Design vs. engineering question

[Alaskan Son]

Richard,

On a side note. Look at the link you sent me. Of all the non roadway structures you see, how many of them do you honestly believe would have been better off with some added hold downs or sheer walls? I've witnessed the aftermath of one fairly large earthquake here in recent years that struck the interior portion of Alaska (which is fairly rare). Almost no damage at all in an almost totally unregulated area.

Most of the damage is caused by water, falling/opening ground, failing roadway structures or a combination of the above. In the link you provided you can see plenty of buildings still basically in one piece but in a bad area.