Rebuilt West Lake Jr. High will be ready for earthquakes [Video]

WEST VALLEY, Utah – After being severely damaged in 2020, West Lake Jr. High is being rebuilt with earthquake safety in mind.

Following this year’s Great Utah Shakeout, in which more than 900,000 people participated, KSL’s Dave & Dujanovic spoke with Ben Horsley from Granite School District about earthquake safety in schools.

Related: Great Utah Shakeout: How to make your home earthquake-safe

West Lake Jr. High, which suffered extensive damage in the 2020 Magna earthquake, had to be completely rebuilt in order to meet modern seismic codes.

Horsley shared that many schools in the state are in need of better protection from tremors. He cited one major concern being the widespread use of masonry in school buildings.

The new junior high will implement steel reinforcement to protect itself during earthquakes.

“That’s the advantage that West Lake will have with this new build is that steel structure to withstand that type of event,” Horsley said.