The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Alaska on November 30 left a trail of severe damage to roads. But damage to buildings in the state was notable for its absence, particularly in Anchorage, the state’s largest city. The reason, according to news reports, is the state’s strong building codes. Heavily damaged by a major quake in 1964, Alaska has responded by adopting — and enforcing — some of the strongest codes in the nation. As a result, the damage from this latest quake was modest, reported the Associated Press (see: “Strict building codes helped Anchorage withstand quake,” by Rachel D’Oro and Mark Thiessen.
“The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rattled Alaska’s largest city cracked roads and collapsed highway ramps, but there were no reports of widespread catastrophic damage or collapsed buildings,” the report said. “There’s a good reason for that. A devastating 1964 Alaska earthquake — the most powerful on record in the United States — led to stricter building codes that helped structures withstand the shifting earth Friday.”
Tsunami damage at Kodiak following 1964 Good Friday Earthquake
But the good performance was not uniform, according to the Anchorage Daily News (see: “Why did damage vary in Alaska’s 7.0 quake? Soil, shaking, construction quality may all be factors,” by Matt Tunseth and Devin Kelly). “Data isn’t yet available on the scope of the damage,” the paper reported. “But interviews and other reports suggest that while much of the damage has been cosmetic — fallen ceiling tiles, broken water pipes — some serious structural damage is also now being discovered.”
Eagle River, north of Anchorage, appears to have been harder hit, the paper reported — perhaps due to soil shaking, but possibly also related to less strict enforcement of the applicable building code requirements.
For a pictorial look at some of the damage, see: “Photos: Day 2 of earthquake recovery in the Anchorage area.”
