Kitsap Peninsula & Earthquakes? (Seattle, Everett: real estate, how much, houses)

[Sm1garvin]

Our family will soon be moving to the Kitsap Peninsula from Colorado Springs. I have been researching like crazy as far as desirable neighborhoods, towns, etc... Recently I heard about the concern over earthquakes. How much of a threat are they? We've had our fair share of wildfires here and we'd like to be in a safe area as we have little ones. Is this just a common issue that is not a severe threat? Thanks in advance for your input....

[Diana Holbrook]

We really won't know how much of a threat it is or when, until it happens. Earthquakes are possible in many many places.

In general, I think wood frame houses set on dirt hardly ever have fatal damage in earthquakes. The ground is flexible and the house is flexible and it shakes and flexes but doesn't break. Look up in your house, that's what might fall on you in an earthquake.

I would worry more to be in the city, where, despite the word of many qualified engineers, there is a lot of concrete and masonry and glass, none of which are particularly flexible.

Damage in recent earthquakes I've been in, have been to the old stone and masonry... stone decorative facades in town... brick chimneys, concrete block structures surrounded by pavement. The old marble and tile work in the capital building... Not wood homes in the country.

[Diana Holbrook]

Story time... from the Nisqually quake... 2001. 6.8 magnitude.

When that quake hit, I was up 100 miles north... Everett area, at a work related event, in a brick building, surrounded by concrete. I was not in real estate then. It was a real weird quake, you could see a wave, or a series of waves, move through the floor, and the false ceiling common in office buildings, started swaying and the ceiling panels fell out, which seemed scary, but wasn't a real threat. It's like getting hit with pieces of styrofoam. But it made an impression... even that far away from the epicenter, which was near Olympia.

I lived in a rented older double-wide in the country... about 5 miles from the epicenter. I had dogs and horses and all the way home, listening to reports on the radio, I worried about my home and what might have happened there. We got stopped a few times on the freeway while engineers checked bridges and overpasses, but I got home safe, as soon a I could.

Walking in the house, all seemed normal, dogs were fine, horses were fine, no sign anything had happened at the house. Except... a tall skinny ceramic cat that had been in my bathroom had fallen over and broken. I could see the pieces, though, and it's rather round head was obviously missing. It was really weird. I looked for it... I really did. Then forgot about it. Didn't find it until I moved, years later, and moved the guest bed, which was down the hall and around a corner from that bathroom. The head had rolled out of the bathroom, down a hall, and around a corner to end up under the bed in a guest room. I think that house must have been rocking and rolling some during the quake! I wished I'd have been there to see it. The dogs never did talk about it.

[Pretzelogik]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ7Qc3bsxjI One hour lecture...but it's a good one.

[prosin]

Been in North Kitsap for 12 years. Felt one earthquake the entire time I've lived here.

But, I'm a CA girl, so there's that....

(In other words, if it happens, it happens; but I'm not going to obsess about it. Seriously, I'm more concerned about lack of traffic infrastructure upgrades while our county is growing so rapidly. Traffic is only going to get worse and I'm concerned we'll have a terrible problem on our hands if road capacity is not increased.)

[jacqueg]

Originally Posted by Sm1garvin

Our family will soon be moving to the Kitsap Peninsula from Colorado Springs. I have been researching like crazy as far as desirable neighborhoods, towns, etc... Recently I heard about the concern over earthquakes. How much of a threat are they? We've had our fair share of wildfires here and we'd like to be in a safe area as we have little ones. Is this just a common issue that is not a severe threat? Thanks in advance for your input....

Anywhere you move to in western WA, CA, or OR is going to be subject to earthquakes, and everyone who lives on the Pacific Coast knows that "The Big One" could happen any day. Or maybe not until 100 years from now.

I don't think that Kitsap is more vulnerable than any other place here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone
Seattle's Faults: Maps That Highlight Our Shaky Ground | KUOW News and Information
http://data.kitsapsun.com/projects/2...seattle-fault/

Major wildfires are a threat every year in Colorado, and they are getting more destructive. Major earthquakes don't happen every year. Last big one in the Seattle area was 2001.

[pnwguy2]

Quakes are somewhat both unpredictable and predictable in Western Washington. There are many faults running through the area that usually release energy from about 6.0-7.0. They tend to occur about 5-6 times per century, the last in February 2001. For the most part, they cause some damage, perhaps a few fatalities, but generally are not severe.

The other type of quake is the subductive quake, that last occurred in 1700, and was estimated at near 9.0 magnitude. This quake, as best estimated, occurs every 300-500 years. So, in other words, could happen tomorrow or well beyond when any of us will be alive. This quake, (nicknamed "the big one") would certainly create havoc along the coast, as it would form off the coast, but the damage inland has been debated. Certainly there would be inland damage, but most experts agree that the real damage would be a tsunami along the WA/OR/BC coast. I wouldn't lose any sleep over this however. California is also overdue for a major San Andreas quake. It should also be noted that most modern buildings are up to earthquake code and should survive. That isn't to minimize major damage to older buildings, including unreinforced homes.

[MarciaMarshaMarcia]

Originally Posted by prosin

Been in North Kitsap for 12 years. Felt one earthquake the entire time I've lived here.

But, I'm a CA girl, so there's that....

(In other words, if it happens, it happens; but I'm not going to obsess about it. Seriously, I'm more concerned about lack of traffic infrastructure upgrades while our county is growing so rapidly. Traffic is only going to get worse and I'm concerned we'll have a terrible problem on our hands if road capacity is not increased.)

I have to agree with Prosin, including the California girl part. I’m on the Olympic Peninsula. Earthquakes were 2nd nature in CA. They just happened, you moved on. Here...haven’t felt one in 7 years...plenty of other things up here requiring more immediate concern.

[rkcarguy]

I like to joke that our faults are "lubricated" by all the rain we have, as we seem to have a lot of smaller quakes that go unnoticed and from what I understand that's a good thing. When things are quiet for a long time, and you know for sure the faults are still moving, that's concern for a potentially bigger quake.

[Sm1garvin]

Thank you, everyone. Now that I have this out of the way, I still go back to my biggest fear and that is the rain. I'm from MI and never thought twice of our gray skies. It is always gray in MI. My husband is from MA where it is also gray much of the time. We've just been spoiled living in CO with the sunshine. I'll have to get use to it just like I grew up with it. I'm hearing the summers are worth it and we tend to be pretty outdoorsy so I don't think a little moisture will get us down. Excited for visiting this summer!