[CEUS-earthquake-hazards] Question-

[WrightLa at usa.redcross.org]

I find it intriguing that nobody on the list has actually answered the
questions I asked, which were-

"Assume that you are designing a blood processing center for the Memphis
Tennessee area which will serve approximately 10% of the US population.
You are being asked to provide design standard requirements for this
facility on which 10% of the United States population will depend for
blood products.
The base facility is being designed for a 45 year useful life.

What seismic standard will you use?

Why?"

So why is it that everyone is willing to speak in generalities, but is
apparently not willing to state whether they'd use 2%/50 as the MCE, or
something else? I am not asking for someone to do any design, or go
through the various evolutions of site evaluation, I just want to know
what standard
you, if you were the designer of record, would use as the basis of
design.  And why.  I'm not going to  criticize anyone, and this is a
hypothetical situation, but I am really interested in knowing what
standard the experts here would use, and why they'd use that standard.
I think most of us would find that enlightening.

Laurence M. Wright
Senior Project Engineer
Manufacturing Engineering
202-303-4457 (o)
202-549-5843 (c)