On the anniversary of the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin introduced the Earthquake Resilience Act, which seeks to bolster America's ability to withstand and recover from future seismic events. This comes amidst reflections on a disaster that took 63 lives and prompted over $10 billion in damages, as Kevin Mullin's office and KRON4 underscore.
In his address, Mullin, serving his first term and a Bay Area native, stressed the national scale of the seismic risk, noting that according to the United States Geological Survey, 75 percent of the U.S. could witness a damaging quake in the next century, with major consequences for the critical “lifelines”, such as power and transportation, that must be restored to facilitate recovery and, according to Kevin Mullin's office, the Earthquake Resilience Act would be the first step in a national risk assessment of earthquake resilience and in developing robust standards for such essential infrastructures.
In a show of support for the bill and citing the importance of preparedness, San Francisco Mayor London Breed took to the X account to endorse Mullin's legislative effort. The effort was announced on the same day as the Great California ShakeOut, a statewide earthquake drill. Mayor Breed, Fire Chief Sandy Tong, and Police Chief Bill Scott spotlighted the need for continuous readiness against the inevitable future quakes.
On the 35th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, we came together for the Great California ShakeOut to ensure our city and state are prepared for the next big one. At 10:17 AM, people across California participated in an earthquake drill to practice critical actions that… pic.twitter.com/jK9rf5UPBL
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) October 17, 2024
George K. Guszcza, President and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences, commended Mullin's leadership, according to Kevin Mullin's office, stating that the Earthquake Resilience Act is crucial for the improved and accelerated recovery of communities and businesses in the aftermath of a quake, emphasizing the institute's long-standing work in developing national seismic design standards to ensure that communities and their lifelines are prepared for any such eventuality.
