The Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission told Oregon legislators that a mega-quake, just like the catastrophic Japan quake, will come soon. Over 150 experts participated in the study, requested by the Legislature in 2011, and presented the results today at the capitol in Salem. Commission chairman, engineer Kent Yu, said, "This earthquake will hit us again. It's just a matter of how soon." In 1700, a mega-quake hit the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Oregon coast and a repeat tsunami and quake are long overdue. Oregon legislators want to prepare the state for the inevitable.
When the quake does hit, over 10,000 people are expected to die. The report says there will be "devastation and death from Northern California to British Columbia". Aside from the coastal area, other inland communities will be without food, water, power and heat, phones, and possibly, medical care. Oregon American Red Cross CEO Maree Wacker said, "Oregonians as individuals are underprepared." One of the most frightening things in the report was the fact that Japan was far more prepared having spent billions on being prepared. Hopefully, Oregonians will start preparing.
For more information on Oregon's seismic and tsunami threat, check out the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission.
For information on how to prepare for a mega-quake and tsunami, check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - Earthquake Information .
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