‘Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country’: Is it possible?

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These photographs from the recently expanded and updated third edition of the 1974 classic ‘Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country: How to Save Your Home, Business, and Life’ show a house and apartment building after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and the 1994 Northridge temblor.

It’s not even Earthquake Preparedness Month, but I find this $19.95 paperback by earthquake risk-management consultants Peter I. Yanev and Andrew C.T. Thompson awfully hard to put down. (And when I do, it’s going in a bookcase that’s been secured to the wall.) The eerie photos of damaged buildings are, frankly, riveting, and the diagrams for reducing interior damage (strapping water heaters, reinforcing cabinets and hanging artwork) are detailed and direct.

Though much of this book will be of enormous benefit to architects and construction engineers, the authors also make the information accessible. Yanev and Thompson walk the average homeowner through what could be a rubble of jargon, evaluating the best and worst types of buildings to live in as well as insurance options.

Oh, and brace yourself: The authors predict that in the next 30 years, there is a 97% chance that an earthquake as strong as the Northridge shaker will hit Southern California. So much for peace of mind.

-- David A. Keeps