Julian Construction Points to Building Codes as a Key Factor that Minimized Tragedy in Chile and Devastated Haiti.
Founder of Julian Construction (www.julianconstruction.com), Julian De La Torre, was stunned by the vastly different outcomes of the two natural disasters. “Chile’s earthquake was 500 times more powerful than Haiti’s, yet less than 1000 people died compared to more than 220,000 in Haiti.” De La Torre said. “Chile is used to earthquakes and has experienced huge events within the last 50 years, resulting in rigorous building codes that kept most buildings from collapse. Haiti’s last big earthquake was 250 years ago and it is reported there are no building codes there at all. Experience and preparation made an enormous difference.”
Chile’s quake was also centered deeper and further away from population areas, both favorable factors for survival of both people and architecture. Chile’s emergency services have been in place and were in evidence at once – this kind of natural disaster was not new to them. Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, had no planning in place.
“California also has good building codes designed to prevent building collapse and minimize damage from earthquakes.” Julian continued. “But much of our housing stock and a considerable number of commercial buildings predate these codes and so are at risk. The anchoring of the structure to the foundations of the building is a common area of vulnerability. It is also our area of expertise.”
Julian Construction is offering an inspection of your home’s foundation at no charge. For those who need to finance any needed repair or retrofit, Julian Construction offers 0% financing.
Julian De La Torre has been retrofitting since the early 1990s and has personally worked on over 6,600 homes in Southern California. With this unmatched experience in the substructure areas of a home, Mr. De La Torre formed Julian Construction in 2001 with the goal of making safer homes, apartments and commercial properties throughout Southern California. His partner Shawn Kyles has inspected over 15,000 structures, working with both engineering firms and local departments of building and safety, and is an expert in foundation repair and house bolting. Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model - no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com.
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