24 Bay Area Buildings Could Collapse In Major Earthquake: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The next time a major earthquake strikes the Bay Area, at least two dozen buildings in San Francisco could collapse or suffer severe damage — including one where tens of thousands report for jury duty each year.

That’s according to San Francisco’s Seismic Hazard Ratings, which are assigned by structural engineering teams to assess how well buildings are expected to withstand a major quake.

Structures are graded on a scale from 1 to 4, with 4 indicating the highest risk. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that 24 unretrofitted buildings in the city have received that damning score.

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If a major earthquake were to strike an area with a building that has an Seismic Hazard Rating of 4, the city says it could cause "potential structural collapse and/or falling hazards are anticipated, which would pose high life safety hazards to occupants."

Here are five notable examples of the most vulnerable buildings, according to data provided to the Chronicle:

• Hall of Justice — 850 Bryant St., Seismic Hazard Rating: 3
• Fire Station No. 7 — 2300 Folsom St., Seismic Hazard Rating: 4
• Taraval Police Station — 2345 24th Ave., Seismic Hazard Rating: 4
• MSC-South Shelter — 525 Fifth St., Seismic Hazard Rating: 4
• Human Services Agency headquarters — 170 Otis St., Seismic Hazard Rating: 4

Concerningly, among the highest-rated buildings is Fire Station No. 7.

“You can only imagine,” Fire Chief Dean Crispen told the Chronicle when asked what would happen if Station No. 7 collapsed. “We’d have to rescue our own members out of a fire house.”

And 26 more buildings in San Francisco received an Seismic Hazard Rating of 3, which the city says "structural and nonstructural damage are anticipated, which would pose appreciable life hazards to occupants."

What's more, only about one-third of SF's 900 buildings have been rated at all. That's because the assessment needed to rate the city's structures is both expensive and labor-intensive, Raymond Lui, section manager for the Department of Public Works’ structural engineering division, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle: These 24 city-owned San Francisco buildings could collapse in a major earthquake

San Francisco's vulnerability to earthquakes is rooted in a long and devastating history. On April 18, 1906, a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast of Northern California, rupturing along the San Andreas Fault.

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The shaking lasted less than a minute but triggered widespread destruction across San Francisco. Fires ignited by ruptured gas lines raged for three days, leveling large portions of the city. More than 3,000 people were killed, and more than 80 percent of San Francisco was destroyed, making it one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history.

Property loss was close to $400 million, with more than 60,000 buildings, half of them homes, shattered or burned. Some 265,000 of the 360,000 residents became homeless.

The catastrophe exposed the city’s lack of seismic preparedness and led to lasting changes in building codes and emergency response planning.

Still, many of San Francisco’s aging buildings remain vulnerable.

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