You may recall that several months ago, the New Yorker magazine featured an article that talked about the extreme risk in the Cascadia Fault Zone. ( See this July blog posting.)

From AlJazera America, this article: Disaster Resilience in the Pacific Northwest. Actually the title does not convey the enormous vulnerability and risk there.
Update: AlJazeera America TV did a half-hour special on the Cascadia Fault Zone at 9:30 pm on Nov. 12, 2015. ( A video of that broadcast may be available.)

I have been chatting about this topic with fellow blogger, Eric Holdeman, who lives in the Cascadia Fault Zone. Here is his recent take on the topi: Unreinforced Masonry Buildings Are a Death Trap.

For those looking for a model, the state of California has been dealing with retrofit of existing buildings for several decades. It can be done and it is being done!