Performance of Buildings and Nonstructural Components in the 2014 South Napa Earthquake

Abstract eng:
It is common to focus post-earthquake reconnaissance on observations of damage rather than performance, both bad and good. Without systematically collecting and analyzing data, it is not possible to correlate the relationships between ground shaking severity and the performance of buildings. On August 24, 2014, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck northern California. The epicenter was located 9 km (6 miles) south southwest of the city of Napa, which was significantly impacted by the event. The peak recorded horizontal ground accelerations in Napa were as high as approximately 0.6 g. This earthquake provided an excellent opportunity to evaluate and calibrate existing earthquake hazard reduction methodologies and to expand existing knowledge and databases on the performance of buildings and other structures. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contracted with the Applied Technology Council (ATC) to document the performance of buildings in the earthquake. The focus of this investigation was the collection of data to comprehensively examine the nature and scope of building performance in the earthquake. The investigation centered on a ground motion instrument located in downtown Napa, and included every building within 1,000 feet, whether it was damaged or not. Many of the buildings investigated are unreinforced masonry (URM) construction, and a significant number of these had already been seismically retrofitted. This provided a unique opportunity to explore the effectiveness of seismic hazard mitigation efforts, and develop recommendations to further improve mitigation. The performance of buildings designed in accordance with more recent building codes, including healthcare and school facilities, residential construction, manufactured housing, and the performance of nonstructural components and systems were also investigated. The earthquake had a significant impact on the world famous wineries around Napa, and the performance of these facilities is also discussed. The Napa Valley has approximately 400 wine production facilities, and estimated 50 wineries were exposed to significant seismic ground shaking and sustained measurable damage to tanks, barrels and/or buildings. The paper will also provide an update on the status of some of the more significant building repairs one year later.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket