California is a leader in retrofitting at all levels. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, new state laws pushed hospitals to rebuild and strengthen their buildings. I have one right down the street from me building a whole new facility with a 2013 deadline. The cost is considerable, but the benefit is incalculable: a hospital designed to remain fully functional after the worst realistically foreseeable earthquake. Imagine such a thing today in Port-au-Prince.
The city of Berkeley, California, has had a very successful program of awarding loans to city homeowners to strengthen their existing buildings—retrofitting them. And in San Francisco, the mayor told a meeting of earthquake engineering specialists last week, "There is no doubt that we are going to require mandatory retrofitting." The linked story, from the San Francisco Chronicle, quotes a business owner worrying that the measure could force businesses to close for weeks, even months, while the work is done. But wouldn't it be better to plan for that closure now rather than go bankrupt or even die in a disaster?
Government support can be a great help in securing stronger buildings before a big earthquake can test them, but if you live in a susceptible area, you should consider financing a retrofit yourself.
Background:
Earthquake engineering
Earthquakes and schools
Preparedness
About earthquakes
Seismic liquefaction
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