In the event of a natural disaster, it’s probably natural that people who have been affected want to let their loved ones know they are okay, and for loved ones to be able to get in contact with affected family members and friends to find out what’s going on. Unfortunately this would be an exercise in futility if cellphone towers are damaged, like during an earthquake for example.
However recently the Los Angeles City Council has made it a requirement that future cellphone towers will be built in such a way that it can withstand an earthquake, so that in the future if and when an earthquake does occur, these towers will be able to withstand it and thus remain operational.
At the moment cellphone towers are built under the requirement that they have to remain standing after a major temblor, but are not required to remain operational, so with this new ruling that is expected to changer. As for existing towers in the city, they are not required to comply with the new ruling as there is limited space to accommodate these free-standing structures.
According to Councilman Bob Blumenfield, “Communications are paramount when the next disaster strikes, and we know it’s not if, it’s when. Our communications safety facilities are just as important as our public safety facilities,” he said. “In the event of a disaster, they are our public safety facilities.”
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