The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "seismic safety" ...
-
On Shaky Ground
An investigation that uncovered systemic breakdowns in the way the California state enforces seismic safety standards during public school construction.
Tags: seismology; public; school; construction; california; safety; standards; earthquake;
-
On Shaky Ground
"A 19-month investigation uncovers systemic breakdowns in the way the state enforces seismic safety standards during public school construction."
Tags: oversight; seismic safety; construction; school safety; earthquakes
-
Welcom to Boondoggle Unified
" At L.A. Unified, the nation's second largest school district, Joe Santos worked at a construction company that had won a $10 million dollar seismic bracing project, despite no experience in seismic safety work. When Santos witnessed false claims, left his company and became a federal whistle blower, he was troubled to find that not only were the school district and FEMA reluctant to root out the fraud and waste he exposed; the District Attorney was willing to prosecute him on computer theft charges, even though key evidence had been tainted. The story exposed a vacuum of accountability between FEMA, its inspector general, the general, the school district and its facilities management division. Selective prosecution raised questions about priorities and methods within the L.A. District Attorney's Office."
Tags: earthquake; seismic protection; fraud; construction; school district; FEMA
-
Steel moment-frame buildings: The sage continues
Davis reveals that "thousands of steel-framed buildings ... could collapse in a major earthquake." The findings are based on what "building officials and structural engineers discovered ... as they inspected hundreds of steel framed structures following the January 1994 earthquake that took place in Northridge, California. Eight years later, still very few buildings in earthquake-prone areas have been strengthened to resists massive seismic events in the future, the story reports.
Tags: Northridge Earthquake; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Loma Prieta Earthquake; California Seismic Safety Commission