POLL: Do You Feel as if Seattle is Adequately Prepared to Handle "The Big One?" (insurance, houses)

[ScranBarre]

Greetings, my West Coast friends! While doing some research into Seattle for a potential future vacation destination, I came across a lot of discussion regarding the near-certainty of a major earthquake rocking Seattle in the upcoming years. As such, I was wondering if you, the residents of the city, feel as if your leaders are adequately-prepared to handle what will likely result in a lot of damaged and/or destroyed buildings, disrupted infrastructure, and potential loss of life? I read some chilling research into what will happen to the Alaskan Way Viaduct if a major earthquake should happen to strike Seattle---I wouldn't want to become a human pancake on the lower roadway!

Seattle to me seems like an awesome city with so much to offer to residents and visitors alike. However, one can't deny that a major earthquake will eventually hit the city, and it could be of a magnitude much greater than the 1994 Northridge Quake in Los Angeles. What steps, if any, are being taken to limit loss of life and property? Do you feel comfortable going about your day-to-day activities, or does just thinking about "The Big One" stress you out?

Personally, I couldn't live in a place like Seattle for this very reason. While hurricanes can be tracked for days or even weeks in advance to permit residents to flee (except for those foolish enough to try to "ride out Katrina"), tornadoes often provide at least enough notice to flee to a basement, and floods are prefaced with heavy rains and rising rivers, there truly is no "clue" that an earthquake is about to occur until it actually starts to rock you around. I could only imagine would it would feel like to be in the top of the Space Needle during an earthquake!

[ScranBarre]

Oops! I forgot to add the "poll" option, so please just respond as you would to a regular thread. Sorry.

[bmsea]

I was at the top of the Space Needle for a very small earthquake, and it just felt like I head sea legs for half a minute. No big deal.

Washington building codes enforce the strictest regulations for seismic zones for new construction, but there probably are a lot of older buildings that would be in trouble in the case of a major earthquake. The City of Seattle has a pretty good retrofit program to help educate people on making slight adjustments (straps and reinforcements) to their single family homes to be more resistant to seismic forces.

At the end of the day, if there were a major earthquake, bigger than the 2001 Nisqually quake, the City and surrounding areas would probably suffer significant damage, on par with the Loma Prieta or Northridge Quakes in California in the 90's. Both of those quakes had major highway failures that would be on par with the Viaduct in a major earthquake. (Of course, the viaduct is also structurally connected to the seawall that holds much of the fill that downtown Seattle is built on, so there is some associated risk as well).

But its all a trade off. I live in an area that is susceptible to tsunamis with limited evacuation options. But I choose it, and would never choose to live in a place like Scranton and have to live with the weather that you live with. You probably love snow and ice, and prefer that to the danger of earthquakes.

And to answer your question, I am very aware of the potential of a big earthquake, but I only think about it 4 times a year when I'm rotating my emergency supplies.

[pw72]

Of course, Seattle isn't ready. Nor is L.A., or San Francisco. L.A. probably is the most vulnerable with 10X the freeway infrastructure that Seattle has, and much of it built around the same time. L.A. still has tens of thousands of structures that would fail during an 8.0 quake. I read the figure in Seattle is significantly less, as would be expected...it's not as big a city. Seattle would be greatly damaged in an 8.0, but L.A. would be a major disaster, unlike anything we have seen in modern times.

[ness]

The fact that you find hurricanes and tornados preferable to earthquakes just reinforces to me that people are very different. Personally, I would hate to live in an area with hurricanes and tornados...but really have no worry whatsoever about earthquakes even though I live in earthquake country. For earthquakes you just make sure your house is bolted, have an emergency kit stocked, and have good insurance. No worries.

[ness]

Originally Posted by pw72

Of course, Seattle isn't ready. Nor is L.A., or San Francisco. L.A. probably is the most vulnerable with 10X the freeway infrastructure that Seattle has, and much of it built around the same time. L.A. still has tens of thousands of structures that would fail during an 8.0 quake. I read the figure in Seattle is significantly less, as would be expected...it's not as big a city. Seattle would be greatly damaged in an 8.0, but L.A. would be a major disaster, unlike anything we have seen in modern times.

I believe you are correct, but I also think it is important not to live every day as if a disaster is right around the corner. It is horribly limiting to live in fear. My house burned down in the Malibu fires in the mid 1990s. It was awful. But life goes on.

[jwb123]

Of course, Seattle isn't ready. Nor is L.A., or San Francisco

That's exactly what I was going to say!

[PencilMeIn]

Originally Posted by ness

The fact that you find hurricanes and tornados preferable to earthquakes just reinforces to me that people are very different. Personally, I would hate to live in an area with hurricanes and tornados...but really have no worry whatsoever about earthquakes even though I live in earthquake country. For earthquakes you just make sure your house is bolted, have an emergency kit stocked, and have good insurance. No worries.

So funny...I've driven through blizzards where you can't see two feet in front of you, sat in a boarded up house through 2 damaging hurricanes listening to things banging against my house and parts of the roof ripping off, and have taken cover in a closet when the tornado sirens sound....but it's just been a part of my life and not anything that made me afraid (except at the given moment) to live where I lived. However, the thought of earthquakes or tsunamis scare the ever loving **** out of me. It all boils down to what you are used to. And I guess I will get used to this too. I am used to having an emergency kit stocked, but please inform me....what does it mean to have your house bolted???? Duhhhh...

[scirocco22]

It's been required for quite some time that houses being built now be bolted to their foundations. You can imagine what's going to happen during a severe earthquake to a house that's not.

--'rocco

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by samsmom

but please inform me....what does it mean to have your house bolted???? Duhhhh...

Newer building codes require fastening building walls to their foundations, prior to that, houses just sat on their foundation, using gravity to hold them in place. A big failure that we see in older homes is the actual home being shaken off its foundation.

Older homes, for about $5000, can be "retrofitted" to reinforce pony walls (the half walls that come off your foundation sometimes), and strap walls to their foundations to eliminate this problem. The codes were changing rapidly from the 50's to the 70's, so any home built prior to 1976 may require retrofit, anything before 1955 definitely needs retrofit (unless its already been done). In theory, if your home was built after 1976, it should comply with these requirements.


The City of Seattle Office of Emergency Management provides some good information on how this works. If you have moderate carpentry skills, you can do it yourself. Otherwise, they also provide a list of contractors that have undergone the City training for seismic retrofit. More info can be found here at the City's website:

Office of Emergency Management

There is actually a really good overview booklet (PDF) that you can download that gives some excellent info about earthquakes and buildings and I would recommend reading for any homeowner. It's about 20 pages.