President Barack Obama signed an executive order yesterday requiring all new or renovated federal buildings to be equipped with the latest protections against earthquakes, the Associated Press reported.
The executive order creates a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard, which the White House says will improve federal buildings' resilience to earthquakes, making them safer and lowering the costs for recovering from a quake.
Obama's order says agencies constructing or updating federal buildings must ensure they're built with earthquake-resistant designs that meet the latest building codes. The White House says following those codes are one of the best ways to save the lives of people living in a building.
The White House also said it's also working to ensure government assets and money are available for recovery efforts after an earthquake.
Related: California offering grants to strengthen homes against earthquakes
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