PROCEDURE:
1. Read these instructions and explanations.
2. Study the explanations below that describe what can happen to each part of a house in an earthquake.
3. At the end of this sheet, circle what your house has in each category.
4. Add up the numbers from each category, which indicates the potential for damage in a moderate quake, and record the total at the bottom of the page.
5. In class on _____________, enter your findings into the computer so we can test this assessment when the expected moderate earthquake occurs.

FOUNDATION: Most foundations are made of concrete, and this is pretty safe in an earthquake because the concrete forms one large mass that holds together well. Some newer houses have foundations of pressured treated wood that are even safer because the wood is flexible and bends instead of breaking. A masonry or concrete block foundation tends to break apart in an earthquake, and really old, stone foundations are even worse. Check your basement or the outside of your house.

FRAME: Most houses in this part of the country are built of wood nailed together, and this is pretty safe in an earthquake because the wood bends and does not fall down when it shakes. If the frame is screwed together, it holds even better. A masonry (brick, concrete block etc.) structure tends to fall apart on top of its occupants in an earthquake. A steel frame is intermediate in earthquake safety. Go into an unfinished part of your basement and look up at the floor above to see what kind of frame you have. Brick on the outside of a house does not necessarily mean that the frame is brick.

SILL/FOUNDATION CONNECTION: The sill is the part of the house that sits on the top of the foundation. If the sill is just sitting there, with no actual attachment, the house can vibrate off of the foundation during an earthquake. Check the top of the foundation wall and look at the top of the lowest, horizontal piece of wood that everything else rests on. you may find bolts sticking up with large nuts on the bolts, or bent steel bars, or nail heads, or nothing.

CENTER SUPPORT: What holds up the middle of your house between the foundation walls? Most houses have a large beam running the length of the house that is held up by posts. That beam can bounce off those posts in an earthquake, letting the center of the house collapse. A full concrete wall holding up the center is safest, but rare. Some houses are small enough not to need any center support. Check your basement.

LOCATION: Where is your house? The safest area during an earthquake is land that is flat and dry, and the soil was not filled in and then built on. Sloping areas can allow houses to slide downhill during a quake, and filled areas tend to settle and make any structures on them move.

SOIL MOISTURE: Wet soil can liquefy when earthquake vibrations go through, and anything on them sinks. A wet basement, or a stream, swamp or marsh near your house with a level close to that of the floor of your basement indicates liquifiable soil.

CHIMNEY LOCATION: A chimney on the outside of your house is safer in an earthquake than one in the middle of the house because it can fall away from the house instead of through it.

OTHER NOTES: If your house has a combination of features, choose the less stable one, because if one section of your house comes loose during an earthquake, it can pull down the rest.

Each positive number on the scale indicates a feature that is more likely to fail during an earthquake than an average building in our area. Each negative number indicates a feature that is more stable than an average building in our area.

EXAMPLE: Mr. Mitchell's house has a fieldstone foundation (+2), a nailed wood frame (-1) that is not attached to the foundation (+2), the center beam is on posts (+1), was built on sloping but undisturbed soil (+1), and at least part of the soil is wet (+2), with an interior chimney (+1). All those numbers add up to +8, a building that is much more likely to be damaged in an earthquake than most buildings in this area.

FOUNDATION:
    1. fieldstone (rock)       +2
    2. masonry                    +1
    3. concrete                      0
    4. wood                         -1

FRAME/STRUCTURE:
    1. masonry                       +2
    2. wood nailed                  -1
    3. wood screwed              -2
    4. steel frame                     0

SILL/FOUNDATION:
    1. sills not attached             +2
    2. nailed or spike only       +1
    3. bolted or angled rebar    -1

CENTER SUPPORT:
    1. narrow or slab                   0
    2. full foundation walls          -1
    3. center beams on posts    +1

LOCATION:
    1. flat, undisturbed soil       0
    2. flat, filled soil                +1
    3. sloping, filled soil          +2
    4. sloping, undisturbed    +1

MOISTURE CONTENT:
    1. dry soil                           0
    2. wet soil                         +2

CHIMNEY LOCATION:
    1. Outside wall                    0
    2. Interior                          +1