>>-SNIP
>>
>>But you can have have stricter building code to help minimize the destruction. I believe such building guide lines are in place in areas like Los Angeles and San Fran.
>
>Yes, the lack of that is frequently a problem. I remember a few months (?) ago, in the Ycuá Bolaños case (Asunción, Paraguay - 400 people died in a fire), that the supermarket in question hadn't complied with certain building codes - and the city government, of course, hadn't enforced them. AFTER the problem they started to worry about other supermarkets, and promised to look after the situation. I think the main issue with the building codes was the lack of emergency exits.

Hilmar;

It seems interesting that structures such as the churches built by the Spaniards during the 16th Century throughout South and North America, have withstood Earthquakes with little damage done in most cases, while new high rises (Mexico City as one example) collapsed.

Tom