Legislature(2009 - 2010)SENATE FINANCE 532
02/20/2009 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Joint with Senate Education Committee | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
February 20, 2009
9:07 a.m.
9:07:00 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Stedman called the Senate Finance Committee meeting
to order at 9:07 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair
Senator Johnny Ellis
Senator Kim Elton
Senator Donny Olson
Senator Joe Thomas
Senator Bettye Davis
Senator Gary Stevens
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Charlie Huggins
ALSO PRESENT
John L. Aho, Ph. D., Sc.D., Chair of the Alaska Seismic
Hazards Safety Commission.
SUMMARY
^Presentation: Joint with Senate Education Committee
Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission by Dr. John
Aho, Chair of the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety
Commission.
Co-Chair Stedman introduced Senator Elton as chair of the
education committee. He stated the purpose of the meeting
was to hear a presentation from Dr. John Aho of the Alaska
Seismic Hazards Safety Commission. The commission was
created by the Legislature in 2002 to recommend goals for
seismic risk mitigation and policies to reduce the state's
vulnerability in earthquakes. The subject of earthquakes is
considered each year during the budget process.
JOHN L. AHO, PH. D., SC.D., CHAIR OF THE ALASKA SEISMIC
HAZARDS SAFETY COMMISSION, informed that he was born and
raised in Anchorage. He announced that he held a Ph.D. from
Cornell University in aerospace engineering. He stated that
he chairs the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission. The
presentation has an emphasis on the commission's focus on
schools.
9:11:44 AM
Mr. Aho noted that Alaska experiences large earthquakes each
year with potential for damage in both urban and rural
areas.
Dr. Aho began with a PowerPoint summary of the Seismic
Commission, "A Look at Current Activities With an Emphasis
on Schools." (Copy on File). Slide 1 includes a
"Presentation Summary."
· A brief history of the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety
Commission (ASHSC)
· ASHSC standing committees (with an emphasis on
schools)
· An historic perspective of school failures and a look
at resultant mitigation legislation.
· An Alaskan communities' experience
9:16:09 AM
Dr. Aho discussed the "History of ASHSC" (Slide 2):
· HB 53 established ASHSC in 2002
· 11 members
· Policy Recommendations
· ASHSC Goals
· Standing Goals
· Standing Committees
· Administered by DNR
Dr. Aho discussed hazard versus risk with the goal of
mitigating potential risks. The commission has 250 years of
combined experience in the area of seismic risk mitigation.
He defined hazard as the expected occurrence of a future
event and risk as the expected consequence of that event.
The hazard always exists, but the risk changes substantially
due to additional population and infrastructure. The effort
of ASHSC is to mitigate that potential risk.
Dr. Aho discussed "ASHSC Standing Committees" (Slide 3):
· Insurance
· Schools
· Earthquake Scenarios
· Education and outreach
· Hazards Identification
· Response, Recovery, and loss estimation
· Post-earthquake planning
· Partnership
9:19:35 AM
Dr. Aho specified the importance of identifying fault lines
and potential hazards. These fault lines must be identified
before Alaska runs the gas pipeline.
Dr. Aho discussed the "Schools Committee Tasks," (Slide 3):
· Identify previously accomplished work
· Identify legislation affecting design and construction
· Examine current plan review/inspection procedures
· Examine Code provisions relating to schools
· Identify seismically at-risk facilities
· Identify and interview stakeholders
· Develop conclusions/recommendations and way forward
Dr. Aho referred to "Earthquakes in Alaska" (map), (Slide
4):
Earthquake risk is high in much of the southern half of
Alaska, but it is not the same everywhere. This map
shows the overall geologic setting in Alaska that
produces earthquakes. The Pacific plate (darker blue)
is sliding northwestward past southeastern Alaska and
then dives beneath the North American plate (light
blue, green and brown) in southern Alaska, the Alaska
Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. Most earthquakes
are produced where these two plates come into contact
and slide past each other. Major earthquakes also occur
throughout much of interior Alaska as a result of
stresses generated at the plate boundary.
9:24:26 AM
Co-Chair Stedman asked about the slip rate in Southeast
Alaska. Dr. Aho answered that there were two inches per year
of slip rate in Southeast Alaska.
Senator Gary Stevens requested information regarding
building code requirements with regard to fault lines. Dr.
Aho explained that base sheer equations used in earthquake
design are based on the proximity of facilities to potential
fault systems. Certain fault lines are concentrated, but
fault lines are not always identified. The state's
instrumentation is limited due to Alaska's size.
9:27:17 AM
Senator Elton noted that the commission has a budget of
$10,000. He inquired about the roll of industry regarding
resource extraction. He asked if ASHSC receives funding from
industry as a portion of their mitigation or as the state's
obligation.
Dr. Aho informed that the commission has the ability to
receive funding from any viable source. The partnership
committee is charged with seeking additional funding. When
the state designs a building such as a school, certain codes
are subscribed to. Industry does not have the same
restrictions when they are spending their own money, yet
they design to the appropriate codes.
Senator Elton stated that gas and oil development in Cook
Inlet would require a permitting practice requiring
mitigation for seismic hazards. He asked if the decisions
were made internally or was data provided by state and
federal government. Dr. Aho answered that industry accesses
both avenues in completing their own studies and taking
advantage of fault identification studies performed by the
state. Information from private studies is not always easy
to obtain.
9:31:15 AM
Senator Thomas commended Dr. Aho's work with such a small
budget. He addressed the Johnson River Fault, which the
proposed gas pipeline would cross five times. He noted that
legislation did not exist requiring the exchange of
information about fault line studies. He asked if it would
be helpful to have a better working relationship with the
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Dr. Aho answered that a
better relationship with the Alyeska Pipeline Service
Company would be advantageous, although information gathered
about earthquakes and permafrost is often proprietary.
Dr. Aho explained Slide 5 illustrating the surface rupture
during Alaska's earthquake in 1964. The earthquake lasted 5
minutes. An earthquake of the same magnitude today would
cause substantial damage to a city like Anchorage.
9:35:08 AM
Dr. Aho discussed Slide 7 and the "School Seismic Hazard
Map." Seventy-five schools have been identified in the
vintage, construction type, and seismic location that
warrant concern for future damage from a potential
earthquake.
Dr. Aho noted that 27,000 earthquakes were recorded in
Alaska during 2008. Fifty to 100 earthquakes occur in Alaska
on a daily bases.
Co-Chair Stedman asked about depth measurements shown on
Slide 9. Dr. Aho answered that depth measurements were
illustrated in meters, and the shallower depths have the
greatest risk potential.
Dr. Aho presented the "Rapid Instrumental Intensity Map for
1964 Anchorage Scenario" (Slide 10) illustrating the amount
of damage that can occur following a large earthquake.
9:39:16 AM
Dr. Aho introduced instrumentation known as seismic sensors
or EpiSensor accelerometers. After an earthquake, the
instrumentation provides data regarding motion in a
particular building. The data allows ASHSC to note whether
design calculations were adequate following an earthquake.
Senator Elton asked if statewide standards exist for
buildings. He asked if individual communities set their own
standards. Dr. Aho answered that the international building
code is used by major communities in Alaska. Within the
international building code are substantial seismic
requirements.
Senator Elton asked if standards vary for different
municipalities. He asked which latitudes are applied by
different municipalities.
9:41:42 AM
Dr. Aho answered that the universal building code is
standardized and municipalities modify the code based on the
risk.
Senator Thomas asked about the potential cost of the
instrumentation leading to mitigation of future problems.
Dr. Aho estimated the cost for the sensors, wiring, and data
recorders at $200,000.
9:44:04 AM
Dr. Aho explained the art of earthquake engineering
consisted of proper engineering, with proper training and
peer review. Structures, once designed must be properly
constructed.
Dr. Aho discussed the 1964 earthquake and the improper
location of a facility in an area with massive ground
failure (Slide 11). Dr. Aho discussed the Anchorage High
School following the 1964 earthquake illustrated on Slide
14, as well as a gymnasium roof shown on Slide 15 that
collapsed in five seconds under massive snow loading. The
school gym collapsed because of a design mistake.
9:47:37 AM
Dr. Aho explained that hazard identification was crucial to
avoid building over active faults.
Dr. Aho continued with an explanation of changes in
requirements following major earthquakes in California
destroying 230 schools in 1933. The Field Act was initiated
requiring major changes in seismic design procedures, peer
review of all school structure design, and full time
resident observation of construction. Since 1933, California
has not had a major catastrophic failure of a school as a
result of an earthquake.
9:49:59 AM
Dr. Aho illustrated Pertinent Legislation as shown on Slide
21.
· FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
· FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM)
· National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)
· California (Field Act)
· Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah
Dr. Aho commented that the city of Kodiak decided to examine
their community schools searching for potential problems in
regard to seismic hazard. Kodiak hired a consultant and
found several hazards in five schools necessitating major
renovation. Kodiak received the prestigious award of
excellence by the Western States Seismic Policy Council for
their mitigation activity.
Dr. Aho discussed lessons learned:
· Recognition of the Problem
· Identification of Structures at Risk
· Prioritization of Mitigation
· Final Determination of Mitigation Projects
9:52:49 AM
Senator Olson asked about Alaskan International Airports and
risks to airport buildings from a potential earthquake. He
asked if the buildings were able to handle the effects of an
earthquake. Mr. Aho believed that the structure of the
airport buildings was adequate.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:53 AM.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| ASHSC_rpt_to_Gov_Leg_2009.pdf |
SFIN 2/20/2009 9:00:00 AM |
|
| Seismic Hazards Safety Comm members.pdf |
SFIN 2/20/2009 9:00:00 AM |
|
| Seismic Hazards Safety Comm Present.pdf |
SFIN 2/20/2009 9:00:00 AM |