@Rochellesettle Most of Europe is pretty safe, at least until climate change makes us have more extreme storms. In Ukraine our worst natural disasters are thunderstorms and blizzards. They kill a few people per year and cause a few blackouts. Obviously we have other dangers, but they're entirely unnatural.
I took a survey class in college (UW-Seattle, almost 20 years ago) that was just presentations from various departments on campus. One of the speakers was working on a method of corroborating stories of indigenous peoples to 'verified' historical records. She mostly spoke of the Cascadia event and how explorers to the area spoke to tribal elders that said that as children, they witnessed the battle between the Thunderbird and the Great Whale that ravaged their lands and wiped out many of their neighbors. The fact that the Japanese (who kept meticulous records of Tsunamis) had a surprise one that coincided with the timeline of local accounts was really neat. It makes me wonder how many other indigenous stories can be corroborated with written records.
Explorers when? The earthquake occurred in 1700. No one who witnessed the earthquake was still alive in the early 1800s. The europeans who could have spoken with Indians old enough to have witnessed it, were Spanish and French trappers and fur traders who never wrote anything down. The tribal elders who communicated with explorers would have had to be telling stories that their own grandparents or great grandparents told them. As those are the only people that could have been old enough to have witnessed it. The grandparents of the oldest tribal elders that were still alive in the early 1800s.
I used to live in Brookings Oregon. They said we were considered a frontier area, basically less than a rural area. They said it would likely be a minimum of 30 days before they would even think about sending people in to help us. I couldn't even imagine trying to figure out how to survive for 30 days, and I grew up in LA so we do ALL the earthquake preparedness things, but 30 days!? People will die from minor injuries if not treated in 30 days. 🤦♀️ It was wild to think, especially in an area with a ton of retirees!
Oregon!? Ha, right, we're on on own here. If Portland gets hit with the big one there wouldn't be a way out of here. Maybe a route or two, but with all the substandard bridges and infrastructures everywhere ? Good luck. ODOT is announcing that they will be laying off up to 600 workers soon, possibly more. Yeah, this state is not prepared for a catastrophic event. My family has maybe three days worth of "to go" survival items. That's pretty much all I can do due to money limitations. I think it's the same for most people in the state.
Geologists knew long before the 2011 earthquake (by finding sea sand in the strata of Fukushima's local mountains) how high to build the seawall or at least how high to build the backup cooling generators. And they still built them too low in elevation. Knowing and doing something are not the same thing. I live in Oregon and I have zero doubt we will do nothing about the location and build quality of at risk infrastructure. 3 years ago I bought firearms, ceramic water filters, long term calories in mylar bags. Last thing will be a tri fuel generator (gas, propane, natural gas) and a solar setup.
The way things are going, you will need to be prepared far sooner then you should have been. A few immigrants in your country will seem very trivial if and when disaster strikes. You will probably need them immigrants to help rebuild. Perhaps you should have spent your money preparing instead of building and arranging for mega prisons for all those immigrants you need to send somewhere. Perhaps the rich that are getting richer will help and chip in for rebuilding. A sort of trickle down effect. Don't worry! The well funded and well managed FEMA will be there to run the show. They may need to pull some of the national guards from the streets of LA to help. Rest assured that in all of the federal government institutions, only the best of the best problem solvers have been hired to run them.
I’m reminded of when I was reviewing for my civil engineering license back in 1994. At the time we used the Uniform Building Code. There was a graphic showing west coast seismic risk zones along California. And all the lines turned to zero at the Oregon-California border and stayed zero all the way to Canada. So yes, most structures in OR and WA weren’t built to withstand shaking.
That's very interesting because the City of Seattle website tells people that, due to the building code, their homes WERE secured to the foundation if they were built after 1980. www.seattle.gov/emergency-management/prepare/prepare-your-home#retrofittingyourhome What do you think? Did it not actually happen? Or, was this was only code within Seattle city limits?
What I heard in this video is that when this disaster strikes don't count on the government coming to the rescue. Many areas will be inaccessible, so folks in some neighborhoods will have no one but each other to turn to for help.
Also assume that the Cascadia quake will happen while another region of the country is reeling from a different major disaster, whether a wildfire, hurricane, or something like the East Palestine OH chemical spill, which will limit any aid resources available. Furthermore, assume that the national media will move on to the next disaster within a couple of months.
229,769 NON-VOTERS handed Trump the presidency. Every Supreme Court decision and policy fight we’re battling today stems from the moment 229,769 Americans chose to stay home instead of voting in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The responsibility lies with those apathetic non-voters who failed to protect our country. Quit blaming MAGA die-hards who will never budge; aim your energy where it matters - turn those 229,769 stay-at-home neighbors into ballots in the next election.
That is pretty typical for Subduction zones the 2011 Japan quake was 6 minutes as well - the one question is the impact. In Japan the 2011 quake was sourced at the Japan Trench subduction zone which is 90 miles to Sendai - the city that was damaged the most as it is mostly at sea level. Portland is also 90 miles to the Subdiction zone - BUT unlike Japan, the US cities have a mountain range between them and the ocean. Portland, Seattle Vancouver BC all have the Coast Range between them and the ocean - in Seattle this becomes even larger with the large Olympic Mountains, the problem is that it is hard to know how the mountains will impact the force so maybe science will work that out some day but for now I found not much data - maybe that the quake waves will be modified by the mountains so looks like more resrach is needed I guess
I’m a geologist, and I live in the PNW. It’s true, we could have a 9.0 mega thrust quake tomorrow… however it just as easily might not happen for another 100 years, or 300. These things don’t happen at regular, predictable intervals, sometimes there are 150 years between quakes, sometimes it’s 700 years. The AVERAGE interval is 350 years, so by that measure we are “due for the big one” but realistically it COULD be another 2,3,even 400 years. Preparing for something that statistically may very well NOT happen in your lifetime is pretty easy. It’s called basic disaster preparedness, the sort of thing EVERYONE should do. I personally am far more likely to fall victim to flash floods or wildfires than “the big one”.
The individual shouldn’t spend their days over preparing, I agree, but the infrastructure of our region is not prepared. It will be obliterated, no hyperbole. Japan was far and away more prepared than we are and look what happened to them. Basic disaster preparedness is underestimating the destruction that will occur.
@Botheyeswide987 I fully agree the magnitude will be huge. What is poor is saying to people that "this event is due" or "this event is overdue" as the PBS video implies We are only just over half way through the average return period of 580 years. It is just as likely to be 580+200 years as 580=200 years. The probability theory behind these statements is poorly understood.
@tftftf100% agreed. That is why I do not believe that we as individuals should waste our time and energy preparing for it outside of your standard disaster prep. But I strongly believe that government needs to prepare for it NOW because government is slow, corrupt, and inefficient. If they started yesterday, they’d still probably be late, even if the quake doesn’t hit ‘till 2075 lol
@Botheyeswide987Japan gets major earthquakes every couple of decades, they SHOULD be more prepared than the PNW which gets a major earthquake oh every 3 or 4 centuries. How exactly should governments prepare for an earthquake that comes every three or 400 years? I mean, it’s probably a good idea to design seismically hardened infrastructure, then again the building or bridge you build today very well could serve its functional lifetime and become obsolete without ever experiencing an earthquake. Does it make sense to require owners of 100 year-old commercial buildings that are nearing the end of their lifespan, to seismically retrofit their buildings? Probably not. Portland, Oregon for a while was considering spending nearly $1 billion to tunnel an earthquake proof, waterline under the Willamette river. A waterline with an estimated 75 year lifespan that would have sat unused, requiring constant maintenance “just in case”. To their credit they came to their senses. I don’t know, it’s an interesting question. What is the proper level of municipal preparedness for an earthquake that comes along every few hundred years?
As a former Portlander, without having watched the video yet, I suspect this is going to be about how we cleverly built all our oil and gas infrastructure right on top of liquefaction zones. Edit: Called it! Haha cool.
And, unlike the Sendai Airport in Japan, we know and do nothing. They were flying relief flights two days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in and out of Sendai because they had hardened the runways in preparation. It’s not like we don’t know.
@awesomerpowerJapan sees hundreds of earthquakes in a very short time and it's a small country. It's absurd to expect the same level of preparation. But there are millions of houses in Japan that don't even meet basic earthquake standards from 1981.
@mediocreman2 I am familiar with both Japan and the PNW. At every level, Japan has better and more Earthquake resistant buildings. First of all, it's very common for Japanese people to tear down their old homes and build new ones. Within neighbourhoods that aren't new, I see a lot more new homes in Japan compared to the PNW even in rural parts. Second, it's not uncommon for traditional houses to install seismic upgrades. And traditional Japanese houses are already much safer in earthquakes compared to many western house designs. Lastly, there was barely any thought of earthquake preparedness only a handful of decades ago in the PNW. I know lots of people that went to schools made of brick. Meanwhile Japanese culture and tradition has been constantly shaped and informed by the presence of earthquakes. While sure, the earthquake readiness of Japan may not be perfect, I don't think the two regions are even comparable.
I guess the real issue here is that in order to solve this oil storage problem the declining oil industry has to be cajoled into investing into new storage.
Couldn’t agree more… we have all the money in the world to bail out corporations and the rich, but none of our tax money seems to trickle down to the middle class and infrastructure.
It was very funny and sad to me when she said "There is still time to prepare, we could improve our infrastructure" and my mind just went, lmao. lol, lmao.
You nailed it. And Trump too busy fighting imaginary wars to be thinking about saving A PART OF THE USA. LOL INCOMPETENT PEOPEL FOUNDED AMERICA AND INCOMPETENT PEOPLE STILL RUN IT. and every American just accepts this fact and allows it to happen, stop electing bigots to office and you might get good results
Not Pacific Northwest but Japan here. Knowing you neighbors is important indeed. Rescue might not be coming for a while. We have ready bags, my daughter has drills in school, we have community gathering with firefighters from time to time. If there is something sure, for the past 30 years devastating earthquakes we had, they happened mostly where it was the least expected.
Ive watch an incredible documentary about how Japan is prepared for almost any potential disaster. Japan is located in a place on earth where it's exposed to every potential catastrophy. I was impress about how your Governement is actualy investing in the safety of the Japanese citizen. Meanwhile, The U.S citizen strongly believe in a false god and governed by the orange clown that dont give a single f*ck about the U.S citizen.
@santaclaws50I wouldn’t say uneducated. Japan has frequent earthquakes and kinda constantly in our minds. Still, many people lose their life when a big one happens. No fear mongering but just be aware and be ready.
Given how long we have known about this, it is truly disheartening to see how little has been done to prepare for this. For one, those tanks should have been moved ages ago--we should be electrifying more so we don't need those tanks!
Japan has a huge advantage in having a homogeneous population of intelligent people with a stable culture that emphasizes community, self sacrifice and personal responsibility. America does not.
As an elderly person I realize that personal preparedness only goes so far. If help does not arrive within a week or maybe 2, the death toll is increased exponentially.
That's true. There's a statistic that all major cities in America have only enough food on hand in stores to feed the population for 3 days, with extreme rationing. Yet we've seen how people make frantic runs and even riots for non-necessities, like toilet paper. This is why families should have enough food and water to last 2 weeks, and a way to filter water.
That's why it is important for people to have food storage and a generator and ability to be without food, water, power for a few weeks. In Seattle area we have had a few good strong storms and snow storms in the lat 7 years that we lost power for like 4 times each over 3 days one was earlier this year the Seattle area Bomb cyclone we had lost power for 4 days this year. I was prepared, generator let me run the furnace and the fridge off and on but I also have freeze dried canned food but that's not needed for 4 days event lol. All the roads here were blocked by fallen trees too so good to have medical kit as no medical help could get through. In case of a big quake the trees will block most roads for a very long time like 2 months I think. My next task is to buy a big boy gas chain saw I only have small battery ones but I would need some training ugh
@DrScopey2yes, having tools that use non electric sources of power is important. And having a way to heat food and water safely. There are small one burner propane camping stoves. I got one for our independently living son who is autistic. And a bucket of 1 week food supply. He could walk to us after the storm. We get snow and ice storms here in the Appalachians. We also get floods and storms from hurricanes getting trapped in the mountains. I always have at least 2 weeks of food and coffee on hand. But we are an elderly couple now. My husband is on oxygen. We know that in a severe event our time is limited and we cannot get out unless someone comes. More snd more people are in this situation.
@DrScopey2oh. I meant to mention that I wonder if you have read the series Cascadia Fallen. It’s a bit over dramatic and dystopian, but there are some good ideas in it for what things might be like. We live on the other coast, but just a few years ago we had a 5.7 mag quake. And we are in the range of both Charleston and New Madrid, both overdue. Our biggest threat is hurricanes.
@DrScopey2 so what that is saying, basically, is those with money (generators, stored food, chain saws, places to store food) can survive and everyone else can just suffer. Hmm. Another thing to ponder… you have all of those things prepared for disaster on your little footprint on earth and an earthquake or tsunami sweeps it all away…ooops.
I live in Portland, and I live in fear about this stuff to a certain extent. Especially because I’m physically disabled. Ty for the story, and thinking of us up here in beautiful Cascadia
Don't live in fear about it. If you look at the video and the numbers they said, it's also likely that this won't happen (earthquakes will happen, but they're taking about the worst possible outcome.) I've lived though 2 major earthquakes. Have a solid disaster kit.
All that stuff the vid says about neighbours helping each other ... as a disabled person, expect that to pan out about how it did for people wearing face masks to avoid infecting and killing vulnerable people during the pandemic. Speaking as another disabled person, although thankfully living with family that I know do value my life, I would encourage you to think about moving somewhere that you don't have to worry about earthquake, tsunami, wildfire, and toxic gas spills. Your life is precious, even if the people around you don't see it that way. You are worth saving.
Some strange near-hostility happening here. I’m a paralyzed double amputee who can’t transfer and requires a power chair. As far as the 1st commenter: I don’t live in terror every day, but it’s certainly on my radar. 2nd person: why do you assume everyone owns a house or can afford to just pick up and move?
I got another 20 years maybe left on this planet and what it was like through the 60's, 70's and 80's is nothing like what it is today. I mean there's no intimate relationship with your neighbors for the most part, some are very isolated, some even hostile and I got one neighbor who's stolen from me. Back in the day we'd have community parties, baseball games, birthday parties in the park with neighbors enjoying in the festivities, good luck relying on others for your survival.
Most people hire out for all their home maintenance & never get their hands dirty; this earthquake will be a great equalizer. The average homeowner can't even shut off their gas line.
@misterfunnybones Think of all the goods and services you are using that you have no skills for. There are far more useful skills than just being able to do maintenance. Your thinking is very narrow.
My family and I lived in CA and went through numerous earthquakes, including the Loma Prieta and Northridge Earthquakes. The first impression I had when we moved to the Portland metro area were the number of bridges that looked like they’ve never gone through any retrofitting. I told my husband that I would hate to be caught downtown when the big one hits the PNW. We just have to remember that no matter how much we prepare for emergencies, it will not be enough. Be prepared but not overwhelmed, there are so many things falling apart in our country now and we have to grab moments of joy on this journey we call life. Be kind. Help others. And when your time is up, it’s up🤷🏻♀️
I grew up and worked on the Washington coast. One of my final projects was helping install tsunami warning sirens in the town where I worked and lived. I retired and moved away from the beautiful coast and now just worry about wildland wildfires.
I grew up in Everett wa and this has always been a concern. Crazy to think all the million bridges would be compromised and people wouldn't be able to leave
I live East of Everett by quite a ways. We would rather keep the voters bottled up in the Seattle/Everett/Olympia/Tacoma area. Let them stay in the “paradise” they created
They won't all collapse. Most bridges on interstate highways and many on major state highways have been seismically retrofitted to survive a cascadia earthquake.
Not only the CSZ, but the shallow crustal faults in the Puget Sound are also a major risk for that region. A 7.0 on the Seattle Fault would produce more shaking in the Puget Sound than a 9.0 on the CSZ. Given that both faults are potentially due for a large rupture, this dramatically increases the risk for the region
@skeeter1958yes, but there's some important nuance that the magnitude number doesn't address The Nisqually quake was an intraslab earthquake, basically the bending subducting Pacific plate cracked, and that was like 10 miles deep The Seattle Fault is extremely shallow, like 1-2 miles, so even a smaller earthquake on that fault would produce significantly more shaking because of the difference in depth
I'm from WA. We learned about how serious the "big one" will be in the 90s at school. They have known how serious the situation is for decades and have refused to add any preparatory infrastructure. Seattle is going to sink. I'm surprised some buildings haven't. The state has left the responsibility to maintain the old Seattle underground to the building owners- who have continously ignored it. It is already unstable without an earthquake in the mix. But, honestly, it feels like an illustration of the US in a nutshell
They were telling us in the 1960s in my elementary school that we were waiting for a big one on the west coast. They told us then it would likely happen within the next 20 years. They were probably referring to the San Andreas potential but it's interesting to me "the big one" label gets hung on different areas over time.
I live on the east side of Washington State. We would probably feel shaking here but that’s about it. I do have some fear for family on the west side. Mt Rainier, Saint Helens and Mt Adam are a concern for the whole state if they were to erupt.
Why, my daughters live in Renton, near lake Washington. They are flight attendants. Hopefully they will be out of town 😢. I heard west of the interstate 5 is safer than east. @bobsacamano7653
I live in Japan. I’ve seen the Fukushima disaster. I live south of the zone and I felt the aftershocks hundreds of miles south. So, Northwest US, good luck.😢
Here's hoping people take earthquake and emergency prep seriously. The devastation will be enormously widespread, and FEMA won't be around to help. Even when it was at full capacity to help, it never would have been nearly enough. Those who prepare will be the ones surviving.
I have researched quite deeply on this and cannot find any meaningful preparations about food supplies, because our main source of food supplies currently, is the 5 Freeway.
There are multiple ways of researching food supplies, most cites covering emergency preparedness have ample information as to what and how to go about it.
there's a video that OPB put out a number of years ago, "Unprepared." One of the best hours of video you can watch (it's on RUclips). Best to think in terms of three months of food rather than 3 days; water purification supplies; and possibly a lithium battery power station and some good solar panels. The state of Oregon has been beefing up US 97 through Oregon as the "replacement" highway for north-south freight traffic when I-5 fails (still a lot of bridges built with pre-stressed concrete girders that will fail). It's likely that every highway from the valley to Central Oregon will have at least one bridge that fails. And, as always, the nation's news focus will be on Seattle, because how interesting is a bridge you can't see at the bottom of the river, compared to the Space Needle lying on its side? Our only hope is that the fires in the West Hills of Portland get some attention, along with all the pollution floating downriver to the ocean from the oil and chemical spills.
There are preparedness website that are excellent. I got tired of rotating my canned goods every couple of years so I got preparedness food from Costco that will last me until I’m 85. Costco is great for preparedness food and fifty gallon water storage. Amazon has water filtration. Lifestraw is good company.
I hate all the solutions required are ifs and companies to actually wanna fix it. We saw during the bp oil spill how companies don't care and won't invest in maintenance. Sadly a lot of people are going to suffer cus of corporate greed. Plus all this deregulation surely will help this situation.
@darlingcorinne the Portland City Council passed an ordinance about a decade ago, outlawing new energy (fuel) infrastructure in Portland because of global warming. So, unless some radically different people get elected, a new law is not going to happen.
Watching from Alaska. To date, Alaska is home to the second largest quake in modern history (9.2). In 2018, a 7.1 quake hit 30 miles from our house. That was scary! I grew up in earthquake country as well....Southern California.
I was 13 years old just north of Anchorage for the Good Friday, March 27, 1964, shaker. It shook for a long time. Mountain tops looked like waves ...Drivers on the road thought maybe Russia had attacked with bombs as their cars bounced. The Wikipedia says "...magnitude 9.2-9.3 megathrust earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America, and the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900."
The earthquake alert text going out 30 minutes and 2 hours after the 4.2 we had recently was absolutely wild. Does it really take 30-120minutes to decide if the thing making all the windows shudder at the same time is an earthquake?? If there's a tsunami, we're all going to be notified underwater 🙃
Right!? Priorities are way off on both sides of the boarder. What a day it will be when millions of us die and suffer, but we can host The World Cup. I hope I am not jinxing us by saying this, but wouldn't it be ironic for Cascadia to slip during The World Cup events?
We have learned that ostriches don’t actually hide their heads in the sand. We’ve always known that people do. Remember those videos of people walking along the beach after the sea receded during the Boxing Dat tsunami? No opportunity for them to learn from their mistakes.
You have experience with a big move at least. You're more equipped to move again. It's not a totally crazy thing to change your mind when learning new important info like this.
When I was in school back in the 1900s, we were taught this earthquake happens every 1000 years and that it would happen within the next 100 years. Some time ago, they updated it to be within the next 50 years.
New info narrowed the expected date. Ignore it to your peril. I certainly hope the quake does little damage, but if I lived near a fuel depot, I would seriously consider moving.
This is not fearmongering , it’s just how the earth works. Just be prepared as much as you can. That’s all. I experienced a serious wildfire last week in Greece. 7.4 earthquake in Taiwan. Tsunami alert in Kodiak Island. I live in AK where the earthquakes happen pretty often. So no need to fear. Understand them and be prepared. You can see all of that in my shorts by the way. I really appreciate PBS!
utkank65 - It is fearmongering. Just like the climate change bullshit. Yes there’s earthquakes, but supporting the idea that we are overdue or due for another equates to absolutely nothing.
@utkank65 This. No amount of government support or oversight, or lack of chicanery via greed will do anything much to help anything at all if people are operating chaotically in panic and fear. It's not to say they shouldn't be concerned at all where they might be affected; but they should at least try to keep a level head about things. All of the other stuff, the infrastructure, the support, the relief, the oversight; it all helps mostly when people aren't being more of a problem in fear and panic. There are even some pretty good examples of this, though I may have the wrong name of the Hurrican in question incorrect; I think it was Katrina. Basically a case study of what is being said here and now.
My partner and I are in the Puget Sound region and recently signed up for our city’s community emergency response training- hope we never have to use it, and praying we can gather the political will to mobilize for infrastructure and systems improvement before this happens!!
We had our house in Portland, Oregon seismically retrofitted after learning about the Great Cascadia quake. This could give us a fighting chance of surviving the initial shocks and evacuating the region.
We live in Milwaukie and are seriously considering doing the same for our home. Would you recommend the company you worked with? And how costly were your upgrades?
And when your neighbors and marauders see you are doing well, what do you think is going to happen? Better have a safe basement environment to hide in.
I was so grieved when I read about this years ago in the Atlantic Monthly. I have a lot of families in the Seattle area that are very dear to my heart. I hope it’s not as bad as expected. It would be so devastating and heartbreaking.
I lived in Portland from 2005>2011. I returned to Los Angeles after 5 years for a few reasons. One of them was this impending quake, which virtually No ONE talked about, or was aware of. Then it hits, the Pac NW will be isolated for weeks, at least half the buildings and bridges will collapse. It'll be horrible.
Considering the poor quality of construction and materials in US infrastructure and housing I think you're being very optimistic with your predictions.
@DeclanClark-m1j Well between Tacoma and the subduction zone you have the Olympic Mountains while in Japan there was nothing, the big cities like Sendai that were wrecked badly are right smack on the water front with no natural barriers. So no Tsunami in Tacoma that's for sure maybe the water in the Sound will rise and flood low areas but nothing too crazy. The real question is if the Olympics will make the quake less felt in Tacoma or actually worse I found arguments for both options so I guess more work is needed on that by Scientists lol But overall it is for sure better to have mountains guarding Tacoma then not having anything like in Sendai Japan.
I can. The return period for the Cascadia huge earthquakes is 580 years on average as measured over the last 10,000 years so as the last one was 325 years ago the chances of another arent that high right now. You are more likely to die in a traffic accident.
12:00 is a refreshing change. You can't avoid all these risks, but you can build a strong community to withstand and recover from them. Look for the helpers.
Have you ever heard the native legend of Thunderbird and Whale? The gist is: don't build your settlement too close to the shore. If Thunderbird and Whale fight, it could be wiped out. Thunderbird is the earthquake, and Whale is the tsunami.
@kirklanyoshinaga8953 legends, landmarks and lore has a great short explaing it.. I added the link in another comment in case yt removes it just search whale and Thunderbird
We have been trying to move off the west side for three stinking years 😞 The luck we’ve had, the i5 corridor won’t let us go! 🤦🏻♀️😭 Congratulations on your move, fingers crossed we are but weeks away, hopefully. 🤞
USCG did a table top simulation of this several yrs ago. Damage to everything west of I5 is likely to be so severe that rescue resources plan to prioritize what remains to the east.
In an hour drive north-south, there are so many bridges over roadways and waterways, it seems the only reasonable direction to go is east up whatever hill you live near. But I would have to cross 101 where I live. If the overpass holds, I might be ok. time of day and time of year will have a huge effect, too.
I am low income can’t acquire emergency supplies all in one go. It is a slow process to accumulate supplies. Even with OPB running stories about this a few years ago, many people still haven’t gotten prepared.
What I think is really neat is how the geologic record shows that since the southern end of Cascadia meets the northern end of San Andreas, every time the whole length of Cascadia has let go it's caused major quakes along San Andreas. But don't worry, only Geology lecturers ever talk about it.
I mean...isn't SanFran our most earthquake-resistantly built city? Don't get me wrong, I literally am avoiding any travel to Cascadia to not get swept up in the megaquake, but other than maybe some less extreme parts of the tsunami, the Bay Area should probably escape any damage. I'm picturing something like NYC's Hurricane Sandy, as compared to Portland and SeaTac's Double Katrina with Sauce
@Copyright_Infringement Chances are the whole thing won't let go, so the Bay Area could just have to deal with a tsunami but the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the San Andreas Fault and the Mendocino Transform all meet at the Mendocino Triple Junction, where the North American, Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates all meet, all moving in different directions relative to each other. If that point becomes destabilized (and Cascadia is the likely candidate), everything moves. So it's possible for everyone from Vancouver to Cabo San Lucas to have a seismically really bad day. I'm not saying that will happen any time soon, but the geologic record shows us it has happened more than once already.
@Copyright_Infringement yes the Bay Area hopefully avoids damage, only SF and the coast is exposed, and we're far south of Seattle, should be able to absorb a smaller earthquake
@danielzhang1916San Francisco has little exposure to tsunami from Cascadia. It’s far to the the east of the epicenter as well as being far south, and the Golden Gate is so narrow not much of a tsunami can enter. The coast starting a hundred miles or so north of San Francisco is gonna get slammed. The big tsunami threat to San Francisco down to San Diego that we know of is a potential flank collapse of one of the Hawaiian volcanoes. That would send an immense wall of water toward the West Coast.
If you want a nightmare scenario - look at the location of the Burnaby Mountain Tank Farm. The terminus of the Trans Mountain Pipeline - up on a freaking mountain - above Burnaby Lake and the City of Burnaby. (Part of Greater Vancouver).
I forget about that one, and every time I'm reminded of it, I question how tf I could forget about it... (willful blocking, I see it on my bus route 🫠)
Richmond's international airport built on a river delta just a couple feet over sea level, up against said ocean, is in trouble. That's leaves Abbotsford airport as the closest airport to receive aid flights - and that's only if the bridges over the Fraser are still intact.
When you consider the earthquake and secondary effects like the tsunami and fires and building collapse and deaths from untreated injuries and so on the estimated death toll in the tens of thousands seems, sadly, ridiculously lowballed
Community is King in a Crisis!! Lived through many hurricanes and sharing supplies with neighbors was always easy because they were already sharing with you... Lived under Marshal Law without electricity for 3 weeks for one of them and everyone was wonderful, loving and caring... that's what got us all through!!
You are so right! All these doomscrollers calling each other fool and trying to out-cynic and smug-blame the other one...but when the SHTF the neighbors you never really noticed or thought about turn out to be the most helpful people, and you might even catch a little of that "love your neighbor as yourself" (and vice-versa). Thing is, just like the current socio-political situation, this Cascadia event is going to be of such a scale and last so long, that the whole fabric of how to live and what works for the individuals and the government, the 'hood, the society is going to have to evolve into something we haven't really known before. Classes I've attended, study I've done, tells me here in Rogue Valley we''re likely to be on our own for 3-5 months before serious aid of scale from outside can come in. FEMA plans (if FEMA even survives Trump & Noem) call for Bend to be the staging area for relief; all infrastructure (roads, bridges, dams, fuel and power grids, hospitals, grocery and other stores) west of the Cascades is likely to suffer catastrophic damage in the projected 8.5 - 9+ Richter scale shown in the geologic records. Depending on where it occurs, the 100 foot tsunami (yes, that is a realistic possibility) could devastate the coast anywhere from the Cal-Or border to Puget Sound, back water up the Columbia River, not to mention bounce back and forth in the Pacific basin a few times. Alaska, NE Russia, Korea & Japan share the fun. So a couple long seasons of no cars; no groceries; no Amazon; no city sewer & water; no electricity; no internet/media; no fire fighting in the forests or the towns; animals domestic and wild running loose; and freaked, injured, sick and traumatized people doing their best, and their worst. All we're really gonna have is each other.
@feedigli Thanks! Just to assure you I did see several "Domesday Prepper" episodes years ago where people in the Oregon area were stocking supplies, specifically to share with their neighbors in case of a crisis. Hopefully we never will see it happen.
The difference is frequency. Hurricanes happen often enough people have supplies. There is a pretty good idea what the damage will be, what they will need, how bad it will be etc. That is very much not the case with this. People aren't prepared, they don't know what they will need or how long they will need provisions for, they don't know if they will have water, if they will have a home, our infrastructure is shoddy at best and the damage is likely to be significant enough that there will be issues accessing resources. Remember COVID? How people were with toilet paper? *That's* what people do when they fear resources wont be available. Hurricanes are considered "weather events" by many people who live in hurricane prone areas, but they sure were fighting over toilet paper. Its a very different beast.
@Catillia85 I understand about the toilet paper and what I heard, but in my experience strangers were helpful to me more than not during that time. I can't help myself to believe in the goodwill of people. I never see it in the news, but I have seen it in real life. I don't mean to be contrary, but I'd like to persuade you to give people the opportunity to prove themselves by extending your own helpful hand as a first step in proving the odds wrong. Thanks for responding to my comment, you did make good points, but I want to believe we can change it!!
I live in Oregon just barely east of the mountains. I am most concerned with water availability. I am in the process of setting up a rain catchment system to begin a permaculture process on 10 acres. Thank you for your programs on this, Maya.
If you're just outside the disaster zone, then you're in the refugee zone. You'll need a big vegetable garden and enough freeze-dried food vacuum-stored in your basement to feed hundreds of people. Also look at your sanitation, because those people are going to need toilets and access to showers and laundry facilities. It won't really be a lot of refugees, because most people in the disaster zone are going to die. But for everyone who does manage to crawl out, you need to be ready to help them. How long it takes for government and NGOs to move people further away so you're not left trying to support hundreds of people long-term really depends on the government of the day.
Having rain catchment is important. Salem will only allow a limited amount which I think should change. In fact I believe everyone in Oregon that owns property should have a rain catchment system in place.
@feedigliTry being in a disaster zone sometime. The relief workers are the neighbors in the red hats, while the looters are the ones claiming that voting for anyone other than a Democrat should be a capital offense.
I live in the Willamette valley, every time the neighbor kid comes down the street, the bass in his car is so loud it shake my hose, I feel it! I think it must be the start of the big one! We've had a few small tremors here but what I really worry about are all the dams breaking! When I worked in the fire service we had a contingency plan for such an event...they said the valley would be about 60 feet deep in places! I'm keeping my boat unstrapped just in case!
I live north of Seattle about 15 miles from the Salish Sea, and I bought an old trailer to keep in the backyard. It holds 40 gallons of water and 40 pounds of propane and has 380 watts of solar. We are told to prepare for a month without any help, so it will depend on which month the earthquake hits in. Summer preferably since I tend to drain the water tanks when the forecast is for freezing weather, however I have started spending winter in warmer areas, so I would watch on the news if it happens in winter. There are so many bridges in this area that nobody knows or thinks about if they aren’t working in the streets or highway departments, and I expect many of them to be damaged, or closed at least until inspection. My main concern after getting out of the house would be if I had enough food to last a month and potentially to share. I normally would supplement water with rain water that I filtered, but our summer is very dry, and this spring was incredibly dry, so water could be an issue both for drinking, and also for putting out fires that the earthquake might start
Politicians are not going to do anything about it because it cost real money to do something about the safety of millions. That's $$$$ that can go in there own pockets instead.
I'm not in the pacific northwest, but I always travel with a kit. I'm a travel nurse and figure I could be in any situation that requires me to be able to live out of my vehicle or to provide first aid. I always have something on hand. Heck, I was in St. Louis during this last snow fall and my little military shovel allowed me to get out of my parking space to get to work.
@WhiteleafYeosu One part is purchased. I got it off of amazon. Has 3 days of food and water, ability to start a fire, small first aid kit, and other survival equipment in it. The rest is an augmented first aid kit, I have my stethoscope, bp cuff, and a finger o2sat. Then I have a small shovel, knife, and hatchet. Two wool blankets and emergency triangles, and a window hammer/seatbelt cutter. I also have a couple of SAM splints, hand crank weather radio, and flashlights.
I live near Seattle. This quake could also trigger an eruption of Mt. Rainier, which is a much larger volcano than Mt. St. Helens, which erupted in 1980 causing massive devastation in the area and beyond. The native Americans in the area have a saying, "Little Sister whispers, Big Brother roars." Mt St. Helens is "Little Sister". Guess who "Big Brother" is...
It probably wouldn't cause an eruption, at least not immediately, but could definitely shake loose some of the rotten rock (it's a volcanic thing) and ice and cause a fast-moving lahar. Orting, the Port of Tacoma, and other communities are built on old lahars.
Everyone loves PBS/NPR, as long as they’re not obviously biased. No one could beat Nina Totenberg’s analysis of legal issues of the day, she was brilliant. And you could not detect her personal political affiliation. I used to love listening to PBS/NPR, but when I see that I’m not getting objective information, I’m not willing for self-indulgent journalism to be paid for with tax dollars. Public funding comes with a responsibility to serve everyone, not just your own “club.” Unfortunately, it seems the left has lost the capacity to be objective. Hence, I support defunding despite countless hours of watching and listening over many years.
@caity2460 Bias is bias. Taxpayers deserve objectivity. Bias leads inevitably to biased selection of “facts.” When you see it you can’t unsee it. When people are so convinced they’re correct, they don’t give contradictory facts the time of day.
@user-ht6bt4mt7true. It’s unfortunate that it’s come to defunding instead of reforming. Edit: when I research a topic or event I read all news outlets versions to get the big picture, so that must be why the choices of one media outlet doesn’t bother me.
@user-ht6bt4mt7 It is not the fault of public broadcasting that the facts lean left. There is SO MUCH misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and out-and-out LIES coming from the executive branch and all the way down to podcasters running block for those lies, it is staggering. Facts are facts. Facts aren't biased. Science should be followed. Not just doing whatever the corporate sugar daddies tell you to do.
Wa resident here; I can't imagine preparing for this, the worst natural disaster. Prepping to live off the land for 3-6 months in the event that you don't die or so severely injured that you need emergency help is all one can do. I have some food stores, rocket stove and water purifier but I don't imagine that will keep me alive in this event.
There is a Community Emergency Response team training that prepares people for it. I did it a month ago. I recommend it 100%. Look for CERT in your county
You're one of the few people who has an accurate understanding of the situation. It's a huge ask for everyone to prepare individually for an event of this magnitude. Some people just cant and...like this is what institutions are supposed to be for. And they are failing us. At least someone is aware... I decided to leave PNW basically for this reason.
the worst part is that we COULD have the infrastructure to survive and even thrive through this, but because of corporate greed and the hoarded wealth of the 1% here we are- they can flee in their private jets to their secure bunkers somewhere far away while the commonfolk bear the consequences of their actions
It is entirely likely that the runways will be destroyed and the jets will not be going anywhere. Look at the pictures from the Alaska quake from the 1960s.
It takes cooperation to accomplish large tasks. This "every man for himself" attitude is dooming us. I used to think the same way as you. I grew up though. Maybe you should try it.
I live up in northern Idaho. While not in the immediate danger zone, we're the refugee zone. We're _hoping_ that when we can finally have a house built, part of the shop (ICF build) will have extra hookups for commercial kitchen equipment and laundry. We'd like to add a few RV pads to rent over the summer for side income and add solar electric and hot water systems. We want the property to be ready if Cascadia rips. Property features that will help the property generate an income will be able to be put into action helping provide food, shelter, and basic sanitation when the fault lets go and our neighbors to the west need our help.
You'll want a really big vegetable garden, and a basement full of freeze dried and vacuum stored food ready to feed the five thousand. People eat more when they're shocked and scared. Also a really good toilet system and water supply, if you're not on town services. Thank you for being a good neighbour.
@johntitorii6676 oh yeah. but we won't experience anywhere near the level of devastation that the coast will. Natural disaster resistance is part of our planned build. We're looking at ICF (insulated concrete form) with appropriate levels of reinforcement. We want a "green" house, but ICF will give us something that can resist both earthquakes, and more importantly, wild fire.
@tealkerberus748 lol, our plans are well above what we can afford, but one of the things we want is a geothermal greenhouse. There's a gent out of Oklahoma or Nebraska that has pioneered a design where he's harvesting oranges in January. Also planned is a substantial root cellar. I don't know yet if we can do it, but we're looking at a large septic system for the house and shop. The shop will have living quarters in it as well. The RV hookups will be on their own septic if we're allowed to install two systems.
Only trouble with your plan is your desire for 'generating an income' rather than 'providing charity'. These people will have lost everything; they will have nothing to give you besides desperation, except perhaps gratitude from those who are polite.
I could very easily see this as a semi large earthquake becoming one of the largest humanitarian cirisises in US History, similar to hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina for example wasnt a particularly large Hurricane, but because of the lack of strong infustructure, preparations, and extremely slow aid roll out it became the worst natural disaster in American history.
If you have enough cash, you could purchase two or three months' worth of medications and rotate in the oldest when the newest arrives on your regular insurance prescriptions. No, insurance won't buy you the extra supply, but it's called "self-insurance." Kind of like having three months of emergency food supplies and rotating the oldest into use and the newest in the back.
Doesn't it feel like the more time passes, the more people seem to show how little they value the lives of people with disabilities? You don't deserve that and there are people who care, though sadly they aren't the ones with all the power...
You may consider Chile as well. We get an 8.5+ earthquake every 25 years and 6.0+ every couple of months. So most of our buildings are constantly being tested. The 2010 8.8 earthquake only had 500 victims.
In Columbus, Ohio, natives told European Americans not to build near one of the rivers due to intense flooding events, but they were ignored. Instead of not doing anything, however, they tore down the building closest to the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers and built flood walls. A lot of people still deal with flooded basements in certain low points in the city. At least they did something though after to fix it.
The natives of the Valley of Mexico had a system that kept fresh and salt water in Lake Texcoco separate, in addition to preventing flooding. The Spanish ignored them, and now the city floods every year. We shouldn't ignore the advice of people who have lived there for THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
I live in Canada's Pacific _Southwest,_ just across the border from America's Pacific Northwest. I live in the middle floor of a 55-year-old wood-and-concrete low-rise apartment building, built before we even knew about the Cascadia fault. If I'm at home when the fault lets go, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up pancaked into the underground parking level.
Are we neighbours? Same here. I know I need to have a 72 hour go-bag, but I'm not even sure I'll make it out of my building alive. At the very least, apartment buildings like ours should be made to provide secure storage outside of the building where residents can keep emergency supplies. No one in BC ever really talks about the impacts after the Big One hits. Real planning and preparation would cost too much money and too many lost votes. They're more interested in developing gas pipelines and LNG ports.
Canada is supposed to value its citizens' lives better than that. It should be illegal to rent out accommodation that hasn't been retrofitted and passed inspection as being safe in the event of the worst case earthquake. If they can't retrofit, they need to demolish and rebuild. Building for earthquakes is just a matter of the right engineering and good workers who follow the plans.
@progenitrixMight want to plan for NOT being at home when a big one hits, too. If your bldg truly will be matchsticks, your prepped stuff will be useless.
@progenitrix I live by Arcata Bay and have a storage unit in Chico. The rent for my 10x10 just went from 70 to 110 dollars. Who could afford them when like every other industry, corporations buy out the mom 'n' pops? Most of them, rightly so, don't allow storage of food and water, because rodents WILL infest the place.
Years ago I read an article about this that was published in 2011, the main purpose was to get funding for an earthquake warning system, having evacuation route put into place and to change policy to mandate new buildings be built to earthquake standards. But I don't think anything actually came of it, interesting to see this subject coming up again.
Hi, thank you for your great show! I live in Portland, Or. We checked our gas line to be sure there’s a manual shut off, we strapped our basement to the foundation and put 8 inch screws through beams-and joists. And hoard water. The goals are to safely get out of the house before it collapses and prevent a gas leak fire.
It is insane how uncommon seismic gas shutoffs are around here. It literally prevents your house from exploding in an earthquake but almost nobody has them.
@aldermediaproductions695 Exactly! I've often thought the same thing. The shutoffs need to be automatic. California is able to do this, but Oregon isn't interested in this at all. The cost is pretty prohibitive for the average homeowner and my local gas company (NW Natural) refused to help me find an installer. Basically I got the feeling NW Natural doesn't want to help people prepare for earthquakes at all.
I live on Whidbey Island off the coast of WA. This terrifies me. I have all sorts of food, water, & emergency supplies for my family and pets. And go bags. But none of that will matter if there will be raging fires and toxic gas, not to mention that we would quickly run out of water (assuming no our water supplies survived the quake) . Plus we’d be trapped on an island (thinking about the Maui fires here), with no rescue and possibly no aid drops for what could be months. It’s given me pretty extreme anxiety for almost two years now. I’ve extensively researched other states, but (for all the reasons she mentioned) nowhere else is without issue. Do I purposely move somewhere that’s already experiencing issues (though not nearly as bad as what it’d be like if the Cascadia went), or roll the dice and stay where I am and just hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime???? I feel like it’s consumed my life. BTW, for anyone not from here, there are also 5 active volcanos in WA alone, one of which (Mt. Ranier) I heard a volcanologist say keeps them up at night. Fun times. The PNW is so incredibly beautiful. And terrifying.
I just looked - the highest point on Whidbey Island is 484 feet, so there's a chance of survival of a tsunami if you get to higher ground. But, I'd want a home at least 150 feet above sea level where I could store all my supplies. If it has a lot of trees, owning a chain saw would be a big bonus, so that you could cut timber for a place to land a rescue helicopter.
To those of you saying that folks in the area of the disaster will be on their own you’re absolutely right. As someone who lives 2 hours east of where Hurricane Helene devastated the mountains of North Carolina, I saw this play out through folks I knew who lived there. There were no ways in or out for days except by helicopter. That area is roughly the size of Belgium and less populated because of the terrain. A lot of those folks also have lived in the mountains for generations and know how to “rough it.” FEMA is notoriously under equipped for large scale disasters like this - in the early hours and days afterwards. This area of the PNW is far more populated and larger than the area that was affected by Helene. And many folks in cities don’t have the knowledge or resources to survive and “rough it out.” The consequences of an earthquake like this would be absolutely catastrophic. Everyone needs a “go bag”, a paper map, and food and water to survive 72 hours. They also need to make sure they know community members around them to come together and help each other survive.
No one thinks of the overlay of disasters happening at the same time. I.E 5 to 6 minutes into the earthquake the tsunami is already coming which leave less time to get to safety. Coupled with power outages and fires and broken roads and buildings leave very little openings to get to safety fast. Those that are trapped or pinned, their survival drops because not many emergency services can get to them in time. So be prepared have a go bag, have evacuation points to meet at if traveling with family or friends and be sure to pay attention to your surroundings. Help don't hinder.
The 22 years I lived in PDX, I was concerned, very concerned about this. I planned to escape by bicycle, ride east till I'd reach a railroad station and wait for a train. My final action was to move to south west Michigan. The worries there are some hot days, powerful thunderst orms, tornadoes - which damage an area tiny when compared to an earthquake.
I live 150 miles east of Portland, Oregon (in the hills above the Columbia River). My water comes from a well that requires electricity. When I became aware that the Cascadia earthquake could happen any time, and that the grid would be down for a while, I bought two huge metal stock tanks, keeping them full to the brim with water. This emergency water supply would not be enough for 6 to 12 months, but perhaps for a month? Or more? Wiggle room.
In the greater Vancouver area, none of the bridges are expected to withstand the event. That will strand millions of people from land route emergency response.
There's a 100 per cent chance of it happening. It's just whether it's in the next 50 years or the next 150 years. Has been happening regularly for at least 18,000 years - they can tell this from the bands of sand in coastal soils.
@I_author_articles Or you could take the time to investigate why that expert said that. Japan has been recording tsunami events since 684 AD. In comparison the earliest mention of a recorded American event mentioned in this episode was 300 years ago. The time difference between those two recorded events is 1341 years. So yeah, Japan has been paying attention for more than 1000 years longer than the USA.
I live in Portland and work at a structural and civil engineering firm and now have a level of fear based on what I've learned in my day to day. I am on the business /financial side of the business but work hand in hand with engineers and learn stuff I wouldn't have. Portland's down town is built with buildings with no structural steel. URM buildings that are essentially huge bricks build the structure and with a strong shake, that whole thing comes down and crushes everything in or near it. Retrofitting these buildings is very slowly happening but it is astoundingly expensive and up to the building owner to pay. If the owner wants to do any upgrades to the building, if they spend over a certain amount per sq foot, they are required to hire a structural engineer to perform an ASCE earth quake report but might not be required to make any upgrades to help the building kill less if it gets shaken. We don't build most buildings to survive a big quake, other than emergency services like hospitals and fire stations. Those we want to still operate after the quake. Most we just don't want it to kill people. It will still need to be torn down and rebuild but you survived. If you live in the PNW look into getting your house anchored to the foundation. Even after a minor quake, if it shifts off the foundation at all, you will have a total loss and tear it down as it can no longer be counted to be structurally sound. There are essentially big spikes that anchor the house down and can help prevent total loss. I just hope I'm not in down town when it happens...
I attended a talk about emergency preparedness from a Red Cross employee who was a geologist; when the Nisqually earthquake hit Seattle, he was working for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries in the BPA building next to the start of I-84. He said that all the geologists ran to the window to see what was happening, and as the earthquake continued, the building started to sway... and groan, and he thought: "This building was constructed by the low bid company..." If you look at earthquake hazard maps, you'll realize that most of the Portland Metro area is built on soil that amplifies and earthquake. Very little of it is on bedrock.
@j.patrickmoore9137yep, I have seen the liquifaction reports from the geo engineers we work with. Especially anything remotely in lower land near the rivers. They adjusted the flood planes recently as well when they realized just how much more likely these "500 + year" floods are happening.
My wife's hair stylist worked in a SW Broadway salon and moved across the Willamette after the '93 quake exposed the weaknesses of the bridges and the buildings downtown. She lived on the east side and didn't want to be stranded from her children.
I will always remember how when the sunset came on the day after the 2011 Japanese Tsunami, the searchers were called home from the wreckage strewn coastal flats with a song played on loudspeakers in the hills. The song was "Yesterday" by the Beatles. It tore the heart from me to see. I don't want that here.
As scary as this is, being able to understand it like this oddly puts me at ease to a degree regarding it. A lot of my fear around it was not knowing exactly what would happen. Now that I know what areas are likely to be affected by what, it helps.
I live in Ocean Shores, a town on Grays Harbor in Washington. A teacher in central Washington introduced a new scenario that puts our town 30ft down during a full-rip Cascadia earthquake. Bug-out bags and elevated towers aren't gonna fix it. There will be no Ocean Shores because, according to this Teacher, it'll be 50ft west and 30ft lower. the only occupants left will be clams and crabs. When the tsunami gets done, there won't even be road to escape on and the single road out will be fill of parked cars, watching people exchange insurance cards at the shape corner right outside of the city.
Scenario sounds about right. You could move to Oklahoma or Missouri; houses are cheap, and all they worry about is tornados, civil strife, flooding, losing AC in the humid summer heat or the furnace in the 20 below winter. It all depends what kind of troubles you want in life; no place is immune, and some are nicer now than others.
Interesting that she didn't mention that Portland International Airport is also built on liquefaction prone soil meaning that in the event of the mega quake planes carrying supplies and personnel likely couldn't land there
I live in Portland. Here’s what I’ve done: 1. Solar panels with battery backup 2. An EV with a charger in the garage. 3. Retrofitted my basement to prevent the house from shifting off the foundation. 4. Have seeds in long term storage for growing crops. 5. Have emergency food kits for 3 months 6. Have weapons 7. Camping gear Things left to do: 1. Build an in ground cistern.
@Encephalitisify earthquake, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, flood, wind, snow, thunderstorm - 1st thing out is electricity. You're right about it being better to have a bike or an atv tho. Just not an electric one. . .
Sounds like you're fairly well prepared. Solar panels will charge the car - maybe not really fast, but better than nothing. Probably better to get the cistern dug now, unless you know the water table is high under your property; you're not going to want to be crawling down a 50 or 100 foot hole digging to get water.
I've turned my little van into a travel camper with everything I need. Tested one winter in Arizona, and two summers in Oregon and it worked out good. I keep it ready at all times. It's my goto bag for sleeping, resting, eating writing, and editing video on my laptop.
ruclips.net/video/BiqlUC--R6k/video.htmlsi=TioMCAQ_L6BK4puT The video is 4 years old I’d recommend ruclips.net/video/QvfB--WZhh0/video.htmlsi=ECAGB1ubYLAPrmvn if you want something comprehensive and budget friendly. Mmmm, they also have videos that get way more granular on the subject should you want relevant content.
We are so mismanaged here in WA state. 1-5 is falling apart, our ferries are antiquated etc. I don't think they even budgeted for earthquake refits. And we are in debt even with massive tax increases.
Yes, doesn't the fat orange carrot make you feel safe and secure, while he wastes time and money trying to buy Greenland. To hell with making his country safer. 😂
Eek. Prepare? Nothing. I moved from Honolulu a year ago and left all of my prep stuff with people there who I figured need it more than I. That said, most was tsunami prep. Not toxic plumes. Not earthquake. Guess it's time to get on that. Thanks for the update. And neighbors in Kern/Buckman, I'm retired from ER/trauma nursing in my mid-40s to do something else, but that knowledge base never truly leaves you. If this happens in our lifetime, I'll be looking to help anyone who needs it. 🤙
I'm keeping myself safe by living in the Midwest
(Tornado Sirens in the background)
faschos aren't so much safer in the long term.
New Madrid Fault is overdue for a large quake. Really, nowhere is safe from natural disasters.
@Rochellesettle Most of Europe is pretty safe, at least until climate change makes us have more extreme storms. In Ukraine our worst natural disasters are thunderstorms and blizzards. They kill a few people per year and cause a few blackouts. Obviously we have other dangers, but they're entirely unnatural.
My mic at my PC picks up the tornado sirens and always freaks out online friends
The Midwest is safe from tornadoes, but not religious zealots in public office.
I took a survey class in college (UW-Seattle, almost 20 years ago) that was just presentations from various departments on campus. One of the speakers was working on a method of corroborating stories of indigenous peoples to 'verified' historical records. She mostly spoke of the Cascadia event and how explorers to the area spoke to tribal elders that said that as children, they witnessed the battle between the Thunderbird and the Great Whale that ravaged their lands and wiped out many of their neighbors. The fact that the Japanese (who kept meticulous records of Tsunamis) had a surprise one that coincided with the timeline of local accounts was really neat. It makes me wonder how many other indigenous stories can be corroborated with written records.
The flood in the black sea 8000 years ago may through oral history have led to creation myths involving floods. Think Noahs ark.
Yes,but sadly racism, colonialism seems to discount said info now they are thankfully i waking up,just hope not to late,but....
Likely many. They know things we would do well to take seriously.
I would look up the Stephan Milo video on the oldest story.
Explorers when? The earthquake occurred in 1700. No one who witnessed the earthquake was still alive in the early 1800s. The europeans who could have spoken with Indians old enough to have witnessed it, were Spanish and French trappers and fur traders who never wrote anything down. The tribal elders who communicated with explorers would have had to be telling stories that their own grandparents or great grandparents told them. As those are the only people that could have been old enough to have witnessed it. The grandparents of the oldest tribal elders that were still alive in the early 1800s.
I used to live in Brookings Oregon. They said we were considered a frontier area, basically less than a rural area. They said it would likely be a minimum of 30 days before they would even think about sending people in to help us. I couldn't even imagine trying to figure out how to survive for 30 days, and I grew up in LA so we do ALL the earthquake preparedness things, but 30 days!? People will die from minor injuries if not treated in 30 days. 🤦♀️ It was wild to think, especially in an area with a ton of retirees!
The United States needs to seriously consider earthquake safety, we are not even close to how prepared Japan was in 2011. It's so frustrating.
The US has to worry about gay and trans people! We can't worry about infrastructure and healthcare!
Oregon!? Ha, right, we're on on own here. If Portland gets hit with the big one there wouldn't be a way out of here. Maybe a route or two, but with all the substandard bridges and infrastructures everywhere ? Good luck. ODOT is announcing that they will be laying off up to 600 workers soon, possibly more. Yeah, this state is not prepared for a catastrophic event.
My family has maybe three days worth of "to go" survival items. That's pretty much all I can do due to money limitations. I think it's the same for most people in the state.
Geologists knew long before the 2011 earthquake (by finding sea sand in the strata of Fukushima's local mountains) how high to build the seawall or at least how high to build the backup cooling generators. And they still built them too low in elevation. Knowing and doing something are not the same thing. I live in Oregon and I have zero doubt we will do nothing about the location and build quality of at risk infrastructure. 3 years ago I bought firearms, ceramic water filters, long term calories in mylar bags. Last thing will be a tri fuel generator (gas, propane, natural gas) and a solar setup.
To be honest it needs to reconsider everything
If this happens anytime in the next few years, you'll have to secede from the US and get yourself annexed by Canada to get any actual help.
"And were not prepared."
Honestly, how America is going, I don't think we're prepared for anything..
Never have been
No, not true... We're good (and prepared) at the National Debt... 😂
The way things are going, you will need to be prepared far sooner then you should have been. A few immigrants in your country will seem very trivial if and when disaster strikes. You will probably need them immigrants to help rebuild. Perhaps you should have spent your money preparing instead of building and arranging for mega prisons for all those immigrants you need to send somewhere. Perhaps the rich that are getting richer will help and chip in for rebuilding. A sort of trickle down effect. Don't worry! The well funded and well managed FEMA will be there to run the show. They may need to pull some of the national guards from the streets of LA to help. Rest assured that in all of the federal government institutions, only the best of the best problem solvers have been hired to run them.
@GripmagicSpeak FOR YOURSELF!!
I will BE JUST FINE!
I don’t think the vast majority of Americans care.
I think a lot of us are guilty of “it won’t happen to me, it won’t happen to us” syndrome.
I’m reminded of when I was reviewing for my civil engineering license back in 1994. At the time we used the Uniform Building Code. There was a graphic showing west coast seismic risk zones along California. And all the lines turned to zero at the Oregon-California border and stayed zero all the way to Canada. So yes, most structures in OR and WA weren’t built to withstand shaking.
That's very interesting because the City of Seattle website tells people that, due to the building code, their homes WERE secured to the foundation if they were built after 1980.
www.seattle.gov/emergency-management/prepare/prepare-your-home#retrofittingyourhome
What do you think? Did it not actually happen? Or, was this was only code within Seattle city limits?
What I heard in this video is that when this disaster strikes don't count on the government coming to the rescue. Many areas will be inaccessible, so folks in some neighborhoods will have no one but each other to turn to for help.
Especially, with the WH Admin we have atm
Also assume that the Cascadia quake will happen while another region of the country is reeling from a different major disaster, whether a wildfire, hurricane, or something like the East Palestine OH chemical spill, which will limit any aid resources available. Furthermore, assume that the national media will move on to the next disaster within a couple of months.
229,769 NON-VOTERS handed Trump the presidency. Every Supreme Court decision and policy fight we’re battling today stems from the moment 229,769 Americans chose to stay home instead of voting in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The responsibility lies with those apathetic non-voters who failed to protect our country. Quit blaming MAGA die-hards who will never budge; aim your energy where it matters - turn those 229,769 stay-at-home neighbors into ballots in the next election.
So, it's like every other natural disaster, then?
This is murica now. Our neighbors are our enemies now. Says every rethuglican and demorat corporate sock puppets. Mission accomplished
Three to six minutes that´s insane. I lived in Portland during the Scotts Mills quake. It was a 5.6 and lasted 45 seconds that seemed like forever.
I lived in Oregon city at the time and that quake scared the daylights out of me! Bounced my 9 year old son out of his bed.
am i cooked in eugene
That is pretty typical for Subduction zones the 2011 Japan quake was 6 minutes as well - the one question is the impact. In Japan the 2011 quake was sourced at the Japan Trench subduction zone which is 90 miles to Sendai - the city that was damaged the most as it is mostly at sea level. Portland is also 90 miles to the Subdiction zone - BUT unlike Japan, the US cities have a mountain range between them and the ocean. Portland, Seattle Vancouver BC all have the Coast Range between them and the ocean - in Seattle this becomes even larger with the large Olympic Mountains, the problem is that it is hard to know how the mountains will impact the force so maybe science will work that out some day but for now I found not much data - maybe that the quake waves will be modified by the mountains so looks like more resrach is needed I guess
Remember, the Good Friday Alaska quake in March of 1964 lasted EIGHT MINUTES!
@DrScopey2 if you look at a diagram of the earth zoomed out, the earth is so large that mountains are barely ripples
I’m a geologist, and I live in the PNW. It’s true, we could have a 9.0 mega thrust quake tomorrow… however it just as easily might not happen for another 100 years, or 300. These things don’t happen at regular, predictable intervals, sometimes there are 150 years between quakes, sometimes it’s 700 years. The AVERAGE interval is 350 years, so by that measure we are “due for the big one” but realistically it COULD be another 2,3,even 400 years. Preparing for something that statistically may very well NOT happen in your lifetime is pretty easy. It’s called basic disaster preparedness, the sort of thing EVERYONE should do. I personally am far more likely to fall victim to flash floods or wildfires than “the big one”.
I read that the average period is 580 years .....
The individual shouldn’t spend their days over preparing, I agree, but the infrastructure of our region is not prepared. It will be obliterated, no hyperbole. Japan was far and away more prepared than we are and look what happened to them. Basic disaster preparedness is underestimating the destruction that will occur.
@Botheyeswide987 I fully agree the magnitude will be huge. What is poor is saying to people that "this event is due" or "this event is overdue" as the PBS video implies We are only just over half way through the average return period of 580 years. It is just as likely to be 580+200 years as 580=200 years. The probability theory behind these statements is poorly understood.
@tftftf100% agreed. That is why I do not believe that we as individuals should waste our time and energy preparing for it outside of your standard disaster prep. But I strongly believe that government needs to prepare for it NOW because government is slow, corrupt, and inefficient. If they started yesterday, they’d still probably be late, even if the quake doesn’t hit ‘till 2075 lol
@Botheyeswide987Japan gets major earthquakes every couple of decades, they SHOULD be more prepared than the PNW which gets a major earthquake oh every 3 or 4 centuries. How exactly should governments prepare for an earthquake that comes every three or 400 years? I mean, it’s probably a good idea to design seismically hardened infrastructure, then again the building or bridge you build today very well could serve its functional lifetime and become obsolete without ever experiencing an earthquake. Does it make sense to require owners of 100 year-old commercial buildings that are nearing the end of their lifespan, to seismically retrofit their buildings? Probably not. Portland, Oregon for a while was considering spending nearly $1 billion to tunnel an earthquake proof, waterline under the Willamette river. A waterline with an estimated 75 year lifespan that would have sat unused, requiring constant maintenance “just in case”. To their credit they came to their senses. I don’t know, it’s an interesting question. What is the proper level of municipal preparedness for an earthquake that comes along every few hundred years?
As a former Portlander, without having watched the video yet, I suspect this is going to be about how we cleverly built all our oil and gas infrastructure right on top of liquefaction zones.
Edit: Called it! Haha cool.
And, unlike the Sendai Airport in Japan, we know and do nothing. They were flying relief flights two days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in and out of Sendai because they had hardened the runways in preparation. It’s not like we don’t know.
@awesomerpowerJapan sees hundreds of earthquakes in a very short time and it's a small country. It's absurd to expect the same level of preparation. But there are millions of houses in Japan that don't even meet basic earthquake standards from 1981.
@mediocreman2 I am familiar with both Japan and the PNW. At every level, Japan has better and more Earthquake resistant buildings.
First of all, it's very common for Japanese people to tear down their old homes and build new ones. Within neighbourhoods that aren't new, I see a lot more new homes in Japan compared to the PNW even in rural parts.
Second, it's not uncommon for traditional houses to install seismic upgrades. And traditional Japanese houses are already much safer in earthquakes compared to many western house designs.
Lastly, there was barely any thought of earthquake preparedness only a handful of decades ago in the PNW. I know lots of people that went to schools made of brick. Meanwhile Japanese culture and tradition has been constantly shaped and informed by the presence of earthquakes.
While sure, the earthquake readiness of Japan may not be perfect, I don't think the two regions are even comparable.
Portland can’t even prepare for the snow that completely shuts down the city for 2 days to a week most winters 😑
I guess the real issue here is that in order to solve this oil storage problem the declining oil industry has to be cajoled into investing into new storage.
You mean zero accountability and endless greed has left us completely unprepared for basically everything. Imagine that...
And there you have it . . . 100% accurate.
Couldn’t agree more… we have all the money in the world to bail out corporations and the rich, but none of our tax money seems to trickle down to the middle class and infrastructure.
It was very funny and sad to me when she said "There is still time to prepare, we could improve our infrastructure" and my mind just went, lmao. lol, lmao.
You nailed it. And Trump too busy fighting imaginary wars to be thinking about saving A PART OF THE USA. LOL INCOMPETENT PEOPEL FOUNDED AMERICA AND INCOMPETENT PEOPLE STILL RUN IT. and every American just accepts this fact and allows it to happen, stop electing bigots to office and you might get good results
The worse climate change is the slower governments will be able to respond, even if they aren’t trying to murder millions of their own citizens
The fragility of human design is hard to comprehend for most people. Just as long-term impacts of short-term actions seem similarly beyond grasp.
Not Pacific Northwest but Japan here. Knowing you neighbors is important indeed. Rescue might not be coming for a while. We have ready bags, my daughter has drills in school, we have community gathering with firefighters from time to time.
If there is something sure, for the past 30 years devastating earthquakes we had, they happened mostly where it was the least expected.
Ive watch an incredible documentary about how Japan is prepared for almost any potential disaster. Japan is located in a place on earth where it's exposed to every potential catastrophy. I was impress about how your Governement is actualy investing in the safety of the Japanese citizen. Meanwhile, The U.S citizen strongly believe in a false god and governed by the orange clown that dont give a single f*ck about the U.S citizen.
We have watched the various earthquakes, tsunami and eruptions that Japan has endured... You are so far ahead of us... We are so uneducated....
@santaclaws50I wouldn’t say uneducated. Japan has frequent earthquakes and kinda constantly in our minds. Still, many people lose their life when a big one happens. No fear mongering but just be aware and be ready.
Given how long we have known about this, it is truly disheartening to see how little has been done to prepare for this. For one, those tanks should have been moved ages ago--we should be electrifying more so we don't need those tanks!
Japan has a huge advantage in having a homogeneous population of intelligent people with a stable culture that emphasizes community, self sacrifice and personal responsibility. America does not.
As an elderly person I realize that personal preparedness only goes so far. If help does not arrive within a week or maybe 2, the death toll is increased exponentially.
That's true. There's a statistic that all major cities in America have only enough food on hand in stores to feed the population for 3 days, with extreme rationing. Yet we've seen how people make frantic runs and even riots for non-necessities, like toilet paper. This is why families should have enough food and water to last 2 weeks, and a way to filter water.
That's why it is important for people to have food storage and a generator and ability to be without food, water, power for a few weeks. In Seattle area we have had a few good strong storms and snow storms in the lat 7 years that we lost power for like 4 times each over 3 days one was earlier this year the Seattle area Bomb cyclone we had lost power for 4 days this year. I was prepared, generator let me run the furnace and the fridge off and on but I also have freeze dried canned food but that's not needed for 4 days event lol. All the roads here were blocked by fallen trees too so good to have medical kit as no medical help could get through. In case of a big quake the trees will block most roads for a very long time like 2 months I think. My next task is to buy a big boy gas chain saw I only have small battery ones but I would need some training ugh
@DrScopey2yes, having tools that use non electric sources of power is important. And having a way to heat food and water safely. There are small one burner propane camping stoves. I got one for our independently living son who is autistic. And a bucket of 1 week food supply. He could walk to us after the storm. We get snow and ice storms here in the Appalachians. We also get floods and storms from hurricanes getting trapped in the mountains. I always have at least 2 weeks of food and coffee on hand. But we are an elderly couple now. My husband is on oxygen. We know that in a severe event our time is limited and we cannot get out unless someone comes. More snd more people are in this situation.
@DrScopey2oh. I meant to mention that I wonder if you have read the series Cascadia Fallen. It’s a bit over dramatic and dystopian, but there are some good ideas in it for what things might be like. We live on the other coast, but just a few years ago we had a 5.7 mag quake. And we are in the range of both Charleston and New Madrid, both overdue. Our biggest threat is hurricanes.
@DrScopey2 so what that is saying, basically, is those with money (generators, stored food, chain saws, places to store food) can survive and everyone else can just suffer. Hmm. Another thing to ponder… you have all of those things prepared for disaster on your little footprint on earth and an earthquake or tsunami sweeps it all away…ooops.
Yes hiding under a flimsy desk is definitely going to save you when the ceiling falls
Actually, it did when I was a kid in California and half the ceiling caved in on my classroom. Only one kid got some cuts.
It's better than not hiding under a desk
I live in Portland, and I live in fear about this stuff to a certain extent. Especially because I’m physically disabled. Ty for the story, and thinking of us up here in beautiful Cascadia
Don't live in fear about it. If you look at the video and the numbers they said, it's also likely that this won't happen (earthquakes will happen, but they're taking about the worst possible outcome.) I've lived though 2 major earthquakes. Have a solid disaster kit.
All this 'may', 'might', 'could happen', etc. Such fear-mongering. If you are not okay with the risks, just sell and move away.
All that stuff the vid says about neighbours helping each other ... as a disabled person, expect that to pan out about how it did for people wearing face masks to avoid infecting and killing vulnerable people during the pandemic.
Speaking as another disabled person, although thankfully living with family that I know do value my life, I would encourage you to think about moving somewhere that you don't have to worry about earthquake, tsunami, wildfire, and toxic gas spills. Your life is precious, even if the people around you don't see it that way. You are worth saving.
Some strange near-hostility happening here. I’m a paralyzed double amputee who can’t transfer and requires a power chair. As far as the 1st commenter: I don’t live in terror every day, but it’s certainly on my radar. 2nd person: why do you assume everyone owns a house or can afford to just pick up and move?
Why wouldn't you move? There are less expensive places to live that do not have this risk.
I got another 20 years maybe left on this planet and what it was like through the 60's, 70's and 80's is nothing like what it is today. I mean there's no intimate relationship with your neighbors for the most part, some are very isolated, some even hostile and I got one neighbor who's stolen from me. Back in the day we'd have community parties, baseball games, birthday parties in the park with neighbors enjoying in the festivities, good luck relying on others for your survival.
Most people hire out for all their home maintenance & never get their hands dirty; this earthquake will be a great equalizer. The average homeowner can't even shut off their gas line.
Thanks for not keeping that around for the next generation. Nice job Boomers!
And nuclear families.
@misterfunnybones Think of all the goods and services you are using that you have no skills for. There are far more useful skills than just being able to do maintenance. Your thinking is very narrow.
@hia5235 it's social media , CPU's, cell phones that changed society, not boomers..
My family and I lived in CA and went through numerous earthquakes, including the Loma Prieta and Northridge Earthquakes. The first impression I had when we moved to the Portland metro area were the number of bridges that looked like they’ve never gone through any retrofitting. I told my husband that I would hate to be caught downtown when the big one hits the PNW. We just have to remember that no matter how much we prepare for emergencies, it will not be enough. Be prepared but not overwhelmed, there are so many things falling apart in our country now and we have to grab moments of joy on this journey we call life. Be kind. Help others. And when your time is up, it’s up🤷🏻♀️
I grew up and worked on the Washington coast. One of my final projects was helping install tsunami warning sirens in the town where I worked and lived. I retired and moved away from the beautiful coast and now just worry about wildland wildfires.
I grew up in Everett wa and this has always been a concern. Crazy to think all the million bridges would be compromised and people wouldn't be able to leave
It will be like the purge mass violence especially in the cities
I live East of Everett by quite a ways. We would rather keep the voters bottled up in the Seattle/Everett/Olympia/Tacoma area. Let them stay in the “paradise” they created
They won't all collapse. Most bridges on interstate highways and many on major state highways have been seismically retrofitted to survive a cascadia earthquake.
@consco3667 That doesn't even make sense in this context. You are whats wrong in this country.
@Groundskeep》What does 'wa' mean?
l,m in the UK.
Not only the CSZ, but the shallow crustal faults in the Puget Sound are also a major risk for that region.
A 7.0 on the Seattle Fault would produce more shaking in the Puget Sound than a 9.0 on the CSZ. Given that both faults are potentially due for a large rupture, this dramatically increases the risk for the region
The 2001 Nisqually quake was 6.8; so I think we already have a pretty good idea of the shaking to come from a 7.0.
@skeeter1958yes, but there's some important nuance that the magnitude number doesn't address
The Nisqually quake was an intraslab earthquake, basically the bending subducting Pacific plate cracked, and that was like 10 miles deep
The Seattle Fault is extremely shallow, like 1-2 miles, so even a smaller earthquake on that fault would produce significantly more shaking because of the difference in depth
@louisjov Thanks. Now I won't be able to sleep at night... 😆
I'm from WA. We learned about how serious the "big one" will be in the 90s at school. They have known how serious the situation is for decades and have refused to add any preparatory infrastructure. Seattle is going to sink. I'm surprised some buildings haven't. The state has left the responsibility to maintain the old Seattle underground to the building owners- who have continously ignored it. It is already unstable without an earthquake in the mix. But, honestly, it feels like an illustration of the US in a nutshell
They were telling us in the 1960s in my elementary school that we were waiting for a big one on the west coast. They told us then it would likely happen within the next 20 years. They were probably referring to the San Andreas potential but it's interesting to me "the big one" label gets hung on different areas over time.
I believe Seattle is in a worse spot than Portland.
I live on the east side of Washington State. We would probably feel shaking here but that’s about it. I do have some fear for family on the west side. Mt Rainier, Saint Helens and Mt Adam are a concern for the whole state if they were to erupt.
JEWrassic Liars channel Seattle 6/11/26
Why, my daughters live in Renton, near lake Washington. They are flight attendants. Hopefully they will be out of town 😢. I heard west of the interstate 5 is safer than east. @bobsacamano7653
I live in Japan. I’ve seen the Fukushima disaster. I live south of the zone and I felt the aftershocks hundreds of miles south. So, Northwest US, good luck.😢
I think Japan would be here to help with search and rescue for America. Japan got experience after the 2011 earthquake.
Ugh…so we are completely screwed. Especially with the current political landscape and pretty much killing FEMA and other federal resources.
1:06 Hey I can see my house! Heh... uh...
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand it’s gone
😮hahaha
Dang, you born with those eyes or get surgery? If the later, gimme your doctor's name 😅
Here's hoping people take earthquake and emergency prep seriously. The devastation will be enormously widespread, and FEMA won't be around to help. Even when it was at full capacity to help, it never would have been nearly enough.
Those who prepare will be the ones surviving.
Climate change is so bad, we need to do something about it, these earthquakes are going to be crazy!!
"Here's hoping people take earthquake and emergency prep seriously." You're already wrong 💀 - no one will don't worry
The real prep work that needed to be done was with infrastructure, decades ago.
its simple....do not live there. problem solved. Some parts of the earth are just not good places for permanent modern human civilization.
FEMA are animals to people.
Thanks for pronouncing Willamette correctly 👍
Right? So many documentaries say it so wrong.lol
I have researched quite deeply on this and cannot find any meaningful preparations about food supplies, because our main source of food supplies currently, is the 5 Freeway.
For real. It's a problem.
Its hard to find enough helicopters to transport large quantities of food after a big one.
There are multiple ways of researching food supplies, most cites covering emergency preparedness have ample information as to what and how to go about it.
there's a video that OPB put out a number of years ago, "Unprepared." One of the best hours of video you can watch (it's on RUclips). Best to think in terms of three months of food rather than 3 days; water purification supplies; and possibly a lithium battery power station and some good solar panels.
The state of Oregon has been beefing up US 97 through Oregon as the "replacement" highway for north-south freight traffic when I-5 fails (still a lot of bridges built with pre-stressed concrete girders that will fail). It's likely that every highway from the valley to Central Oregon will have at least one bridge that fails. And, as always, the nation's news focus will be on Seattle, because how interesting is a bridge you can't see at the bottom of the river, compared to the Space Needle lying on its side? Our only hope is that the fires in the West Hills of Portland get some attention, along with all the pollution floating downriver to the ocean from the oil and chemical spills.
There are preparedness website that are excellent. I got tired of rotating my canned goods every couple of years so I got preparedness food from Costco that will last me until I’m 85. Costco is great for preparedness food and fifty gallon water storage. Amazon has water filtration. Lifestraw is good company.
I hate all the solutions required are ifs and companies to actually wanna fix it. We saw during the bp oil spill how companies don't care and won't invest in maintenance. Sadly a lot of people are going to suffer cus of corporate greed. Plus all this deregulation surely will help this situation.
Greed is the problem
We need to pass a law to require safer fuel storage practices.
@darlingcorinne the Portland City Council passed an ordinance about a decade ago, outlawing new energy (fuel) infrastructure in Portland because of global warming. So, unless some radically different people get elected, a new law is not going to happen.
Yep. My main concern is all the gas pipelines that crisscross our region and our neighborhoods.
0:17 For Anyone Who’s Wondering What City That Is That Is Portland Oregon
It could use a reset
Watching from Alaska. To date, Alaska is home to the second largest quake in modern history (9.2). In 2018, a 7.1 quake hit 30 miles from our house. That was scary!
I grew up in earthquake country as well....Southern California.
you also get in on that active volcano action. ❤
I was 13 years old just north of Anchorage for the Good Friday, March 27, 1964, shaker. It shook for a long time. Mountain tops looked like waves ...Drivers on the road thought maybe Russia had attacked with bombs as their cars bounced. The Wikipedia says "...magnitude 9.2-9.3 megathrust earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America, and the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900."
@Rt-hsu-1exactly.
I wasn’t born yet but my parents lived in Seattle at the time and they felt it too!
In metro Vancouver they barely have earthquake indicators, meanwhile they are happy to blow $600m + on a Soccer event next year!
I know MANY who are surprised Canada even gets earthquakes 😮
The earthquake alert text going out 30 minutes and 2 hours after the 4.2 we had recently was absolutely wild. Does it really take 30-120minutes to decide if the thing making all the windows shudder at the same time is an earthquake?? If there's a tsunami, we're all going to be notified underwater 🙃
Right!? Priorities are way off on both sides of the boarder. What a day it will be when millions of us die and suffer, but we can host The World Cup. I hope I am not jinxing us by saying this, but wouldn't it be ironic for Cascadia to slip during The World Cup events?
@alexien2716good thing phones are waterproof these days 😊
We have learned that ostriches don’t actually hide their heads in the sand.
We’ve always known that people do.
Remember those videos of people walking along the beach after the sea receded during the Boxing Dat tsunami? No opportunity for them to learn from their mistakes.
Not me watching this 4 weeks after moving to Portland 👁👄👁
Moved to Ocean City a month ago, from Kansas. This is.............................. Man I'm terrified I'm ngl
You have experience with a big move at least. You're more equipped to move again. It's not a totally crazy thing to change your mind when learning new important info like this.
When I was in school back in the 1900s, we were taught this earthquake happens every 1000 years and that it would happen within the next 100 years. Some time ago, they updated it to be within the next 50 years.
I love how you used '1900s' makes me feel so antiquated lol
@Gripmagic lol exactly
fusion has been ten hears away for a hundred years
Not hard to understand why
New info narrowed the expected date. Ignore it to your peril. I certainly hope the quake does little damage, but if I lived near a fuel depot, I would seriously consider moving.
This is not fearmongering , it’s just how the earth works. Just be prepared as much as you can. That’s all. I experienced a serious wildfire last week in Greece. 7.4 earthquake in Taiwan. Tsunami alert in Kodiak Island. I live in AK where the earthquakes happen pretty often. So no need to fear. Understand them and be prepared. You can see all of that in my shorts by the way. I really appreciate PBS!
Just check out the username of that guy.
But…American exceptionalism will stop it right 😅
@WeAreGonnaGetThruThisI agree with what you are saying. Personal and community preparedness are also crucial especially after a disaster.
utkank65 - It is fearmongering. Just like the climate change bullshit. Yes there’s earthquakes, but supporting the idea that we are overdue or due for another equates to absolutely nothing.
@utkank65 This. No amount of government support or oversight, or lack of chicanery via greed will do anything much to help anything at all if people are operating chaotically in panic and fear.
It's not to say they shouldn't be concerned at all where they might be affected; but they should at least try to keep a level head about things. All of the other stuff, the infrastructure, the support, the relief, the oversight; it all helps mostly when people aren't being more of a problem in fear and panic.
There are even some pretty good examples of this, though I may have the wrong name of the Hurrican in question incorrect; I think it was Katrina. Basically a case study of what is being said here and now.
Thanks for the update. First time hearing/learning about the Cascadi Subduction Zone. Wow, I feel sorry for the North East.
My partner and I are in the Puget Sound region and recently signed up for our city’s community emergency response training- hope we never have to use it, and praying we can gather the political will to mobilize for infrastructure and systems improvement before this happens!!
Have Bob add another $25 Trillion in tax increases…
@consco3667 Ugh... Side show bob sucks!
We had our house in Portland, Oregon seismically retrofitted after learning about the Great Cascadia quake. This could give us a fighting chance of surviving the initial shocks and evacuating the region.
We live in Milwaukie and are seriously considering doing the same for our home. Would you recommend the company you worked with? And how costly were your upgrades?
@racaulk it cost around 5k for us in 2016.
What company did you use to do the retrofitting?
And when your neighbors and marauders see you are doing well, what do you think is going to happen? Better have a safe basement environment to hide in.
@Galen.GIf they are under rubble I am sure it wouldn't be an issue. Or you can not bother at all and you can be under rubble too.
I was so grieved when I read about this years ago in the Atlantic Monthly. I have a lot of families in the Seattle area that are very dear to my heart. I hope it’s not as bad as expected. It would be so devastating and heartbreaking.
If you care about them, give them a little push to move out! It can help.
I lived in Portland from 2005>2011. I returned to Los Angeles after 5 years for a few reasons. One of them was this impending quake, which virtually No ONE talked about, or was aware of. Then it hits, the Pac NW will be isolated for weeks, at least half the buildings and bridges will collapse. It'll be horrible.
Considering the poor quality of construction and materials in US infrastructure and housing I think you're being very optimistic with your predictions.
Sad. I have loved ones in Seattle.
I think japan will act faster than dc to help.
I live in the PNW and I've just accepted that if I die, then I die.
Same. the gorgeous view of Mt. Tahoma and not having to worry about yearly tornado seasons make it worth it lol
✌️👍👍 agreed
I'm from Tacoma im cooked 😅
poop happens, why stress over it. could be the proverbial hit by a car tomr. so sense in hiding in your room
@DeclanClark-m1j Well between Tacoma and the subduction zone you have the Olympic Mountains while in Japan there was nothing, the big cities like Sendai that were wrecked badly are right smack on the water front with no natural barriers. So no Tsunami in Tacoma that's for sure maybe the water in the Sound will rise and flood low areas but nothing too crazy. The real question is if the Olympics will make the quake less felt in Tacoma or actually worse I found arguments for both options so I guess more work is needed on that by Scientists lol But overall it is for sure better to have mountains guarding Tacoma then not having anything like in Sendai Japan.
You can't tell me anything about the Big One that I didn't google all through my childhood and young adulthood.
I can. The return period for the Cascadia huge earthquakes is 580 years on average as measured over the last 10,000 years so as the last one was 325 years ago the chances of another arent that high right now. You are more likely to die in a traffic accident.
12:00 is a refreshing change. You can't avoid all these risks, but you can build a strong community to withstand and recover from them. Look for the helpers.
Be a helper! 😎✌️
Mr. Rogers!
Seattle and Portland have strong mutual aid communities. They will be the backbone of all relief efforts - count on it
Have you ever heard the native legend of Thunderbird and Whale? The gist is: don't build your settlement too close to the shore. If Thunderbird and Whale fight, it could be wiped out. Thunderbird is the earthquake, and Whale is the tsunami.
I have not. Would you mind sharing? Seems like a wonderful tale.
@kirklanyoshinaga8953ruclips.net/user/shortsLJRoWa-DnCE?si=yY4YgiRjSBDlmYlG
@kirklanyoshinaga8953 legends, landmarks and lore has a great short explaing it.. I added the link in another comment in case yt removes it just search whale and Thunderbird
@kirklanyoshinaga8953they just shared the tale. 😆
I live in PNW and sold my old unreinforced masonry building and bought a newly constructed home further out from the subduction zone.
We have been trying to move off the west side for three stinking years 😞 The luck we’ve had, the i5 corridor won’t let us go! 🤦🏻♀️😭 Congratulations on your move, fingers crossed we are but weeks away, hopefully. 🤞
Who would buy URM?!
USCG did a table top simulation of this several yrs ago. Damage to everything west of I5 is likely to be so severe that rescue resources plan to prioritize what remains to the east.
In an hour drive north-south, there are so many bridges over roadways and waterways, it seems the only reasonable direction to go is east up whatever hill you live near. But I would have to cross 101 where I live. If the overpass holds, I might be ok. time of day and time of year will have a huge effect, too.
"if the overpass holds" How many Ambien (or drinks) does it take to go to sleep. Lol.
I am low income can’t acquire emergency supplies all in one go. It is a slow process to accumulate supplies. Even with OPB running stories about this a few years ago, many people still haven’t gotten prepared.
Emergency supplies at home will do you no good if your home has been destroyed and you need to evacuate---except for what you can carry on your back.
It shouldn't be on you to deal with this. Our institutions aren't doing their jobs.
What I think is really neat is how the geologic record shows that since the southern end of Cascadia meets the northern end of San Andreas, every time the whole length of Cascadia has let go it's caused major quakes along San Andreas. But don't worry, only Geology lecturers ever talk about it.
I mean...isn't SanFran our most earthquake-resistantly built city? Don't get me wrong, I literally am avoiding any travel to Cascadia to not get swept up in the megaquake, but other than maybe some less extreme parts of the tsunami, the Bay Area should probably escape any damage. I'm picturing something like NYC's Hurricane Sandy, as compared to Portland and SeaTac's Double Katrina with Sauce
@Copyright_Infringement Chances are the whole thing won't let go, so the Bay Area could just have to deal with a tsunami but the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the San Andreas Fault and the Mendocino Transform all meet at the Mendocino Triple Junction, where the North American, Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates all meet, all moving in different directions relative to each other. If that point becomes destabilized (and Cascadia is the likely candidate), everything moves. So it's possible for everyone from Vancouver to Cabo San Lucas to have a seismically really bad day. I'm not saying that will happen any time soon, but the geologic record shows us it has happened more than once already.
@Copyright_Infringement yes the Bay Area hopefully avoids damage, only SF and the coast is exposed, and we're far south of Seattle, should be able to absorb a smaller earthquake
@danielzhang1916San Francisco has little exposure to tsunami from Cascadia. It’s far to the the east of the epicenter as well as being far south, and the Golden Gate is so narrow not much of a tsunami can enter.
The coast starting a hundred miles or so north of San Francisco is gonna get slammed.
The big tsunami threat to San Francisco down to San Diego that we know of is a potential flank collapse of one of the Hawaiian volcanoes. That would send an immense wall of water toward the West Coast.
GET YA POPCORN READY! 🍿🍿🍿
If you want a nightmare scenario - look at the location of the Burnaby Mountain Tank Farm. The terminus of the Trans Mountain Pipeline - up on a freaking mountain - above Burnaby Lake and the City of Burnaby. (Part of Greater Vancouver).
I forget about that one, and every time I'm reminded of it, I question how tf I could forget about it... (willful blocking, I see it on my bus route 🫠)
Richmond's international airport built on a river delta just a couple feet over sea level, up against said ocean, is in trouble. That's leaves Abbotsford airport as the closest airport to receive aid flights - and that's only if the bridges over the Fraser are still intact.
When you consider the earthquake and secondary effects like the tsunami and fires and building collapse and deaths from untreated injuries and so on the estimated death toll in the tens of thousands seems, sadly, ridiculously lowballed
Community is King in a Crisis!! Lived through many hurricanes and sharing supplies with neighbors was always easy because they were already sharing with you... Lived under Marshal Law without electricity for 3 weeks for one of them and everyone was wonderful, loving and caring... that's what got us all through!!
You are so right! All these doomscrollers calling each other fool and trying to out-cynic and smug-blame the other one...but when the SHTF the neighbors you never really noticed or thought about turn out to be the most helpful people, and you might even catch a little of that "love your neighbor as yourself" (and vice-versa). Thing is, just like the current socio-political situation, this Cascadia event is going to be of such a scale and last so long, that the whole fabric of how to live and what works for the individuals and the government, the 'hood, the society is going to have to evolve into something we haven't really known before.
Classes I've attended, study I've done, tells me here in Rogue Valley we''re likely to be on our own for 3-5 months before serious aid of scale from outside can come in. FEMA plans (if FEMA even survives Trump & Noem) call for Bend to be the staging area for relief; all infrastructure (roads, bridges, dams, fuel and power grids, hospitals, grocery and other stores) west of the Cascades is likely to suffer catastrophic damage in the projected 8.5 - 9+ Richter scale shown in the geologic records.
Depending on where it occurs, the 100 foot tsunami (yes, that is a realistic possibility) could devastate the coast anywhere from the Cal-Or border to Puget Sound, back water up the Columbia River, not to mention bounce back and forth in the Pacific basin a few times. Alaska, NE Russia, Korea & Japan share the fun.
So a couple long seasons of no cars; no groceries; no Amazon; no city sewer & water; no electricity; no internet/media; no fire fighting in the forests or the towns; animals domestic and wild running loose; and freaked, injured, sick and traumatized people doing their best, and their worst. All we're really gonna have is each other.
@feedigli Thanks! Just to assure you I did see several "Domesday Prepper" episodes years ago where people in the Oregon area were stocking supplies, specifically to share with their neighbors in case of a crisis. Hopefully we never will see it happen.
The difference is frequency. Hurricanes happen often enough people have supplies. There is a pretty good idea what the damage will be, what they will need, how bad it will be etc. That is very much not the case with this. People aren't prepared, they don't know what they will need or how long they will need provisions for, they don't know if they will have water, if they will have a home, our infrastructure is shoddy at best and the damage is likely to be significant enough that there will be issues accessing resources. Remember COVID? How people were with toilet paper? *That's* what people do when they fear resources wont be available. Hurricanes are considered "weather events" by many people who live in hurricane prone areas, but they sure were fighting over toilet paper. Its a very different beast.
@Catillia85 I understand about the toilet paper and what I heard, but in my experience strangers were helpful to me more than not during that time. I can't help myself to believe in the goodwill of people. I never see it in the news, but I have seen it in real life. I don't mean to be contrary, but I'd like to persuade you to give people the opportunity to prove themselves by extending your own helpful hand as a first step in proving the odds wrong. Thanks for responding to my comment, you did make good points, but I want to believe we can change it!!
Martial (military), NOT marshal. Peace.
I live in Oregon just barely east of the mountains. I am most concerned with water availability. I am in the process of setting up a rain catchment system to begin a permaculture process on 10 acres. Thank you for your programs on this, Maya.
If you're just outside the disaster zone, then you're in the refugee zone. You'll need a big vegetable garden and enough freeze-dried food vacuum-stored in your basement to feed hundreds of people. Also look at your sanitation, because those people are going to need toilets and access to showers and laundry facilities.
It won't really be a lot of refugees, because most people in the disaster zone are going to die. But for everyone who does manage to crawl out, you need to be ready to help them. How long it takes for government and NGOs to move people further away so you're not left trying to support hundreds of people long-term really depends on the government of the day.
I hope you're not in a blue county, or you just outed yourself to the government.
Having rain catchment is important. Salem will only allow a limited amount which I think should change. In fact I believe everyone in Oregon that owns property should have a rain catchment system in place.
@AtarahDerek That's the thing about MAGA; I never feel any love coming from them, it's all grievance, all the time.
@feedigliTry being in a disaster zone sometime. The relief workers are the neighbors in the red hats, while the looters are the ones claiming that voting for anyone other than a Democrat should be a capital offense.
I live in the Willamette valley, every time the neighbor kid comes down the street, the bass in his car is so loud it shake my hose, I feel it! I think it must be the start of the big one! We've had a few small tremors here but what I really worry about are all the dams breaking! When I worked in the fire service we had a contingency plan for such an event...they said the valley would be about 60 feet deep in places! I'm keeping my boat unstrapped just in case!
I live north of Seattle about 15 miles from the Salish Sea, and I bought an old trailer to keep in the backyard. It holds 40 gallons of water and 40 pounds of propane and has 380 watts of solar. We are told to prepare for a month without any help, so it will depend on which month the earthquake hits in. Summer preferably since I tend to drain the water tanks when the forecast is for freezing weather, however I have started spending winter in warmer areas, so I would watch on the news if it happens in winter.
There are so many bridges in this area that nobody knows or thinks about if they aren’t working in the streets or highway departments, and I expect many of them to be damaged, or closed at least until inspection.
My main concern after getting out of the house would be if I had enough food to last a month and potentially to share. I normally would supplement water with rain water that I filtered, but our summer is very dry, and this spring was incredibly dry, so water could be an issue both for drinking, and also for putting out fires that the earthquake might start
Know your house elevation - The height above sea level of the bottom of your house. If above 50 feet, you probably would not get hit by the tsunami.
Politicians are not going to do anything about it because it cost real money to do something about the safety of millions. That's $$$$ that can go in there own pockets instead.
USAID anyone? That's our money that has been laundered so much there's nothing left for those of us who paid in.
Congress can’t plan next year’s budget. I don’t know how we could count on them to think into the future for emergency preparedness.
I'm not in the pacific northwest, but I always travel with a kit. I'm a travel nurse and figure I could be in any situation that requires me to be able to live out of my vehicle or to provide first aid. I always have something on hand. Heck, I was in St. Louis during this last snow fall and my little military shovel allowed me to get out of my parking space to get to work.
Doing what you can, being prepared, helps you keep your head on right, paying attention to what matters in the moment.
What kind of kit? Did u put it together yourself? Would like to have one for our family in the PNW
@WhiteleafYeosu One part is purchased. I got it off of amazon. Has 3 days of food and water, ability to start a fire, small first aid kit, and other survival equipment in it. The rest is an augmented first aid kit, I have my stethoscope, bp cuff, and a finger o2sat. Then I have a small shovel, knife, and hatchet. Two wool blankets and emergency triangles, and a window hammer/seatbelt cutter. I also have a couple of SAM splints, hand crank weather radio, and flashlights.
@kellygwyn2721thank you! Impressive
I live near Seattle. This quake could also trigger an eruption of Mt. Rainier, which is a much larger volcano than Mt. St. Helens, which erupted in 1980 causing massive devastation in the area and beyond. The native Americans in the area have a saying, "Little Sister whispers, Big Brother roars." Mt St. Helens is "Little Sister". Guess who "Big Brother" is...
It probably wouldn't cause an eruption, at least not immediately, but could definitely shake loose some of the rotten rock (it's a volcanic thing) and ice and cause a fast-moving lahar. Orting, the Port of Tacoma, and other communities are built on old lahars.
This is the kind of invaluable educational content is why we need PBS cuts to stop.
Everyone loves PBS/NPR, as long as they’re not obviously biased. No one could beat Nina Totenberg’s analysis of legal issues of the day, she was brilliant. And you could not detect her personal political affiliation. I used to love listening to PBS/NPR, but when I see that I’m not getting objective information, I’m not willing for self-indulgent journalism to be paid for with tax dollars. Public funding comes with a responsibility to serve everyone, not just your own “club.” Unfortunately, it seems the left has lost the capacity to be objective. Hence, I support defunding despite countless hours of watching and listening over many years.
@user-ht6bt4mt7that’s an interesting point. If the information is correct whether not I agree, I would still support it.
@caity2460 Bias is bias. Taxpayers deserve objectivity. Bias leads inevitably to biased selection of “facts.” When you see it you can’t unsee it. When people are so convinced they’re correct, they don’t give contradictory facts the time of day.
@user-ht6bt4mt7true. It’s unfortunate that it’s come to defunding instead of reforming. Edit: when I research a topic or event I read all news outlets versions to get the big picture, so that must be why the choices of one media outlet doesn’t bother me.
@user-ht6bt4mt7
It is not the fault of public broadcasting that the facts lean left. There is SO MUCH misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and out-and-out LIES coming from the executive branch and all the way down to podcasters running block for those lies, it is staggering.
Facts are facts. Facts aren't biased. Science should be followed. Not just doing whatever the corporate sugar daddies tell you to do.
Well... guess that's how the cost of homes in BC will finally go down!
You mean up because you have 1 million people looking for homes
Down six feet but probably not six figures🤷🏼♂️
IF anything there will be more land to redevelop properly and around transit.
@kellyMitchell-r8xYeah, and the housing giants will probably sell the rubbles as "historic" houses or something...
@Jebbisbuild back better
I’ll do anything to survive the apocalypse. As long as I don’t have to talk to my neighbors.
@borzoi2607 I think it's called a joke.
@borzoi2607 lol huge woosh
@borzoi2607Do you know what "humor" is? I def don't want to "survive" around you. 😂
@vipermad358 - yeah, no one wants to be around people who can't take a joke, for sure.
😅😅😅😅😅
Wa resident here; I can't imagine preparing for this, the worst natural disaster. Prepping to live off the land for 3-6 months in the event that you don't die or so severely injured that you need emergency help is all one can do. I have some food stores, rocket stove and water purifier but I don't imagine that will keep me alive in this event.
There is a Community Emergency Response team training that prepares people for it. I did it a month ago. I recommend it 100%. Look for CERT in your county
You're one of the few people who has an accurate understanding of the situation. It's a huge ask for everyone to prepare individually for an event of this magnitude. Some people just cant and...like this is what institutions are supposed to be for. And they are failing us. At least someone is aware...
I decided to leave PNW basically for this reason.
the worst part is that we COULD have the infrastructure to survive and even thrive through this, but because of corporate greed and the hoarded wealth of the 1% here we are- they can flee in their private jets to their secure bunkers somewhere far away while the commonfolk bear the consequences of their actions
Take care of yourself, don't live on the backs of others.
It is entirely likely that the runways will be destroyed and the jets will not be going anywhere. Look at the pictures from the Alaska quake from the 1960s.
It takes cooperation to accomplish large tasks. This "every man for himself" attitude is dooming us. I used to think the same way as you. I grew up though. Maybe you should try it.
The stupid people usually suffer the most and blame it on others .
Billionaires should not exist. Hell, 100 millionaires should not exist.
I live up in northern Idaho. While not in the immediate danger zone, we're the refugee zone. We're _hoping_ that when we can finally have a house built, part of the shop (ICF build) will have extra hookups for commercial kitchen equipment and laundry. We'd like to add a few RV pads to rent over the summer for side income and add solar electric and hot water systems.
We want the property to be ready if Cascadia rips. Property features that will help the property generate an income will be able to be put into action helping provide food, shelter, and basic sanitation when the fault lets go and our neighbors to the west need our help.
Actually Idaho will shake alot
You'll want a really big vegetable garden, and a basement full of freeze dried and vacuum stored food ready to feed the five thousand. People eat more when they're shocked and scared.
Also a really good toilet system and water supply, if you're not on town services.
Thank you for being a good neighbour.
@johntitorii6676 oh yeah. but we won't experience anywhere near the level of devastation that the coast will.
Natural disaster resistance is part of our planned build. We're looking at ICF (insulated concrete form) with appropriate levels of reinforcement. We want a "green" house, but ICF will give us something that can resist both earthquakes, and more importantly, wild fire.
@tealkerberus748 lol, our plans are well above what we can afford, but one of the things we want is a geothermal greenhouse. There's a gent out of Oklahoma or Nebraska that has pioneered a design where he's harvesting oranges in January.
Also planned is a substantial root cellar.
I don't know yet if we can do it, but we're looking at a large septic system for the house and shop. The shop will have living quarters in it as well. The RV hookups will be on their own septic if we're allowed to install two systems.
Only trouble with your plan is your desire for 'generating an income' rather than 'providing charity'. These people will have lost everything; they will have nothing to give you besides desperation, except perhaps gratitude from those who are polite.
I could very easily see this as a semi large earthquake becoming one of the largest humanitarian cirisises in US History, similar to hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina for example wasnt a particularly large Hurricane, but because of the lack of strong infustructure, preparations, and extremely slow aid roll out it became the worst natural disaster in American history.
Similar? This could potentially be worse than the 2004 boxing day tsunami in the indiana ocean
We live in Oregon. All 3 of us are disabled and dependent on medications We have a disaster kit, but we will die pretty quickly.
Bummer
If you have enough cash, you could purchase two or three months' worth of medications and rotate in the oldest when the newest arrives on your regular insurance prescriptions. No, insurance won't buy you the extra supply, but it's called "self-insurance." Kind of like having three months of emergency food supplies and rotating the oldest into use and the newest in the back.
Doesn't it feel like the more time passes, the more people seem to show how little they value the lives of people with disabilities? You don't deserve that and there are people who care, though sadly they aren't the ones with all the power...
Japan is probably the most well prepared country on Earthquake, Tsunami etc. Very substantial Research, Measures and Public Education on it.
You may consider Chile as well. We get an 8.5+ earthquake every 25 years and 6.0+ every couple of months. So most of our buildings are constantly being tested. The 2010 8.8 earthquake only had 500 victims.
Nothing can prepare for something like this unless you're part of the 1% and have a bunker or access to a spaceship.
In Columbus, Ohio, natives told European Americans not to build near one of the rivers due to intense flooding events, but they were ignored. Instead of not doing anything, however, they tore down the building closest to the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers and built flood walls. A lot of people still deal with flooded basements in certain low points in the city. At least they did something though after to fix it.
The natives of the Valley of Mexico had a system that kept fresh and salt water in Lake Texcoco separate, in addition to preventing flooding. The Spanish ignored them, and now the city floods every year.
We shouldn't ignore the advice of people who have lived there for THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
there's good reason why natives never lived close to the rivers or ocean, they knew floods would happen
I live in Canada's Pacific _Southwest,_ just across the border from America's Pacific Northwest. I live in the middle floor of a 55-year-old wood-and-concrete low-rise apartment building, built before we even knew about the Cascadia fault. If I'm at home when the fault lets go, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up pancaked into the underground parking level.
Are we neighbours? Same here. I know I need to have a 72 hour go-bag, but I'm not even sure I'll make it out of my building alive. At the very least, apartment buildings like ours should be made to provide secure storage outside of the building where residents can keep emergency supplies. No one in BC ever really talks about the impacts after the Big One hits. Real planning and preparation would cost too much money and too many lost votes. They're more interested in developing gas pipelines and LNG ports.
Hey neighbour! Same boat: basement suite of a 130yo house. 🫠
Canada is supposed to value its citizens' lives better than that. It should be illegal to rent out accommodation that hasn't been retrofitted and passed inspection as being safe in the event of the worst case earthquake.
If they can't retrofit, they need to demolish and rebuild. Building for earthquakes is just a matter of the right engineering and good workers who follow the plans.
@progenitrixMight want to plan for NOT being at home when a big one hits, too. If your bldg truly will be matchsticks, your prepped stuff will be useless.
@progenitrix I live by Arcata Bay and have a storage unit in Chico. The rent for my 10x10 just went from 70 to 110 dollars. Who could afford them when like every other industry, corporations buy out the mom 'n' pops? Most of them, rightly so, don't allow storage of food and water, because rodents WILL infest the place.
Years ago I read an article about this that was published in 2011, the main purpose was to get funding for an earthquake warning system, having evacuation route put into place and to change policy to mandate new buildings be built to earthquake standards. But I don't think anything actually came of it, interesting to see this subject coming up again.
I retired in the Pacific Northwest. Rather die in "the big one" than a nursing home.
A lot of nursing homes are built with concrete blocks, so you could easily die in a nursing home from the big one...
Hi, thank you for your great show! I live in Portland, Or. We checked our gas line to be sure there’s a manual shut off, we strapped our basement to the foundation and put 8 inch screws through beams-and joists. And hoard water. The goals are to safely get out of the house before it collapses and prevent a gas leak fire.
It is insane how uncommon seismic gas shutoffs are around here. It literally prevents your house from exploding in an earthquake but almost nobody has them.
@aldermediaproductions695 Exactly! I've often thought the same thing. The shutoffs need to be automatic. California is able to do this, but Oregon isn't interested in this at all. The cost is pretty prohibitive for the average homeowner and my local gas company (NW Natural) refused to help me find an installer. Basically I got the feeling NW Natural doesn't want to help people prepare for earthquakes at all.
I live on Whidbey Island off the coast of WA. This terrifies me. I have all sorts of food, water, & emergency supplies for my family and pets. And go bags. But none of that will matter if there will be raging fires and toxic gas, not to mention that we would quickly run out of water (assuming no our water supplies survived the quake) . Plus we’d be trapped on an island (thinking about the Maui fires here), with no rescue and possibly no aid drops for what could be months. It’s given me pretty extreme anxiety for almost two years now. I’ve extensively researched other states, but (for all the reasons she mentioned) nowhere else is without issue. Do I purposely move somewhere that’s already experiencing issues (though not nearly as bad as what it’d be like if the Cascadia went), or roll the dice and stay where I am and just hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime???? I feel like it’s consumed my life. BTW, for anyone not from here, there are also 5 active volcanos in WA alone, one of which (Mt. Ranier) I heard a volcanologist say keeps them up at night. Fun times. The PNW is so incredibly beautiful. And terrifying.
I just looked - the highest point on Whidbey Island is 484 feet, so there's a chance of survival of a tsunami if you get to higher ground. But, I'd want a home at least 150 feet above sea level where I could store all my supplies. If it has a lot of trees, owning a chain saw would be a big bonus, so that you could cut timber for a place to land a rescue helicopter.
@j.patrickmoore9137Thank you. ❤
To those of you saying that folks in the area of the disaster will be on their own you’re absolutely right.
As someone who lives 2 hours east of where Hurricane Helene devastated the mountains of North Carolina, I saw this play out through folks I knew who lived there.
There were no ways in or out for days except by helicopter.
That area is roughly the size of Belgium and less populated because of the terrain. A lot of those folks also have lived in the mountains for generations and know how to “rough it.”
FEMA is notoriously under equipped for large scale disasters like this - in the early hours and days afterwards.
This area of the PNW is far more populated and larger than the area that was affected by Helene. And many folks in cities don’t have the knowledge or resources to survive and “rough it out.” The consequences of an earthquake like this would be absolutely catastrophic.
Everyone needs a “go bag”, a paper map, and food and water to survive 72 hours. They also need to make sure they know community members around them to come together and help each other survive.
No one thinks of the overlay of disasters happening at the same time. I.E 5 to 6 minutes into the earthquake the tsunami is already coming which leave less time to get to safety. Coupled with power outages and fires and broken roads and buildings leave very little openings to get to safety fast. Those that are trapped or pinned, their survival drops because not many emergency services can get to them in time.
So be prepared have a go bag, have evacuation points to meet at if traveling with family or friends and be sure to pay attention to your surroundings. Help don't hinder.
my city's plan is to have people evacuated on foot, but my car is where my go bag lives.
My wife and I live in grants pass Oregon. We are prepared to move with water food and a tent because of wildfires and also the possibility of a quake.
The 22 years I lived in PDX, I was concerned, very concerned about this. I planned to escape by bicycle, ride east till I'd reach a railroad station and wait for a train. My final action was to move to south west Michigan. The worries there are some hot days, powerful thunderst orms, tornadoes - which damage an area tiny when compared to an earthquake.
Better learn how to swim with a bicycle and be very well armed.
I live 150 miles east of Portland, Oregon (in the hills above the Columbia River). My water comes from a well that requires electricity. When I became aware that the Cascadia earthquake could happen any time, and that the grid would be down for a while, I bought two huge metal stock tanks, keeping them full to the brim with water. This emergency water supply would not be enough for 6 to 12 months, but perhaps for a month? Or more? Wiggle room.
In the greater Vancouver area, none of the bridges are expected to withstand the event. That will strand millions of people from land route emergency response.
15% chance of it happening and the preparation is basically "don't live in an old home or anywhere on the immediate coast for the next 25 years".
There's a 100 per cent chance of it happening. It's just whether it's in the next 50 years or the next 150 years. Has been happening regularly for at least 18,000 years - they can tell this from the bands of sand in coastal soils.
@I_author_articlesGee, it's almost as if they *are* , asshole.
@I_author_articles I hope that you're having fun living in that imaginary world you created in your microscopic mind
@I_author_articles Or you could take the time to investigate why that expert said that. Japan has been recording tsunami events since 684 AD. In comparison the earliest mention of a recorded American event mentioned in this episode was 300 years ago. The time difference between those two recorded events is 1341 years. So yeah, Japan has been paying attention for more than 1000 years longer than the USA.
@michaeldahms7006Great explanation. Some people, like the one you responded to, live only to prove Dunning-Kruger correct.
I live in Portland and work at a structural and civil engineering firm and now have a level of fear based on what I've learned in my day to day. I am on the business /financial side of the business but work hand in hand with engineers and learn stuff I wouldn't have. Portland's down town is built with buildings with no structural steel. URM buildings that are essentially huge bricks build the structure and with a strong shake, that whole thing comes down and crushes everything in or near it. Retrofitting these buildings is very slowly happening but it is astoundingly expensive and up to the building owner to pay. If the owner wants to do any upgrades to the building, if they spend over a certain amount per sq foot, they are required to hire a structural engineer to perform an ASCE earth quake report but might not be required to make any upgrades to help the building kill less if it gets shaken. We don't build most buildings to survive a big quake, other than emergency services like hospitals and fire stations. Those we want to still operate after the quake. Most we just don't want it to kill people. It will still need to be torn down and rebuild but you survived. If you live in the PNW look into getting your house anchored to the foundation. Even after a minor quake, if it shifts off the foundation at all, you will have a total loss and tear it down as it can no longer be counted to be structurally sound. There are essentially big spikes that anchor the house down and can help prevent total loss.
I just hope I'm not in down town when it happens...
I attended a talk about emergency preparedness from a Red Cross employee who was a geologist; when the Nisqually earthquake hit Seattle, he was working for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries in the BPA building next to the start of I-84. He said that all the geologists ran to the window to see what was happening, and as the earthquake continued, the building started to sway... and groan, and he thought: "This building was constructed by the low bid company..."
If you look at earthquake hazard maps, you'll realize that most of the Portland Metro area is built on soil that amplifies and earthquake. Very little of it is on bedrock.
@j.patrickmoore9137yep, I have seen the liquifaction reports from the geo engineers we work with. Especially anything remotely in lower land near the rivers. They adjusted the flood planes recently as well when they realized just how much more likely these "500 + year" floods are happening.
My wife's hair stylist worked in a SW Broadway salon and moved across the Willamette after the '93 quake exposed the weaknesses of the bridges and the buildings downtown. She lived on the east side and didn't want to be stranded from her children.
I will always remember how when the sunset came on the day after the 2011 Japanese Tsunami, the searchers were called home from the wreckage strewn coastal flats with a song played on loudspeakers in the hills. The song was "Yesterday" by the Beatles. It tore the heart from me to see. I don't want that here.
Woah, that is macabre.
@aldermediaproductions695 One of those moments.
Very sad. Like the big fires and floods. So heartbreaking losing those children.
As scary as this is, being able to understand it like this oddly puts me at ease to a degree regarding it. A lot of my fear around it was not knowing exactly what would happen. Now that I know what areas are likely to be affected by what, it helps.
I live in Ocean Shores, a town on Grays Harbor in Washington. A teacher in central Washington introduced a new scenario that puts our town 30ft down during a full-rip Cascadia earthquake. Bug-out bags and elevated towers aren't gonna fix it. There will be no Ocean Shores because, according to this Teacher, it'll be 50ft west and 30ft lower. the only occupants left will be clams and crabs. When the tsunami gets done, there won't even be road to escape on and the single road out will be fill of parked cars, watching people exchange insurance cards at the shape corner right outside of the city.
The hospital in Aberdeen was relocated up a hill so it may survive subsidence and the tsunami.
Scenario sounds about right. You could move to Oklahoma or Missouri; houses are cheap, and all they worry about is tornados, civil strife, flooding, losing AC in the humid summer heat or the furnace in the 20 below winter. It all depends what kind of troubles you want in life; no place is immune, and some are nicer now than others.
@feedigli🎯
I work in the area of all the oil ports and the ammonia plant has been demolished and the land has no structures on it
Interesting that she didn't mention that Portland International Airport is also built on liquefaction prone soil meaning that in the event of the mega quake planes carrying supplies and personnel likely couldn't land there
Wasn't mentioned in narration but it was in one of the visuals, if you look for it.
7:30
As a Vancouver Islander this is a bummer ... but worth it to live on a beautiful Pacific Island. 🤙🏼
See ya on a random beach
are you on the west side or the east side?
Ok...this is seriously terrifying. We live in Portland, and my brother and mother just moved to Eureka, California!
I live in Portland. Here’s what I’ve done:
1. Solar panels with battery backup
2. An EV with a charger in the garage.
3. Retrofitted my basement to prevent the house from shifting off the foundation.
4. Have seeds in long term storage for growing crops.
5. Have emergency food kits for 3 months
6. Have weapons
7. Camping gear
Things left to do:
1. Build an in ground cistern.
I’m in the Mojave Desert and I’ve done these things too
An ev is the dumbest vehicle to be relying on after a quake. . .
@tconbo4514now that I think about it, you may be right. I need an EV bike. Or maybe an EV four wheeler of some kind.
@Encephalitisify earthquake, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, flood, wind, snow, thunderstorm - 1st thing out is electricity. You're right about it being better to have a bike or an atv tho. Just not an electric one. . .
Sounds like you're fairly well prepared. Solar panels will charge the car - maybe not really fast, but better than nothing. Probably better to get the cistern dug now, unless you know the water table is high under your property; you're not going to want to be crawling down a 50 or 100 foot hole digging to get water.
I've turned my little van into a travel camper with everything I need. Tested one winter in Arizona, and two summers in Oregon and it worked out good. I keep it ready at all times. It's my goto bag for sleeping, resting, eating writing, and editing video on my laptop.
At 11:42 she says they made a whole episode of what to include in your "Go Bag", but I can't find it. Can anyone provide me the link to that episode?
I searched PBS go bag on RUclips and it came right up.
ruclips.net/video/BiqlUC--R6k/video.htmlsi=TioMCAQ_L6BK4puT
The video is 4 years old I’d recommend ruclips.net/video/QvfB--WZhh0/video.htmlsi=ECAGB1ubYLAPrmvn if you want something comprehensive and budget friendly. Mmmm, they also have videos that get way more granular on the subject should you want relevant content.
@myriadendThanks!
I’m ready with supplies to live off grid 2 months but I don’t think even that is enough. 😢
What the fuck are we able to do against earthquakes? Besides making infrastructure be earthquake resilient, there is nothing we can do.
Bingo. We should avoid areas like this in the first place.
I miss doing these types of destruction 3D graphics for History/Discovery/National Geographic Channels. They were alot of fun to work on. 😅
We are so mismanaged here in WA state. 1-5 is falling apart, our ferries are antiquated etc. I don't think they even budgeted for earthquake refits. And we are in debt even with massive tax increases.
WELL THANK GOD NWS & NOAA are fully staffed and fully budgeted to forecast these future catastrophes!!
Wait what?
Yes, doesn't the fat orange carrot make you feel safe and secure, while he wastes time and money trying to buy Greenland. To hell with making his country safer. 😂
Eek. Prepare? Nothing. I moved from Honolulu a year ago and left all of my prep stuff with people there who I figured need it more than I. That said, most was tsunami prep. Not toxic plumes. Not earthquake. Guess it's time to get on that. Thanks for the update. And neighbors in Kern/Buckman, I'm retired from ER/trauma nursing in my mid-40s to do something else, but that knowledge base never truly leaves you. If this happens in our lifetime, I'll be looking to help anyone who needs it. 🤙
Cool 💚
Living next to Forest Park in Portland is now scary.
as an oregonian... can this happen before I have to go to work?