The seismic strength of West Coast Regional Council in Greymouth has been rated 'D' – the second to lowest. West Coast Regional Council staff might want to eat lunch at their desks in future, after reading an engineering report on the risk of collapse of their headquarters in an earthquake. READ MORE:* Iwi step in to avert coup at West Coast Regional Council* Review launched into hotel building's earthquake assessment* New report downgrades earthquake risk to West Coast mental health buildingGrade D buildings represent a life safety risk to building occupants equivalent to 10 to 25 times greater than expected for a new building, indicating a high earthquake risk exposure. Not all parts of the building were as risky as the lunchroom, the report noted. Their report was to be presented to the regional council meeting today, along with the engineers' recommendations for strengthening work.

Source: Stuff June 09, 2021 04:07 UTC