Post-Earthquake Damage Evaluation of Facilities

Walter P Moore evaluated six Judicial Council of California (JCC) facilities to determine if there were damages or any life safety issues following the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes. The earthquakes occurred on July 4th and 5th northeast of Ridgecrest, California (approximately 120 miles north-northeast of downtown Los Angeles). The sequence included three main shocks of Mw magnitudes 6.4, 5.4, and 7.1. Earthquake-related damage was reported at some JCC facilities. The assessment response time was critical due to potential public risk, therefore Walter P Moore had representatives in the field soon after the call was received.

Walter P Moore performed a visual assessment and determined if each facility was safe to reopen or if there were any concerns which needed to be mitigated. Walter P Moore prepared a report with photo documentation identifying non-structural components which were damaged by the earthquake and provided conceptual repair recommendations for the damage observed. In addition, Walter P Moore provided the client with a building identification tag per the ATC-20 standards stating whether it was safe to re-occupy. The buildings reviewed included:

• Orange County Central Justice Center, Santa Ana, CA
• Orange County North Justice Center, Fullerton, CA
• LA County Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Los Angeles, CA
• LA County El Monte Courthouse, El Monte, CA
• LA County Compton Courthouse, Compton, CA
• LA County Van Nuys Courthouse East, Van Nuys, CA