Ehsani an Expert Source on Earthquake Safety in Residential Buildings

CAEM Professor Emeritus Mo Ehsani recently lent his expertise to CBS7 in Texas, speaking on how safe residential homes are in an earthquake. And while the December 2022 earthquake was one of the largest in the state's history, there were no reports of damage or fatalities. However, it sparked conversations about the structural integrity of buildings in the region. 

“The residents in your area, they can sleep comfortably at night that this is not going to bother them,” Ehsani said. “Residential homes, you may get some stuff falling off the shelf or some breaking of window panels. But, in general, the building will not get much."

According to CBS7, Dr. Ehsani added that Texas falls into the nation’s lowest seismicity region, meaning that building codes are not modified to account for earthquakes. He believes contractors are unlikely to take on the added expense to earthquake-proof larger buildings from man-made quakes.