Engineers to Rappel Down Washington Monument to Check for Earthquake Damage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Structural engineers are expected to begin rappelling down the Washington Monument to check on damage caused by last month's earthquake.
The inspection of the monument's exterior was delayed a day because of lightning. A team worked for several hours setting up equipment and creating a protective barrier around the monument's lightning rods.
The engineers will be looking for cracks, chips and other damage caused by the 5.8-magnitude quake that shook the nation's capital Aug. 23. The team works for the firm Wiss, Janey, Elstner Associates Inc. and have experience traversing the sides of buildings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The team is scheduled to start its work at 8 a.m. Wednesday, although it's not clear exactly when the engineers will emerge from the windows on the monument's observation deck.