During the 1994 Northridge Earthquake in the Los Angeles area, many steel moment-resisting frame structures experienced unexpected brittle damage to their beam-to-column connections.

There are multiple cities across the west coast that are being proactive about reducing their seismic risk. 

An unreinforced masonry (URM) building is a building made of brick, hollow concrete blocks, stone, or other masonry with no steel reinforcing bars embedded in it, making it susceptible to severe damage and collapse during an earthquake.