LA Times Reports: LA Becomes First U.S. City to Enact Quake Safety standards for New Cellphone Towers | National Public Safety Telecommunications Council

In 2008, a 7.9 earthquake left a path of destruction in the Chinese province of Sichuan, leveling whole communities and leaving as many as 88,000 dead. The chaos and confusion was made worse because the temblor disabled more than 2,000 cellphone towers, leaving huge communication gaps that lasted weeks.

On Friday, Los Angeles became the first city in the nation to approve seismic standards for new cellphone towers, part of an effort to strengthen communications infrastructure in preparation for the next big quake.The proposal, passed by the City Council on an 11-0 vote, takes aim at one of the great unknowns in earthquake country: How will mobile technology fare?

There has not been a major quake in California since cellphones, smartphones and WiFi became ubiquitous. When the destructive Northridge quake hit in 1994, landlines still ruled and the Internet wasn’t yet a central part of people’s lives.

L.A. Mayor Garcetti’s earthquake safety plOfficials acknowledged that the move is just the first step in addressing the vulnerabilities of the region’s communication system. But they hope it will begin greater discussion about how to improve it when it is needed most — in the minutes and hours after a devastating quake.

The earthquake in Sichuan was a big concern, said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones, because the region used similar building standards for cellphone towers as the United States.

The Los Angeles plan requires new freestanding cellphone towers to be built to the same seismic standards as public safety facilities. Cellphone towers are currently built only strong enough to not collapse and kill people during a major earthquake. They’re not required to be strong enough to continue working.

“This is about earthquake functionality. It’s about getting us back on our feet,” said Jones, who has served as earthquake science advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti. The mayor proposed the new cellphone tower standards in a report released in December.