![]() They want to make sure that no serious structural damage had occurred that could jeopardize the safety of their buildings’ occupants. At the recent PMEXPO, quite a few attendees asked us about earthquake evaluations. We still continue to receive calls from property managers worried that the wall cracks they have noticed in their buildings are the consequence of last summer’s earthquake. In fact, some were new, but many contained dust, grime, spider webs, paint and other signs of age. In many cases, building owners, managers and occupants were not sure if the cracks were new, resulting from ground motion, or if they pre-dated the quake. ![]() The vast majority of the damage we saw was cosmetic cracking in drywall and plaster interior finishes. Over the next few weeks, we visited about one hundred buildings and parking garages. However, what about the damage to the ordinary buildings that PMA members manage? Why were they not newsworthy? Photo 1: Masonry dislodged from a pitched roof truss.ĮTC began receiving calls within a few hours of the event. We have seen the cracks in the Washington Monument and the toppled spires and gargoyles on the National Cathedral. When the media confirmed that an earthquake had struck, their worst suspicions turned to be truths. ![]() Others probably suspected something more sinister. ![]() Many of us in the District thought a passing truck or some other commonplace occurrence was causing our buildings to shake and shutter. Where were you last August when a 5.8 magnitude earth quake hit the national capital region? Having originated in Virginia, it rattled Washington, DC, and sent waves all the way to New York. ![]()
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