Emergency Preparedness - Earthquakes - Are We Prepared for a Major Disaster? What is Your Role?

What Can We Do about a Major Earthquake Disaster? - Since We Can’t Reliably Predict them Plan and Prepare for them Get Educated about the about what to expect and how to Prepare Know your role in Helping Thurston County and Resource Stewardship Get Ready Help your community by educating your neighbors

What is Considered a Major Earthquake Magnitude 9 Cascadia Subduction Zone (20 times in past 10,000 years) – Last one Jan 29, 1700 Produce Very Strong to Violent Shaking for Minutes (Not Seconds) Disable parts of the Northwest for Years Large Aftershocks up to 7.0 that can occur for Years Local Faults also capable of causing severe damage (Seattle and Tacoma Faults)

Cross section of CSZ Image Source: Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

Local Crustal Faults Seattle and Tacoma Faults are examples Capable of very damaging shaking Not as widespread as Cascadia More damaging than Cascadia locally

What Happens During the Event? Shaking can last for up to six minutes Very Strong to Violent shaking that Destroys or severely damages infrastructure Ground can liquefy and structures collapse Rapid succession of large aftershocks across the region Thousands of Landslides (New Zealand Last week)

Secondary Effects of Strong Shaking Landslides Dam Failures Liquefaction of soils Secondary fault ruptures Even increased volcanic activity And the worst effect of all ……

A Massive Tsunami is Born Half of the Tsunami hits the Washington, Oregon and California Coast within 30 minutes Evacuations to high ground very difficult because roads will be wiped out by the earthquake Other half of Tsunami Races outward across the Pacific reaching Hawaii in six hours and Asia in 12 hours It enters the Puget Sound and causes havoc with tides for hours and floods low lying areas with sea water Good news - Puget Sound is spared direct impact of the Tsunami

Japan - March 2011 Tsunami

Massive Regional Earthquake Effects on Services/Utilities Electricity loss for weeks or months in some areas Loss of most communications for an extended period of time Most Roads and Rail Lines Severely damaged (no food or supplies by road or rail) Thousands injured or Killed (Japan, Indonesia, Haiti) Japan 2011 17,000 killed : Indonesia 250,000 killed: Haiti 275,000 killed

What is Your Role in A Disaster? We need skilled people to Help Us Prepare Mitigate Emergency Response Recover

Prepare For A Major Disaster Get educated about what to expect – lots of info online Get supplies – 2 weeks or more food and water Where will you get water if there is no electricity? Water purification kit or Clorox bleach Disaster Kit for simple first aid Keep up to date on vaccinations (especially tetanus) Think about a Major Earthquake – Don’t Overthink about it… It will come but maybe not in your lifetime??

Mitigate for it Think Disaster! not terrifying inconvenience Secure your home and workspace – what can you secure, move or avoid Plan- What will you and your family do before, during, and after a major disaster If it happens at home If it happens at work What is your kids’ school disaster plans? Ham Radio may be only working radio communications – Get one and learn how to use it

Emergency Response Decision Tree – What to do first Check your family situation – are they safe Contact your Emergency Response Group Leader Go to your pre determined muster point Assemble teams and assess the disaster Prepare to deploy and use your training Communicate between teams and other Agencies Perform your pre-determined tasks

Recovery Efforts 12 – 72 hours: Inspection and Assessment Teams Building and infrastructure damage & brace for aftershocks Casualties and Rescue if necessary Assist other Emergency Teams when primary tasks complete 48 hours – 2 weeks: Continue Documentation and Recovery Activities Aftershocks continue Re- inspect tagged structures Reconstruction Long Term Recovery will take years

ARE WE READY? Anchorage 1965 9.2M

Structure Collapse

Major Infrastructure Damage

Liquefaction