Chilling report: 10,000+ could die in major Northwest U.S. earthquake

March 16, 2013 – PORTLAND - Coastal towns would be inundated. Schools, buildings and bridges would collapse, and economic damage could hit $32 billion. These findings were published in a chilling new report by the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission, a group of more than 150 volunteer experts. In 2011, the Legislature authorized the study of what would happen if a quake and tsunami such as the one that devastated Japan hit the Pacific Northwest. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, just off the regional coastline, produced a mega-quake in the year 1700. Seismic experts say another monster quake and tsunami are overdue. “This earthquake will hit us again,” Kent Yu, an engineer and chairman of the commission, told lawmakers. “It’s just a matter of how soon.” When it hits, the report says, there will be devastation and death from Northern California to British Columbia. Many Oregon communities will be left without water, power, heat and telephone service. Gasoline supplies will be disrupted. The 2011 Japan quake and tsunami were a wakeup call for the Pacific Northwest. Governments have been taking a closer look at whether the region is prepared for something similar and discovering it is not. Oregon legislators requested the study so they could better inform themselves about what needs to be done to prepare and recover from such a giant natural disaster. The report says that geologically, Oregon and Japan are mirror images. Despite the devastation in Japan, that country was more prepared than Oregon because it had spent billions on technology to reduce the damage, the report says. Jay Wilson, the commission’s vice chairman, visited Japan and said he was profoundly affected as he walked through villages ravaged by the tsunami. “It was just as if these communities were ghost towns, and for the most part there was nothing left,” said Wilson, who works for the Clackamas County emergency management department. Wilson told legislators that there was a similar event 313 years ago in the Pacific Northwest, and “we’re well within the window for it to happen again.” Experts representing a variety of state agencies, industries and organizations expanded on the report’s findings and shared with lawmakers how they have begun planning. Sue Graves, a safety coordinator for the Lincoln County School District, told lawmakers that high school students in her district take semester-long classes that teach CPR and other survival techniques in the wake of a giant earthquake. The class teaches students to “duck, cover and hold” when the ground starts shaking. Maree Wacker, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Oregon, said it is important for residents to have their own contingency plans for natural disasters. “Oregonians as individuals are underprepared,” she said. –KATU

Im interested to know what people would say to explain this away? There has always been earthquakes? I rather deal with earthquakes on the west then tornadoes in the east? Ah dont worry about it. I have been following seismic activity for decades and it has never been this frequent or intense. Ah dont worry about it...

magamud, this information has been out for a long time and the first time I was made aware of it was back in the early 90's with regard to the Seattle, Washington area, where a study was done by the government to determine how people would get out of the area if there was a major volcanic disaster. Bottom line, they wouldn't. In addition, there is also volcanic activity off the Oregon coast. The west coast region along Oregon and Washington has numerous volcanoes which are fairly close together. Basically it's possible for one volcanic event to trigger another volcanic eruption. Even when Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980 it blew down or scorched 230 square miles of forest. These studies are based on facts and potentials. Facts from what is happening geographically, what has happened in the past and what is possible in the future. It's reasonable to expect ongoing studies to be done with the results published for public review. Then it's up to those people in these areas to determine if it's worth their attention - or not.