by Rebecca Walker — March 26, 2010—Nearly 180 public university buildings in California, from libraries to sports centers, are in danger of collapsing during an earthquake, according to a news organization.
The result could be hundreds if not thousands of deaths and injuries, according to a report by the investigative news site California Watch.
Buildings include classrooms, student apartments, a hospital and even a childcare center. While some significant earthquake risks have emerged only recently, university officials have known about seismic problems with the majority of their dangerous buildings for five years or more. In some cases, they’ve known for decades, California Watch said.
Dozens of new buildings have been built ahead of seismic safety projects that have languished.
The report does say that the state’s public universities have made progress toward protecting safety on campus. The vast majority of buildings are expected to pose only a small risk of causing injuries or deaths in a major quake.
