An Earthquake followed by a Major Hurricane Strike May Not Be Good for a Building’s Structure and Stability

Here on the East Coast, it is extremely rare that we experience a moderate earthquake, but we did just yesterday. At approximately 1:51 p.m., a 5.9 magnitude earthquake originated in Virginia and was felt in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Ohio, New Jersey and New York as well as in many other North Eastern and Mid-Atlantic states. It took all of us by surprise, but we survived with minimal or no structural damages. Or did we?

Because earthquakes are so rare or almost unheard of in Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C., especially moderate earthquakes, do building owners, landlords, city officials, store owners and others know to check a building structure for cracks, foundation shifts, instability or other building defects after an earthquake? This is not California. Our buildings, many of them older or historic buildings that have been around for hundreds of years, are more prone to structural damage after an earthquake. They were not built to withstand an earthquake. Unfortunately, many building owners do not realize this. Even though no visible major damage can be seen on a building after an earthquake, it does not mean that there is no damage to the building structure. Building owners must make sure that their buildings are structurally safe and will not cause harm to tenants, patrons, shoppers, employees, vacationers or anyone else that visits or is walking past their building due to falling rocks, debris or collapse of the structure.

Here at the Beasley premises liability law firm in Pennsylvania, our experienced attorneys have reviewed thousands of cases where someone was injured due to a building defect, falling debris or structure defect. Any falling building parts can cause traumatic brain injuries, catastrophic injuries, and internal crush injuries to the liver, bowel, lungs and heart or even a wrongful death. To date, we have had billions awarded for those that have been injured due to the negligence or fault of someone else. If you or a loved one has been injured, please feel free to speak to one of our experienced lawyers, doctors or nurses for a free and strictly confidential consultation.

Now, lets just hope that hurricane Irene with her high winds and flooding rainfall potential spares the East Coast buildings from anymore stress this week. Right now, it is predicted by some meteorologists that hurricane Irene can intensify to a category 3 or category 4 hurricane before it makes landfall somewhere in between the Carolina’s and the Cape. Are building owners prepared to deal with and respond to Mother Nature’s next move?