Earthquake heightens New Yorkers' concerns about NYC's aging structures
NEW YORK -- Even before Friday's earthquake, many families were concerned about New York City's aging structures, and right now, inspectors are checking construction sites and responding to complaints.
Friday's quake jolted buildings across the city, but the good news is United States Geological Survey scientists say it wasn't strong enough to do major damage.
There are roughly 1.1 million buildings in the city. Many were built before the '90s, when the city added safety provisions like separations between buildings.
Officials say older, unenforced brick buildings are most at risk.
"You want to make a note of any new cracks that you may have noticed on the floors, ceilings, walls," said structural engineer Patricia Rodriguez, who is an adjunct faculty member with NYU Tandon's Civil and Urban Engineering Department.
The New York City buildings commissioner says there hasn't been an uptick in complaints thus far, adding that inspectors are performing random checks of construction sites and contractors are legally required to keep sites safe.
"You need to go out and check on your buildings even if those sites are closed," DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said.
If you see a crack in a New York City building, you should call 311. DOB has about 500 inspectors on staff, and they say they'll send an inspector as soon as possible.
The MTA was also out inspecting the transit system, bridges and tunnels after the earthquake, and said initial inspections did not uncover any damage to its infrastructure.