Look at how apartments can collapse during an earthquake

Infographic: Look at how apartments can collapse during an earthquake

Oct. 6, 2015 7:40 AM PT

Many California apartments with garages and carports on the ground story that were built before the 1980s are vulnerable to collapse during an earthquake. They are known as "soft-story buildings." Here's why they're at risk.

Read full story: As San Francisco rents soar, tenants still willing to pay for earthquake safety

Common weaknesses in soft-story buildings

Few walls and flimsy columns support the ground story.

During an earthquake

The first floor crumbles during an earthquake.

Fixing the problem

Adding steel frames to the ground story can strengthen the building's vulnerability to collapsing.

Sources: Structural engineer David Cocke; Federal Emergency Management Agency. Graphics reporting by Rong-Gong Lin II and Rosanna Xia.

Archives Earthquakes

Raoul Rañoa

Raoul Rañoa is a former senior graphics and data journalist at the Los Angeles Times.

Rosanna Xia

Rosanna Xia is an environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her award-winning book, “California Against the Sea,” has been praised as a poetic and mind-expanding exploration of what we stand to lose in the face of rising water.

Rong-Gong Lin II

Rong-Gong Lin II is a Metro reporter based in San Francisco who specializes in covering statewide earthquake safety issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bay Area native is a graduate of UC Berkeley and started at the Los Angeles Times in 2004.

Infographic: Look at how apartments can collapse during an earthquake

Common weaknesses in soft-story buildings

During an earthquake

Fixing the problem

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