HS 33 – How to Save Your Home, Business and Life by Peter Yanev

Jason Hartman talks with Peter Yanev who has more than forty years of experience in earthquake and structural engineering, and risk management. In 1981 he co-founded EQE International, a global risk management provider, and grew the company to 750 professionals before leaving in 2001. He currently advises organizations worldwide, including engineering firms, the World Bank, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley. More at: https://holisticsurvival.com/category/audio-podcast/.  A former president of the Northern California chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Yanev has performed more than one hundred earthquake investigations, has published extensively, and is a frequent media commentator on natural disasters. He holds degrees in structural and earthquake engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives in Orinda, California.

Some topics covered in this episode are: Supplies of food and water is not preparedness – safety is of course a concern but the real problem is what happens to your home, business, and investment. What can you as a homeowner do? What about the small business owner? Is insurance the right solution? Should you retrofit? Or do both? How can a home or business owner do some simple risk planning to help understand their risk?

The same issues apply more to apartment and condo owners especially those who are buying in new buildings – do they understand that the code is not meant to protect their investment (or business) and that it only means the building won’t kill you? Your building or home still might be destroyed. Do they understand that many new buildings are unsafe from a risk perspective?
We can elaborate on what the code means and what people should know about it – specifically what you should know if you plan on building or investing in real estate (home, office, etc).

About the book Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country, the best-selling book which for thirty years has helped homeowners everywhere protect their properties and loved ones from the devastating effects of earthquakes, is now completely updated and greatly expanded. The new edition reflects the latest advances in earthquake science, engineering, and financial management techniques for homeowners, home buyers, and businesses in earthquake country.

In this comprehensive resource, earthquake engineering and risk management experts Peter Yanev and Andrew Thompson, who together have more than sixty years of combined experience and have investigated more than 100 earthquakes around the world, demystify the confusing technical aspects of earthquakes and present a do-it-yourself approach to home and business preparedness. Here, they explain in accessible text earthquake-related concepts such as “liquefaction” and dangerous “soft-stories,” then present easy-to-follow steps to understand and judge your risk as a homeowner, the soundness of your property, your possible financial risk, your insurance options, and how to inexpensively strengthen your home or office.

Earthquake risks are high for anyone in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Utah, the Central US, and more. It provides informative graphs and diagrams, hundreds of photographs, maps of existing and suspected fault lines, lessons learned from past earthquake, and the probabilities of future earthquakes. Chapters are devoted exclusively to earthquake risk management and insurance. Most importantly, you’ll learn what you can do to protect yourself and your property. This is a necessary guide for anyone living in earthquake country.