When was nisqually earthquake

Administrators piggybacked the project on construction of a gym fortified against ground shaking and surging water and with room on its roof for a thousand people to take shelter. The seeds for creating tsunami refuges in Washington were planted a decade ago in a course she participated in at the University of Washington, Siok recalled.

Students organized community meetings and helped residents brainstorm the options. Now those seeds are beginning to sprout.

We just need to keep working. Seattle Times columnist Gene Balk contributed to this report, which also includes material from Seattle Times archives. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Traffic Alert. By Sandi Doughton. Show caption. Sandi Doughton: or sdoughton seattletimes.

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Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. View subscription offers here. For more information, visit our FAQ's. For the past two decades, all has been pretty quiet.

Most of my students at the University of Washington were just being born around then. The passing of decades quickly lulls us into a false sense of complacency, but another earthquake just like Nisqually — or worse — could happen at any time.

Knowing that the and quakes were very similar to the one in , seismologists believe that chances are better than even that another Nisqually will happen in the coming few decades. When that occurs, it will be a calamitous day, and we must certainly anticipate and prepare for it.

However, the last time the Cascadia subduction zone fault moved was Jan 26, ; on average this happens about every years. So, while a giant coastal quake could happen at any time in the next couple of centuries , another like Nisqually will likely happen in mere decades. The Seattle Fault and others like it present hazards, too, but large earthquakes on each of them seem to occur more like every few thousand years.

In short, in our lifetimes Washingtonians are actually most likely to experience another event like Nisqually. Our region has made real, tangible strides in preparing for the next one, like replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with the Highway 99 tunnel and seawall and developing an exciting new earthquake early-warning system. However, I am concerned that as the time since our last earthquake stretches longer, the sense of urgency we felt to upgrade old structures, especially the thousands of older brick buildings unreinforced masonry and brittle reinforced concrete construction in Washington, is gradually fading.

These buildings need to be retrofitted to become more resilient to any and all future quakes. Just as importantly, we need to ensure the solutions distribute the costs fairly and equitably and does not further exacerbate the housing crisis. Furthermore, we need stronger investment in research focused on the seismic hazards of our region, many of which are unique within the continental U.

The long-term prosperity of our region depends on both of these efforts. The pandemic has vividly shown us the perils of being underprepared for known risks. We must find the political will and commitment to build a safer future. The earthquake caused serious damage to many buildings, roads, and bridges. Olympia, Washington was hit especially hard, including damage to the state capitol building. Older downtown Seattle experienced heavy damage along with the Boeing Field runway and the air traffic control tower at SeaTac Airport.

Brick buildings in Pioneer Square in Seattle were also heavily impacted including the Cadillac hotel pictured here. After the viaduct suffered some support sagging it was deemed to fail in the event of another earthquake. This damage ultimately led to its replacement with the State Route 99 tunnel under downtown Seattle in February, While the new State Route 99 tunnel in downtown Seattle was the most prolific project to result from the quake, it was certainly not the only one. As much of the damage involved older unreinforced masonry or concrete buildings, many buildings and bridges were retrofitted.

Additionally seawalls were reconstructed and the emergency operations center in Seattle was moved in to a building with a higher seismic standard. Many retrofit projects continue in Washington to this day. Do you want to know more about how cities can keep buildings safe during earthquakes?

Visit our blog More Ways to Keep Buildings Safe in Earthquakes for a deep dive into the innovative protective systems and how these technologies help buildings resist earthquakes. The Pacific Northwest faces nearly as much earthquake risk as California, so preparation is essential for residents in this area.

The 20 year anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake is the perfect opportunity to spend a day making sure you are prepared for the next inevitable quake. Did you know? Jumpstart recently launched in Oregon and Washington! This parametric insurance product pays a lump-sum right away that policyholders can use to pay for any expense related to the earthquake.

Categories Earthquake Preparedness.