DNR published report shows potential gaps in earthquake recovery

The strong earthquake that struck the Chinese province of Sichuan this weekend killing more than 180 people is a reminder of the earthquake risks we face in Washington state. Geologists say it is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ a major earthquake strikes our state.

A major problem that emergency planners face is how long should it take to rebuild infrastructure versus how long will it take? To get a picture of how well we are, or are not, prepared to recover from a large earthquake, DNR— home of the state’s geologic survey—worked with other members of the Washington State Seismic Safety Committee to publish the ‘Resilient Washington State’ report. The report contrasts optimum recovery times with best estimates of the reality. For example, hospitals in the greater Seattle area would need to be operational almost immediately after a major earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone, but in reality some facilities might be seriously damaged and stay offline for months. The Resilient Washington State’ report offers recommendations to improve statewide resilience to earthquakes and other disasters.

This article from Washington State Magazine shows the challenges we can expect to face in western Washington following a major earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone, which lies just off of our coast.

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Great Alaskan earthquake hit 49 years ago; effects felt in Washington State, too.

Large waves generated by the 9.2 magnitude Alaskan earthquake in 1964 destroyed this bridge in Washington State.

Yesterday (while we were intently focused on the aftermath of Whidbey Island landslide), was the anniversary of the March 27, 1964, earthquake in south-central Alaska that caused about 143 deaths. The magnitude 9.2 earthquake lasted for almost three minutes and caused widespread destruction to buildings, bridges and other infrastructure. In addition to hitting many  Alaskan coastal communities, tsunami waves generated by the earthquake took lives and destroyed property in British Columbia, Oregon and California, including 12 people in Crescent City, California, and four at Beverly Beach State Park in Oregon.

Here’s more information about earthquakes in Washington.

The Washington Emergency Management Division says the best way to survive any type of disaster is to have a plan, keep informed, and have a mobile survival kit. Find out if you are in a tsunami inundation zone. Download a tsunami evacuation brochure for your community. DNR worked with local governments to produce these brochures.

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DNR weekend reading: The sand dune filtration system for polluted runoff water

The Fuzzy Top Trail takes hikers into the finest stand of old-growth trees in Capitol State Forest near Olympia, WA . Photo: Jessica Payne/DNR.

Here are links to articles about natural resources, climate, energy and other topics  published recently by universities, scientific journals, organizations, and other sources:

North Carolina State University: Researchers Devise Hidden Dune Filters To Treat Coastal Stormwater Runoff

When it rains, untreated stormwater can sweep pollutants into coastal waters, potentially endangering public health. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed low-cost filtration systems that are concealed beneath sand dunes and filter out most of the bacteria that can lead to beach closures.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Scripps Scientists Discover ‘Lubricant’ for Earth’s Tectonic Plates

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have found a layer of liquefied molten rock in Earth’s mantle that may be acting as a lubricant for the sliding motions of the planet’s massive tectonic plates. The discovery may carry far-reaching implications, from solving basic geological functions of the planet to a better understanding of volcanism and earthquakes.

Daily Bulldog: UMF’s biggest geothermal project set to begin May 19
Some 80 geothermal wells will be dug in the heart of the University of Maine at Farmington campus starting this May. The $1.55 million project, which is expected to save upwards of 30,000 gallons of fuel oil each year, is part of the university’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2035.

Science Daily: Suggestions for a Middle Ground Between Unlogged Forest and Intensively Managed Lands

In the world’s forested regions, two management systems — retention forestry and agroforestry — are being used to alleviate conflicts between preserving biodiversity and addressing human needs in production landscapes. A new article draws a parallel between the ecological effects of the two systems.

Scientific American: Noisy Ships Creep Out Crabs (Podcast)

The cacophony of ships at sea is stressing shore crabs and could be bothering other marine life.

Nisqually magnitude 6.8 earthquake was 12 years ago today

The 2001 Nisqually Earthquake caused a building debris to fall into the street of downtown Olympia. Make sure you’re prepared for a natural disaster. Photo: Joe Dragovich/DNR.

It was 12 years ago, today that a magnitude 6.8 earthquake centered 11 miles north of Olympia shook much of Western Washington. The Nisqually Earthquake hit at 10:54 a.m. on February 28, 2001. The Seattle PI website just posted some previously unpublished photos of the damage.

To see more photos of the earthquake damage, take a look at DNR’s Nisqually earthquake information web page.

Recently, DNR worked with the Washington Emergency Managment Division and federal agencies to publish estimates of the potential losses from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on the Nisqually fault zone. The fault runs beneath Pierce and Thurston counties but 15 other counties would feel this  impact, including King County, which would suffer significant damage along with Pierce and Thurston counties.

Download the report, “Modeling a Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake on the Nisqually Fault Zone near Olympia.” — the title sounds wonky but it is actually a somewhat quick read. And what you’ll come away with after reading the report is (we hope) a strong resolve to be prepared for a disaster wherever you are.

Develop a plan and a disaster supply kit for your household. Learn more from the Washington Emergency Managment Division.

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Deadly Solomon Island tsunami highlights need for tsunami awareness here

In the news today are reports that magnitude 8 earthquake hit near the Solomon Islands, generating a tsunami that is reported to have damaged dozens of homes in the South Pacific island chain. At least five people were killed.

The location of the quake is in the region of the boundary of two major tectonic plates, the Australia and Pacific plates — the Australia plate is being forced (subducted) beneath the Pacific plate. For background, see today’s scientific summary report from the USGS

Another major subduction, known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, lies just off the coast of Washington state, which is why tsunami awareness is a focus of natural hazards planning efforts here. DNR and its Geology and Earth Resources Division work with federal agencies and local governments to prepare maps of recommended tsunami evacuation routes for many coastal Washington communities. We also map earthquake faults and hazards. Local and state emergency officials rely on these maps, in addition to data and estimates prepared by DNR’s geologists and other sources to plan their responses to earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters.

DNR’s interactive web portal also offers Washington State tsunami evacuation maps. We also co-developed a smartphone application that shows the danger zones and evacuation routes (in the future we hope to update the app. to provide alerts and other information).

More DNR tsunami safety resources…

‘Twas 313 years ago that the Northwest really, really shook; mega earthquake & tsunami hit on Jan. 26, 1700

Click on photo to find out more about the interactive tsunami evacuation maps and smartphone and iPhone apps available for the Pacific Northwest.

Maybe it was the excitement over the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl (just kidding), but we overlooked an important observance this weekend: the 313th anniversary of the (estimated) magnitude 9.0 megathrust earthquake and tsunami that occurred on the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coastline of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and British Columbia.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake on the Cascadia fault would be one thousand times more powerful than the 2001 magnitude 6.8 Nisqually, Washington earthquake. The impacts on coastal communities would be similar to the earthquakes that struck Japan in March 2011 and Chile in February 2010. 

Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) has developed a number of free products to help Cascadia residents, schools, businesses, and emergency managers become better prepared for future earthquakes. CREW’s disaster planning toolkits for small businesses, post-disaster recovery guides, and other preparedness materials are available online at www.crew.org .

Additional resources are the interactive tsunami evacuation maps of the Pacific Northwest developed by DNR and the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. Those maps are tied into a web portal and apps for Android and iPhone (developed by Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems).

More information about the free TsunamiEvac-NW app and Web portal.

Because it houses the Washington State Geologist, DNR provides education and technical assistance to citizens, industry and government on geologic hazards, including tsunami risks.

DNR weekend reading: Buggy Christmas trees, oldest timber construction, Russian earthquake dangers, and more!

The Little Pend Oreille River near Flodelle Campground, a DNR-managed recreation site in northeastern Washington State. Photo: Kyle Pomrankey/DNR.

Here are links to reading selections about climate, wildlife, the environment and other science news published recently by science journals, universities, websites, and other sources.

Science Daily: Bugs in the Christmas Tree
Your Christmas tree may be adorned with lights and glitter. But some 25,000 insects, mites, and spiders (on average) are sound asleep inside the tree. Most don’t live off of the tree, only in it, and will quickly dry out and die when brought  indoors. They usually do not cause damage and are never seen by the homeowner…  but they are there.

University of Freiburg: The Age of the World’s Oldest Timber Constructions is determined
A research team has succeeded in precisely dating four water wells whose wooden liners are the oldest known timber constructions in the world. Built between 5206 and 5098 BC, the wooden structures were built by the first Central European agricultural civilization and feature sophisticated wood working techniques, including complex corner (mortise and tenon) joints — all done with stone tools.

Environment 360: How Data and Social Pressure Can Reduce Home Energy Use
The relationship between utilities and their customers are changing in unprecedented ways, including the rise of new companies deploying vast amounts of data and social psychology techniques to try to persuade people to use less electricity in their homes

University of Washington: Russian Far East holds seismic hazards that could threaten Pacific Basin
But research in the last 20 years has shown that the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands are a seismic and volcanic hotbed, with a potential to trigger tsunamis that pose a risk to the rest of the Pacific Basin, including the Washington state’s Pacific coast.

University of Washington: Plumes across the Pacific deliver thousands of microbial species to West Coast
Analyzing samples from two large dust plumes originating in Asia in the spring of 2011, UW scientists detected a surprising number of microorganisms – more than 2,100 unique species — the biggest gap on the planet. Hitching rides in the upper troposphere, they’re making their way from Asia across the Pacific Ocean and landing in North America.

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B.C. earthquake gives Pacific tsunami warning system a workout

This monitoring buoy is one of dozens positioned at strategic locations throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans to help authorities forecast tsunamis. Photo: NOAA.

An earthquake off the coast of British Columbia on Saturday night gave the international tsunami warning system a workout. Fortunately, no big, damaging waves developed. The strong earthquake(7.7 magnitude) shook the Queen Charlotte Islands Saturday night just after 8 p.m. The earthquake–at a depth of 3 miles and centered 96 miles south of Masset, B.C.– triggered tsunami warnings for coastal British Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii. No impact was reported to Washington’s coast. The location of the earthquake is where two tectonic plates — the Pacific and the North America plates — meet and raise the risks of large, damaging earthquakes that could cause widespread damage in western Washington.

The weekend’s earthquake and resulting tsunami warning come just 10 days after the regional Great Shakeout earthquake drill on October 18. More than 700,000 Washington residents were signed up to participate in the awareness-raising drills, which included tsunami warning siren tests along Washington State’s outer coast.

DNR works with federal, other state and local authorities to map tsunami and earthquake risks. Here’s how to access our free maps and a smartphone app. dedicated to tsunami safety. Learn more about tsunamis.

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Thousands of Washington residents participating in earthquake drill today at 10:18 a.m. (PDT)

Join the thousands of people in Washington State (680,000 registered at last count) who will Drop, Cover, and Hold On at 10:18 a.m. today in the 2012 Great Washington ShakeOut!   The organizers suggest businesses, schools and other organizations hold drills this morning but any time within two weeks of October 18 counts — some have difficult-to-reschedule events while others, like REI stores, will conduct drills for employees before public business hours.

This annual drill is a great way for you, your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.

You can’t have a realistic earthquake drill without the sound of rumbling ground. Among the tools provided by the Great Washington ShakeOut are scripts, announcements, planning lists and… sound effects. At the very least, it’s a good way to test your speaker system’s bass response.

NOTE: If you live in one of Washington’s outer coastal counties, you are scheduled for a tsunami siren test at 10:18 a.m. today.

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New Zealand quake’s impacts linger long afterwards; Construction on unstable soils amplified hazards

IN LIEU OF A LOO: For two long years now—since the devastating earthquake in September 2010—many residents of Christchurch, N.Z., have had to dispose of their waste in curbside bins for regular pick up because repairing sewer lines in unstable soils would be too costly. Photo by John D. Schelling, EMD

In August, John Schelling, Washington State Emergency Management Division’s earthquake program manager, visited Christchurch, New Zealand as part of a U.S. Geological Survey research project. Buildings and people in Christchurch experienced some of the strongest vertical motions ever recorded from the September 4, 2010, earthquake and its many aftershocks.

Schelling’s posting today on the Emergency Management Division’s blog describes the lessons we can–and should–learn about earthquake preparation and damage prevention. Large sections of the city crumbled because they were built on land susceptible to ground liquefaction. He notes that entire neighborhoods, even fairly new ones, in Christchurch have been abandoned because the instability of the land now makes it cost prohibitive to continue providing them with water, wastewater and electricity (see John’s photo with this article).

Mapping areas here in Washington that are susceptible to soil liquefaction and other hazards can help planners, builders and citizens better understand our potential risks from earthquakes. Geologists from DNR’s Geology and Earth Resources Division use modern geotechnical and geophysical methods, as well as historical records, to identify and assess geologic hazards. Most geologic mapping done by companies and universities is for a specific purpose and covers small areas. Our job as the state survey is to produce maps that cover whole areas of the state at various scales.

DNR’s geologists also hold workshops to show cities and counties how to use these maps for land-use and emergency-management planning. In response to the Growth Management Act’s mandate to use the ‘best available science’, our geologists meet with local governments and citizens in at-risk communities to educate them about geologic hazards and ensure that these hazards are considered in growth management and disaster planning.

DNR’s earthquake mapping and risk assessment are valuable tools here in Washington State where there is a 10 percent to 14 percent chance of a subduction zone earthquake and a 20 percent chance of a quake like the one that hit Christchurch in our lifetimes.

See DNR’s county maps of earthquake hazards.

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