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Ed Yeates ReportingA Utah grass roots coalition is applying pressure on state government to quickly get old Utah school buildings retrofitted for the big earthquake. The group says we can't afford to wait, time is running out, lives are at stake.
West High School is what you'd expect to crumble in a magnitude 7 earthquake, but it's been retrofitted now to withstand strong ground motion.
At Bennion Elementary students practice protecting themselves from falling debris during a simulated quake. But at least the building will remain standing so they can get out safely after the shaking stops.
While the Salt Lake District is on the tail end of its multi year project to retrofit all older schools, other districts with more schools and more kids are not so lucky.
Timpanogos Elementary is typical of what the state is up against. It's a very old school, two stories, built way before code. And it probably would take only a moderate earthquake to bring the building down.
Dr. Ron Harris, BYU Geophysics: "Many parts of this building have already collapsed, without an earthquake."
What geologist Ron Harris says is true. Eight years ago, the roof above one room collapsed from structural failure. It's since been repaired.
A Provo bond election this June will in part decide whether Timpanogos will be replaced. A coalition called "Save All From Earthquakes" or SAFE says we can't wait anymore. It's loosely based on a similar group that formed in British Columbia.
Gary Wallace, S.A.F.E.: "Now they're spending 200-million this summer retrofitting the 70 worst schools in British Columboa, 1.5 billion over the next 15 years. So that's sort of what a grass roots organization can get done."
Big bucks or big losses? Estimates say that out of 90-thousand casualties in a 7.0 magnitude quake in Salt Lake County alone, 13-thousand would be school students. 750 would die.
Sen. Parley Hellewell, (R) Utah County: "If we don't start sometime, then we'll never be ready."
Dr. Harris: "No matter how you look at it, we're overdue."
S.A.F.E. also wants Utah school building construction and inspection controlled by the State, like it is in California.
