Rady Children's Hospital let employees take a ride in a earthquake simulator as the hospital prepares to finish its earthquake retrofit.
The portable "Quake Cottage" bobbed and shook outside the entrance to Children's Hospital as people inside felt the effects of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. The cottage belongs to a contractor that hopes to finish work retrofitting the hospital by the end of the year. State law requires hospitals to take make their buildings earthquake-ready by 2013. At Children's, workers had to brace pipes, power and water systems. Mike Essrig, who runs the contracting company, said the work was expensive.
"Because you have to do the work around a hospital that is working 24-seven," said Essrig. "So you have infection control barriers, you have noise considerations so it can cost in the millions."
More than four million, in fact, according to Children's Hospital.
