A new U.S. government analysis finds nearly 75% of the U.S. could experience damaging shaking from earthquakes in the next century, The Washington Post reported. According to the National Seismic Hazard Model, the greatest risks are in southern Alaska, California and Hawaii, while parts of the Mississippi Valley are predicted to have a 90% chance of experiencing damaging shaking in the next century. Central Virginia and Charleston, S.C., also have up to a 50 percent chance, with impacts that could reverberate to cities like D.C., Boston and New York City.
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Pedro Silva, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the George Washington University. Silva is interested in the development of innovative procedures for the design of civil structures to resist man made as well as natural hazards. One current project he’s working on is addressing the grand challenges in earthquake engineering. Through this work, they’re aiming to develop an innovative structural system capable of resisting large scale earthquakes with minimum or no damage, and thus reducing the probability of collapse and loss of life, as well as to implement performance metrics towards achieving immediate occupancy following an earthquake and thus minimizing economic losses.
Silva is an earthquake engineering expert who can discuss ways in which cities and communities can become more resilient to earthquakes. He can also speak to earthquakes’ devastating effects on the built environment.
If you would like to speak with Prof. Silva, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-
