Is Seattle Earthquake ready? (hotel, safe, rich)

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by Seacove

Is that true? Is there an animated simulation that shows that anywhere? I've looked for that sort of thing before and have not found one yet. If it "wraps", does that apply to Lake Washington as well since it's connected?

Having just experienced a tsunami in Hawai'i, yes, they do wrap...and bounce off islands, etc. Our worst damage occurred hours after the first waves hit. The entire island was under a tsunami warning, even the shores opposite of the direction from which the tsunami was coming.

I think Lake Washington is pretty safe; the access point is long and narrow for quite a distance.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by swerver

Does anyone know a source of info on building codes in the Seattle area with regard to earthquakes? Most of the talk is about tall buildings, but what about normal single family homes? Have the codes changed over the years, if so when? I am curious what if any improvements are required by code for single family homes, other than not building brick houses.

The earthquake standards in codes are fairly recent. If your home is older than about 1980 it may not have the load-bearing walls anchored to the foundation enough, and may not have the corners reinforced with at least plywood, bettr yet steel. You can often tell both by goig down into the crawl space. Codes were changed in 2002 after reviewing damage from the Nisqually quake.

[415_s2k]

You know, the more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that, at least on a social level, no city in the US is ready for an earthquake.

We had earthquake drills in the Seattle and Federal Way public schools when I was a kid and I'm sure they do now, but it stops there and the US doesn't have the same social structure as Japan (for better or worse) so there's little-to-no continuing preparation for the most part.

I was walking down the street here in SF the other day and wondering to myself which stores would get looted first...

[ay jayy]

Tsunami waves may wrap to a certain extent, but not to the magnitude that a tsunami originating in the cascadia subduction zone would reach seattle. Obviously a quake on the Seattle fault is a different story, but the Cascadia fault is the scary one.

[AlohaHuey]

It's important to realize tsunamis aren't just waves, but a large, large mass of water looking for a place to go.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by ay jayy

Tsunami waves may wrap to a certain extent, but not to the magnitude that a tsunami originating in the cascadia subduction zone would reach seattle. Obviously a quake on the Seattle fault is a different story, but the Cascadia fault is the scary one.

I truly believe that the Tsunami or at least the effects of it will effect Seattle. I only came to that conclusion after having watched the water reach the high tide line at low tide down the street from where I live. I'm in Chula Vista near the south end of San Diego Bay. In order for the water to effect the bay where I am, it had to enter the bay's mouth which faces south so it could go north into the bay. Then make a 90 degree turn to go south again. That's pretty much what happened. I'm sure the immediate coast was effected more but it's likely any body of water connected to the ocean could be at risk. Granted the straits entering the sound are quite narrow but the water could rush through them (after it was sucked out) and rush into the sound and Elliot Bay. If this happens at high tide Alaskan way could be flooded. That's assuming the seawall holds up and it's widely believed that it wouldn't.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

It's important to realize tsunamis aren't just waves, but a large, large mass of water looking for a place to go.

Exactly!

Check this out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Hxjy2ARHM

Sorry it's Fox News lol but I found it interesting all the same. Is Cascadia next?

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Exactly!

Check this out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Hxjy2ARHM

Sorry it's Fox News lol but I found it interesting all the same. Is Cascadia next?

1700 was the last major jolt for the Cascadia region, and the fault supposedly moves every 300-600 years. So we're entering the timeline for such an earthquake. Like the Japan quake, I'd expect far more casualties from the tsunami than the quake itself.

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

1700 was the last major jolt for the Cascadia region, and the fault supposedly moves every 300-600 years. So we're entering the timeline for such an earthquake. Like the Japan quake, I'd expect far more casualties from the tsunami than the quake itself.

I've seen this "expert"...he predicts earthquakes based on lunar proximity to earth, and is wrong almost all of the time. Shotgun approach...if you predict a bunch, and one occurs aroiund that time, you are an "expert"...Typical of Fox News, too.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by AlohaHuey

I've seen this "expert"...he predicts earthquakes based on lunar proximity to earth, and is wrong almost all of the time. Shotgun approach...if you predict a bunch, and one occurs aroiund that time, you are an "expert"...Typical of Fox News, too.

As someone else said, even a stopped clock is right once a day lol