Helping safeguard Veterans Affairs' hospital buildings by advanced earthquake monitoring

Abstract

Helping Safeguard Veterans Affairs' Hospital Buildings by Advanced Earthquake Monitoring The integrity of the Nation's hospitals is vital for the survival and functioning of the society in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake. I n collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Strong Motion Project of the U.S. Geological Survey has recently installed sophisticated seismic systems that will monitor the structural integrity of hospital buildings during earthquake shaking. The new systems have been installed at more than 20 VA medical campuses across the country. These monitoring systems, which combine sensitive accelerometers and real-time computer calculations, are capable of determining the structural health of each structure rapidly after an event, helping to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Department of Veterans Affairs Department of Veterans Affairs Following the 1971 magnitude 6.6 San Fernando earthquake in Southern California, which resulted in the collapse of several hospital buildings, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established its Seismic Vulnerability Assessment Program to identify and strengthen VA hospital buildings that needed to be brought up to acceptable seismic safety standards. An important component of this program is monitoring earthquake shaking in hospital buildings. Shortly after the 1971 earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collaborated with the VA on installing analog accelerographs in 60 VA hospital buildings across the country. These accelerographs were mostly