Portland map shows buildings that may not survive earthquake

PORTLAND, Ore. — The city of Portland has released a map and database showing about 1,800 unreinforced masonry buildings that may be vulnerable to shaking during an earthquake if they are not structurally retrofitted.

These buildings were generally constructed before the 1960s using brick with little to no steel reinforcement in the walls.

The building data was collected as part of a Portland seismic retrofit project, that is being led by the Portland Bureau of Development Services, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and the Portland Development Commission. They are working with community members to reduce the risk posed by these buildings.

Since the last time Portland collected data about unreinforced masonry buildings, about 13 percent of those structures were fully or partially upgraded and another 8 percent were demolished.