepare vulnerable properties for natural disasters. For more information on The Foundation Works, visit their website at: http://www.thefoundationworks.com The recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico along with a very active hurricane season in the Southern United States with 13 named storms including Harvey, Irma, and Maria have highlighted the need for soft-story property owners to consider the vulnerabilities that these residential structures face in the event of a natural disaster. According to The Foundation Works Founder and Owner, Tom Pelletier, “There’s a big difference in the amount of warning you get from a hurricane vs. an earthquake; a hurricane can give you days to weeks of warning while an earthquake knocks on the door quite unannounced. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that your building is structurally sound before disaster strikes and in that spirit, we’ve put together this checklist. It just makes sense to be prepared.” The city of Los Angeles is aware of the dangers and has instituted one of the strictest earthquake requirements in the nation that mandate fixes to many types of residential and commercial buildings. Other greater Los Angeles cities such as Santa Monica have followed suit and also require earthquake retrofitting to bring buildings up to code. Tom Pelletier outlines the following guidelines for property owners to prepare soft-story structures for the best possible outcomes during natural disasters: • Find out if your building has a soft-story condition and if so, look for a reputable vendor in your area to offer corrective measures to mitigate the potential failure of that portion of the structure.

• Educate your tenants on what a soft-story is and that you are having the building upgraded to eliminate that weakness. There is so much false information on the topic, it is wise to educate the building occupants so that they understand that you are taking steps to protect their home and accordingly, them!

• Consider providing “bug-out” type survival kits for the residents. Yes, it is an added expense but in the grander scheme, it is another message to your tenants that you do care not only about your building, but also about their well-being. The vast majority of tenants will appreciate this and this will be especially true in the event of a seismic event where you pre-emptively took necessary actions that will have reduced the collateral damage and possibly even saved lives in the process. About The Foundation Works: The Foundation Works was founded in 2003 and is known for honest, fast and thorough foundation inspections and foundation repair for residential properties in the greater Los Angeles area. Additional services include soft-story retrofitting.

Contact Info:
Name: Tom Pelletier
Email: [email protected]
Organization: The Foundation Works
Address: 2411 West Empire Avenue, Burbank, CA 91504, United States
Phone: +1-323-663-4841

For more information, please visit http://www.thefoundationworks.com

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 243005