PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The city of Portland has released a map and database showing about 1,800 unreinforced masonry buildings that may be vulnerable to shaking during an earthquake if they are not structurally retrofitted.
These buildings were generally constructed before the 1960s using brick with little to no steel reinforcement in the walls.
Read KGW investigation: Unreinforced buildings could crumble in earthquake
Click here to search the database
The building data was collected as part of a Portland seismic retrofit project, that is being led by the Portland Bureau of Development Services, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and the Portland Development Commission. They are working with community members to reduce the risk posed by these buildings.
Since the last time Portland collected data about unreinforced masonry buildings, about 13 percent of those structures were fully or partially upgraded and another 8 percent were demolished.
The last survey was conducted in the mid-1990s.
The city said the seismic retrofit project is currently working on a mandatory retrofit policy for unreinforced masonry buildings and building owners could receive incentives. The city will consider the policy later this year.
Other cities along the West already have retrofit policies in place. For more about the project, click here.
