Study looks at San Francisco quake vulnerability

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new earthquake study recommends re-inspecting dozens of San Francisco skyscrapers to see if they were damaged by the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

That’s one of several suggestions in the “Tall Buildings Safety Strategy” report released Thursday.

The study identified 156 buildings in San Francisco that are taller than 240 feet, most located in the northeast.

Up to 70 of those buildings have a type of welded steel frame construction that was found to be susceptible to cracking during Southern California’s 1994 Northridge quake.

The study lists 15 other safety recommendations, including strengthening construction requirements for the city’s growing crop of high-rises.

It was released as the city confronts sinking and tilting of the Millennium Tower and the discovery of cracked steel beams in the new Salesforce Transit Center.