Many Utah schools not prepared for quakes

Hundreds of Utah public schools would be unsafe, and potentially deadly, places to be in the event of a major earthquake, according to a State Office of Education survey of 17 of Utah's 40 school districts.

School buildings are largely a local school district matter, and districts vary in their compliance to oft-changing seismic codes, the state reports. Bringing all up to seismic safety codes could cost billions of dollars — tough to come by in a state that spends the least per student in the country.

But the State Board of Education worries about the potential for injury and loss of life in the event of "the big one" in geological fault-heavy Utah. It's talking about a way to get more involved in building safety.

"The worst thing we could do is somehow try and put off (action) in this area and then have an earthquake," board member Randall Mackey said. "I'd like to see this be one of our top priorities."

The probability of a large earthquake along the Wasatch Front is 16 percent in the next 50 years, the Geological Survey has reported. Yet assuming earthquakes occur regularly and not randomly, the probability of a major earthquake in Salt Lake City may be as high as 57 percent in 100 years.

But many buildings are unprepared. Seismic considerations didn't become part of building codes until after lessons learned from 1971 San Fernando earthquake in California. The state Division of Emergency Services a few years ago estimated about half Utah's 800-plus schools had sections built before 1975.

School district efforts to address the problem vary.

Salt Lake City School District is finishing a project to replace or retrofit every school there, thanks to more than $200 million in bonds voters OK'd in the 1990s.

In the growing Washington School District, 28 of 36 buildings are up to code. In Alpine, nearly two-thirds of schools meet or somewhat meet seismic safety codes, the state reports.

But in Box Elder, 24 of 29 schools are not up to code.

San Juan would need $100 million to bring 11 of its 12 buildings up to code.

Provo District this summer will seek a $35 million bond to build and improve its schools. The state report says the district has two schools where none of the square footage was built post-1973.

Granite would need $253 million to seismically upgrade the 79 buildings there that do not meet code. The average age of its schools exceeds 45 years, and just 15 schools, the state reports, are up to code.