Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Quake's a'comin'

Most New Yorkers probably view the idea of a major earthquake hitting New York City as a plot device for a second-rate disaster movie. In a city where people worry about so much -- stock market crashes, flooding, a terrorist attack -- earthquakes, at least, do not have to be on the agenda.

A recent report by leading seismologists associated with Columbia University, though, may change that. The report concludes a serious quake is likely to hit the area.


Preparing for the Great New York Earthquake

Unreinforced brick buildings, which are the most common type of building in Manhattan, are the most vulnerable to earthquakes because they do not absorb motion as well as more flexible wood and steel buildings. Structures built on soft soil are more also prone to risk since it amplifies ground shaking and has the potential to liquefy during a quake.

This makes the Upper East Side the most vulnerable area of Manhattan, according to the consortium report. Because of the soil type, the ground there during a magnitude 7 quake would shake at twice the acceleration of that in the Financial District. Chinatown faces considerable greater risk for the same reasons.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

First a shaky economic outlook for NYC and now the likelihood of a #7 magnitude earthquake!

We'll all be dancin'the "shaky quaky".


Will it ever replace the
"funky Broadway"?

Anonymous said...

The land north of 96th Street in Harlem is at risk.

I was looking at a map of Queens the other day prepared in the late 1700s.

Something very interesting hit me.

The areas they want to develop, Hunters Point, Rockaways, Willets Point are all swamps! Those buildings will start to sink and become unstable in a few years.

Look at the Noguchi Musuem, built in what used to be anotther swamp - and in the same area they want high rises on the East River. Millions to stablize that one building.

Anonymous said...

I was in the Sohmer Piano building a few years ago. The floors are held up by large beams. Every beam was cracked decades ago and held together by braces.

The southern portion of the building is built on a swamp. It seems as if the building is several inches out of line from sinking - and is still sinking.

Did someone buld a 20 story building next door?

Doesn't anyone in that part of Astoria that gave this an OK think?

Anonymous said...

Doesn't anyone in that part of Astoria that gave this an OK think?
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Yes they do think: how much can I get from this piece of real estate?

Remember in Astoria every hole in the earth is a gold mine.

Anonymous said...

CB1 the community board from hell.

Anonymous said...

The quake is in Bloombergs pants after the big baby shits in them!

Anonymous said...

Well NYC does look and act more and more like California everyday.
Fag marriage, 3rd world refugees, traffic, mass curruption.
It make total sense mother nature is going to unleash some punishment !

Good get it all over with, New Yorkers no longer live in thos areas anyway.

GL said...

blah blah blah

We're all going to die at some point anyway, next Queens Crap post please.

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I've seen the future BTW, ironically all these condo building constructions and other eye sores are the only safe places to be during the quake of 2015.

Anonymous said...

Well NYC does look and act more and more like California everyday.
Fag marriage, 3rd world refugees, traffic, mass curruption. WOW
Theres the conservative NYC I hate.Nice comments there buddie.Traffic????????????You guys invented smog and mass traffic

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said:

"I've seen the future BTW, ironically all these condo building constructions and other eye sores are the only safe places to be during the quake of 2015."

They will make a nice steel pier when the tsunami rolls in.