Portland and much of the Pacific Northwest have been on edge the last few weeks with talk of earthquakes and tsunamis brought on by The New Yorker’s recent piece “The Really Big One.”
The article brought to the public’s attention leading scientists’ predictions of a magnitude-9 earthquake hitting the Cascadia Fault, followed by a three-mile-wide tsunami.
And now, the article’s author, Kathryn Schulz, has written a follow-up piece explaining the steps anyone “west of the Cascade Mountains” can take in the event the natural disaster one-two punch occurs.
The simplest thing homeowners in the affected areas can do is to bolt their houses to the foundation.
The majority of private homes in the timber-rich Pacific Northwest are made of wood—and wooden homes, like trees themselves, are supple enough to withstand even powerful shaking. Those that are bolted to their foundations should fare very well in the Cascadia earthquake. Conversely, those that are not bolted down will jolt off their foundations and collapse, imperilling everything—and everyone—inside them. Securing a home to its foundation generally costs between $2,000 and $6,000—by far the most expensive seismic upgrade facing individuals, but a whole lot less costly than losing the entire house.
That expense could keep the owners from losing everything inside their homes.
Schulz also says things like keeping heavy items nearer to floors and creating an earthquake preparedness kit, featuring emergency contact information, warm clothes and batteries, will be important.
In a piece expanding on Schulz’s article, The Oregonian says “Northwesterners should choose family meeting places and ask friends or relatives outside the region to agree to serve as a contacts.”
Locals and visitors would be best served by knowing this seismic event is on its way at some point, though not overdue as the articles note. Understand there is a risk, take as many of the recommended precautions as possible and you will go a long way toward keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.