Science & Analysis of Japanese Quake Paints a Grim Message for the Northwest
- John Cornelison
- July 10, 2011
Table of Contents
Oregon and Washington are likely to have a very serious earthquake in future decades, according to a disturbing article in the Oregonian.
“Within the next 50 years… Washington and northern Oregon face a 10 to 15 percent probability of an offshore quake powerful enough to kill thousands and launch a tsunami that would level coastal cities. … the Northwest is dangerously unprepared for a massive quake they consider inevitable.”
“An earthquake in the Cascadia subduction zone could launch a tsunami resembling Japan's towering tidal wave, flattening … low-lying cities.”
“Engineers doing seismic retrofits often concentrate on preventing structures from collapsing and killing people, but not on enabling them to survive shaking well enough to be used after an earthquake… The result is ‘throw-away’ buildings that may need to be demolished.”
Read the full story at http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/experts_say_an_earthquake_sure.html
