August 23, 2011 – 1:51pm EDT – A Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake emanated from an epicenter near Mineral, Virginia – about 90 miles Southwest of Washington, D.C.. Effects were felt across a large portion of the eastern and middle United States.
Like many others, I was thankfully surprised by the lack of major damage and serious injury resulting from this seismic event, given its proximity to so many large cities. Recalling recent (granted, and more powerful) earthquakes in other parts of the world, the following thoughts came to mind:
The next time I hear someone railing against “burdensome regulations”, I will ask; “Oh, you mean, like the ‘International Building Code’?”.
If your building was in the coverage area of this earthquake – and is still standing – thank the prevailing Building Code, Code Enforcement Agencies and the Engineers that designed it.
Perhaps it’s time for a National “Hug an Engineer” Day?