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Roger's Home Journal

Roger's Home Journal

We Dodged a Seismic Bullet

By Roger Faris

Earthquakes in Seattle history
Recorded history in the Seattle area began on January 26, 1700, when Japanese scribes noted a giant tsunami which, seismologists later calculated, originated in the Pacific Northwest. You can find files describing this event and subsequent temblors, including the 1949 and 1965 quakes, at www.historylink.org.
Mar 07, 2001 -- On February 28 the residents of our region received another confirmation that we live in earthquake country. The shock waves were triggered by a violent shifting of rock offshore from the Nisqually River Delta and about 30 miles beneath the surface. We were fortunate that much of the energy of the event was absorbed as it passed through those miles of earth before arriving at our doorsteps. Our buildings were shaken, but not exposed to the acceleration and stresses which will accompany a rupture in one of our local faults. We were also fortunate that this was not a subduction-zone "Big One," which could produce prolonged ground motion, major landslides, soil liquefaction, and tsunami.

We were stung by a seismic BB gun, and many experts had been expecting just such a shot. The repair and cleanup from this moderate quake will likely cost more than $2 billion. Now it's time to peer into the dark gun barrel of our next earthquake. Its bullet could look more like a cannonball. How in hell can we be ready for that?

The answer is that we'll never by ready, but we'd better try. It's encouraging that the pace of our preparation activity has been stepped up in recent years. I'm sure you've noticed that seismic retrofit work is being done on some of our bridges, elevated highways and older buildings. All of that is quite expensive, but not nearly as costly as what we will face if these structures collapse. Since we're at risk for massive loss of life, terrible injuries and economic devastation, we need to be even more dedicated to these tasks.

Our region got quite a boost from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiative called Project Impact. For the last three years it has helped to focus the efforts of homeowners, government, businesses, educators, community groups and volunteers on the goal of building a safer community. It was amazing to me to learn that on the day of our Nisqually Earthquake, the new administration in Washington, D.C. announced a decision to cancel this national disaster mitigation program. This is certainly a case of being penny wise and pound foolish, as well as an idiotic shooting directly into the foot. Any assertion that Project Impact has been ineffective can be easily refuted. All across the country people have become serious about building disaster-resistant communities.

The local Project Impact Partners will respond to this shot across our bow with a commitment to continue and accelerate our cooperative efforts. We've realized that it's essential to have a disaster response and cleanup plan, but not sufficient. We also need to take steps before a disaster strikes. I expect our leaders to understand the concept and value of mitigation. Fortunately, most of them do, and they will probably explain the facts to any of their colleagues who haven't been paying attention.

Roger Faris is the director of the Well Home Program at the Phinney Neighborhood Association. The program provides advice, encouragement, tools and classes for home improvement and repair. Call (206) 789-4993 for information. For the Earthquake Home Retrofit Program, call (206) 382-2159.


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