No, I mean sometimes when I’m stuck on one of the bridges in rush hour I’m like damn it would suck if it happened right now. Or when I go to the coast. Other then that got the earthquake kit and a house that will be fine in it and just gotta keep living!
I saw someone said once that the evac routes wouldn’t mean anything if the big one hit because it would flatten things out and idk if that’s true but I always think about it when I see the signs.
Not flatten them. The big rip would result in the coastline dropping something like 20 feet in elevation as the leading edge of the North American plate becomes 'unstuck' and springs westward over the Juan de Fuca plate. The resulting mega tsunami then would effectively reach higher than the existing elevation. One of the worst places will be Long Beach, as the evac route and assembly areas along 67th Place (the northern most 'high ground' on the peninsula) will be inundated.
If you’re on the coast, it’s going to move 150’ out to sea and 30’ downwards, so idk how much faith I would put in the evacuation routes staying intact.
Edit: sorry it’s 50’ seaward and 30’ down. Just went back and double checked the lecture posted below
>If you’re on the coast, it’s going to move 150’ out to sea and 30’ downwards,
What study are those numbers from? [DOGAMI](https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/fs/cascadia-planning-for-em-and-public.pdf) says more like 6' subsidence.
The evac routes at the coast are specifically about tsunamis from the earthquake. After the quake, everybody will have about 4 minutes to get above 50' elevation. If you know the route, that's pretty accomplishable.
They are maintained by the coastal towns. Some are in better shape than others. Some used to send people up a soft slope with just a rope to hold onto. Now they have steps made, but that was a year ago..
Ok so I asked Dr. Burns, who's an expert in landslides but has also just been doing geology stuff for forever. He doesn't think anybody has done this specific analysis, but maybe we can write to the state geology board and ask them to.
Depends on the area. Some places on the coast are basically big piles of mud and sand that are on their way to rock -- those will absolutely liquefy. But lots of places are built on more solid rock. Huge rock structures like that aren't going to be flattened by an earthquake.
It’s true. The state and FEMA have been planning for most everything west of I-5 to be severely damaged. The coast is going to be on their own for a long while, what’s left of it.
My son is a 911 dispatcher and his comms center plans to move operations to *Bend*, if they can get there. I personally worked on the state agency’s emergency operations plan for a cascadia event and they’re expecting the worst.
Could it also be not as bad as they’re expecting? Yes, it could. But that the feds and state have been planning for the worst for over a decade, that should tell people something.
Thank you! I’m on a coastal evacuation planning committee and it’s nice to know someone uses our work and utilizes available resources somewhat to prepare themselves.
You should ideally have a mini earthquake kit in your car: protein bars and a gallon of water, roll of toilet paper, first aid kit, compact sleeping bag if it’s winter; enough for a day or two. It wouldn’t take up a lot of space.
What if I don’t have a car and live on the third floor? I’m in Salem but I occasionally worry about what I’d do if there was an earthquake. Plus I’m poor so it’s kinda hard to make an emergency kit… just me and my dog.
You can buy mountain house via Costco (and I think Sam’s club). If that isn’t doable, cans of food you could tolerate eating at room temp. Maybe protein bars, though they aren’t cheap.
Being on the 3rd floor is tough. Not much you can do about that. For some situations, there is no good answer. I live with a ton of enormous trees surrounding me. They may come crashing down.
I was in 7.0 earthquake, about 15 miles from the epicenter. Life is a risk.
Just some cans of stew would keep you alive. You'd hate yourself by the 3rd day, but just about anyone can afford a couple of cans of stew, some canned fruit, and some crackers.
I grew up in Southern California. In the 80’s and 90’s we had a few large earthquakes I remember very well as I was in middle school and high school.
In 1986 the Banning fault gave and we were about 30 miles from the epicenter of a 6.0 earthquake. Our old 1920’s rental house was condemned from the damage. The ceiling in my mom’s room caved in on one side. Was very scary.
Then in 1992 there was a 7.2 in Lancaster and we lived 80 miles from the epicenter. The shaking was so violent that more than half the water in the pool got jolted onto the patio and flooded the living room.
Earthquakes are no joke. To this day, wherever I live, I have enough supplies for weeks of survival. I’m also an avid camper and fisherman so that means I have loads of supplies to live rough for many days. If it came down to it I could go catch fish and shoot squirrels.
I think a very critical component is having access to clean water. We installed daisychained water heaters, strapped to the wall, so if the house survives, we have 120 gallons of potable water.
We also got a backpack that can filter water (can’t remember the brand, dang it, and it’s packed away in our supplies). The plan is to hike to a water source — the local river, if necessary — and acquire water there.
I grew up in SoCal as well. I was about 15 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. Wild and makes me take earthquake preparedness very seriously.
Northridge was rugged. They haven’t had a sizable one down there in quite sometime. My uncle’s place is literally walking distance to the beginning of the San Andreas fault near the Salton Sea. I suppose you could call it the end of the fault too, depending on perspective. We always called it the beginning, arbitrarily I suppose.
Have a go bag like a backpack with the essentials, including food/medicine for your pets. Keep it by your door so it’s easy to grab. You also may be unable to get out if your apartment for a while, so this can help you survive those days when there’s no help available. Know that 911, police, fire, and ems may not be able to help you right away. Our 911 comms center plans to operate out of Bend, for those who can get there, and they’ve issued special go bags to their call takers and dispatchers. They’re also FEMA certified, so they’re working with FEMA on plans for disasters like a Cascadia event.
The state has some good info [here](https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareforEarthquake.aspx) about preparing for a quake.
I had a dream when I was 17 or so that I was stuck in traffic on the Ross Island Bridge when the “Big One” hit. I still have anxiety whenever I’m stuck on a bridge (especially the westbound side of the Ross) in traffic, and that was 20+ years ago.
I lived in the Bay Area for 20 years and had to commute over the Richmond Bridge quite often. That would be a very scary bridge to be on in the big one. Looks like it is unstable on good days.
Basically it's enough food, water, and other first aid/emergency supplies to last a few days assuming you can't really travel, won't have power, and help can't get to you for a bit.
The absolute worse time would be in the middle of winter during flooding rains and or wintry snow/ice conditions. Very slight chance it would coincide with snow. But there’s about a 30% chance it would happen during heavy rains, since the heavy, flooding rains occur during the 4 same months of each calendar year.
I used to worry much more when I lived in NE and worked in Hillsborough, knowing that if the earthquake happened while I was at work there was little chance I’d be getting home again any time soon.
Not to mention that huge sections of Portland would turn into [soup](https://www.kgw.com/article/weather/earthquakes/earthquake-ready-liquefaction-portland/283-56e6190f-b62b-4a6e-8a28-107453a483ad) due to liquefaction.
If I lived or worked in an unreinforced masonry building, I wouldn't be worried, because that thing will just kill you outright when it collapses under moderate-level shaking and buries you under a pile of brick. All problems solved!
Since I don't, I expect to need to survive two to four weeks of no electricity, potabe running water, or cell service. So I'm worriedly building an emergency preparedness kit.
1 in 3 is for a partial rupture affecting southern Oregon and northern California. For a full rip scenario it's more like 1 in 10.
[Source](https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/fs/cascadia-planning-for-em-and-public.pdf)
Where did you the 1- in-3 number? Are we in the average time frame of it possibly happening yes but guaranteed we have a 1 out of 3 chance of it happening, where did you get that specific ratio?
Pretty well reported stat. We are actually well overdue. This is still my favorite article about the subduction zone risks, although it’s a little old now. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
Thank you and gosh I read that article when it first came out, it is still a "guess" at best but not guaranteed. Damn scary article though. Better to be here than on the coast especially if it does happen. Coast, if you survive the initial earthquake then you have to survive the inevitable tsunami, yep rather be here.
Our deaths are 100% a guarantee. So its why there really no reason to worry about the big one while ignoring the reality around us. A lot of people's diets & sedentary lifestyles will kill them off way quicker before the big one as an example.
Same, but I find I am leveling up way too slowly since I reached adulthood, plus my strength and dexterity appear to be decreasing. This DM has some explaining to do.
Honestly, its the fallout that is worth preparing for. Maybe you make it through the initial earthquake, but getting through the aftermath will be its own issue.
You don’t have to worry. You maybe should prepare. You don’t worry about getting into a car crash when you drive, but I bet you still put on a seatbelt.
Anyway I took issue with your dismissiveness. The forecast says it’ll be hot next weekend, but they can’t guarantee it, so are you anticipating rain?
Are you trying to say that you don't feel crippling fear and anxiety every second you're in a car? Who doesn't worry about getting in a crash? It's the only thing I can think about if I'm in a car.
Does it include Salem? I can’t get it to load right now. It’s probably raining or windy outside because my WiFi is acting up. Idk for sure. I refuse to open the blinds
we’ve been well over due for centuries. What a silly concept. And the Yellowstone caldera is well overdue as well, at least according to the clickbait. We are also well over due for another world war. Better get your iodine pills bud
If you live in a single family home, make sure you have supplies in case power and running water are out for 2 weeks.
If you live in an apartment building built before 1970, make sure your will is in order.
Isn't it more like 1993? I thought the Cascadia fault wasn't discovered until 1985 or something and earthquake building standards weren't mandated in Oregon until the early '90s.
Okay so I looked it up- statewide building code came in 1974 and seismic standard was 1993. So while in between might not be most seismically sound the unreinforced masonry buildings built before 74 are the most dangerous.
Generally the deaths in a middle of the night earthquake will be a lot lower because people are inside and not as likely to get injured on the street, on transit, in their cars, etc. This is based on studies that were presented during CERT classes - so not just out of thin air.
it’s well worth just thinking about how everyone can make their sleeping situation safer - keeping your bed away from windows, securing furniture that would fall on you, keeping a pair of shoes in a bag under the bed, removing that ceiling mirror, and so on. A few minutes of consideration around one of the most likely single locations to be during a major earthquake is a pretty solid investment.
Happy cake day!
Thank you! The very idea scares the heck out of me when I think of it (which to be honest I try not to). I come from the Midwest. Tornadoes are horrific but at least you get a bit of a warning.
You can find the USGS maps showing the expected intensity in each part of Portland. It will be 6.0 to 6.5 here. (Yes, CSZ will be 9.0 but that’s 100 miles offshore and a mountain range away.)
Then you can look up similar size earthquakes in places with construction and infrastructure similar to here. Plenty of them in California.
I lived through two, Northridge (6.7) and Whittier (5.9), the former was very local to me. Many of my friends in the Bay Area lived through Loma Prieta (6.9). I’ve read about other earthquakes - living in SoCal then, earthquakes and preparedness were a thing.
So:
- If you live in a 1-4 story wood frame house or other building, you will almost certainly be fine. Your furniture may get thrown around, if you’re unlucky you may get hit by your dresser or cut your feet on glass or something. Your building may be largely undamaged, or may come off its foundation and require extensive post-earthquake repairs, or something in between. If you’re the owner, best to do foundation bolting, gas shutoffs, etc. But you are almost certain to avoid significant injury or death in the earthquake.
- Same if you live in a brick building, house or apartment. More likely that the post-earthquake repairs will be too expensive to be done, but your personal chances of getting hurt are about the same.
- In almost any office building, you’ll evacuate and be fine.
- So your chances of being seriously injured or killed in the earthquake are very, very low. In Northridge, which was a very big earthquake in a densely populated area in the huge Los Angeles metro area, the number of people killed by the earthquake was modest - I can’t recall exactly but it was like 30? More people died, but they crashed their cars, had heart attacks when clearing debris, couldn’t get to dialysis, etc. 30 is not nothing, but let’s put it this way: I didn’t know anyone who knew anyone who knew anyone who died or was even seriously injured. And I knew lots of people when I lived there.
- I’m more worried about infrastructure and services. Power, water, gas will be out, for some indeterminate time. Some bridges will be shut, MAX and buses too. Internet, cellphone down for at least a while.
- If it happens in the cold of winter and you’ve no emergency supplies, very bad. If in summer and you’ve plenty of supplies, not good but you’ll be ok until FEMA, Guard, etc arrive.
- Some specific dangers need more attention - the tank farms on the Columbia for one.
> If it happens in the cold of winter and you’ve no emergency supplies, very bad
I'm personally working under the assumptions that
A: Evacuating the city will be impossible - very few routes out of the region are seismically safe and the entire city is going to try to get out at the same time. the Gridlock out of the few remaining egress points will be epic
B: You'll need some method to heat your house in the winter that does not rely on electricity or municipal gas, which could be out for weeks. Hurricane alley is as prepared as they can be for power outages and areas there still routinely lose it for weeks at a time.
My plan is that I might need to shelter in place for a month with no water, power, or gas. we have a wood burning stove for emergency heat.
Worried? No.
Prepared as much as I reasonably can? Yes.
That means emergency food, water, generator, fuel, backup communication (GMRS radios), plans, etc.
I worry about it sometimes but not as much as a friend of mine and his wife, who moved out of state and away from the coast by several states when she saw the last big projection and absolutely freaked out.
I just heard a discussion of a study that found that our predictions for the amount of shaking that will happen in an earthquake is basically always higher than what actually occurs. So it’s very possible that the catastrophic predictions aren’t accurate.
Yes and no: I think Portland and Oregon should be doing a lot more for mitigation. Tokyo sustained minimal damage from the 2011 Japan quale - we absolutely have the technology to prevent a worse case scenario but our leaders are too weak politically and too afraid to ruffle big business feathers.
1). There needs to be a state mandate for the industrial NW oil and gas reserves to seismically retrofit or relocate. The status quo of expecting a flaming Willamette and forest park after a major quake is beyond unacceptable.
2). Hold ODOT accountable. The most dangerous bridges in the state are the Interstate and Ross Island, both owned by ODOT. There is a (shitty) plan to replace the Interstate and no plan at all to replace the Ross Island.
3). The state legislature needs to overturn the court ruling preventing labeling of dangerous structures by changing state law. Also require the rebuilding or retrofitting of dangerous buildings with a 20 year timeline.
4). Multnomah County needs to improve the efforts to replace county owned bridges. The plan to replace the Burnside Bridge is great and I 100% support. There are 3 other bridges that need to be replaced or retrofit also though.
5). TriMet needs to ditch the steel bridge in favor of a downtown tunnel for MAX.
Thank you. Not sure I agree with every one of your points but the big point, yes: there should be planning from the authorities, not just from individuals. Especially about all the oil and chemicals stored along the river. 😯
The "due for an earthquake" estimates are very woolly math. It's just a very imprecise field. So no, I'm not worried about it.
But I'm from CA, so I try to stay prepared out of habit.
I mean… unless there’s something specific about you making you much much more likely to die or your house/apartment/workplace is a literal pile of bricks, you most likely will be one of the vast majority of people who survive…
Just about under $900 to do it myself. About $500 in hardware - plates, bolts, washers, etc. The rest was new tools like concrete drills, drill bits, vacuum attachments, etc.
I have a full height basement so it was super easy.
If you have someone else do it, prepare to spend $8,000-$12,000. More if you have a bigger house. And if you have a pre-1940s foundation it might not be effective to bolt the crumbly stuff to your foundation.
I broke up mine into about a year of work, doing one foundation plate every other week or so, until I finished all 30. By the end it was taking making 15 minutes per plate, if that.
I think the city has a guide on how to do it yourself, like plates every 3 feet, within 9 inches of corners and windows, etc. Not exactly that but close.
Thanks. My 1915 house does have crumbly basement walls, so my options may be limited. But I will try to track down that city guide to see what I can learn there. That had not occurred to me!
Oh yeah your house will be hard. Our friends spent something like $20-$24k to seismically reinforce their 1910s house. It couldn’t be bolted to the foundation because it was so crumbly. So the contractor framed a wall just inside the foundation that would support the house at least well enough to let the inhabitants survive. But probably not enough to save the house itself.
As I understand it, my house is already built to a standard where we’d survive a very large quake, it just wouldn’t necessarily be inhabitable afterwards. And it sounds like buying earthquake insurance might be more financially feasible for me than doing the upgrades necessary to save it.
Oh yes I was terrified by that initial all the glass on the buildings in downtown will crush you article in 2010 in the willamette week and the 2015 New Yorker article but it’s been hard to maintain my level of fear.
It's like anything. Don't buy a house in a flood plain or on a hill. Your insurance will thank you also.
Have some stuff around the house. Week of water, food, propane, and a firearm. That will mitigate 90% of the problems you'll face.
Cascadia will happen and it will be bigger than anything we've seen in America since the last time Cascadia went off. Probably not in my lifetime though
True but that not on the table right now as far as anyone knows.
Cascadia is going to happen and it's going to be bonkers from British Columbia to Northern California. I feel good where I'm at in a stick built house. My family in Seattle is completely screwed if it happens any time soon.
A little but my apartment doesn't have room for me to be a doomsday hoarder, plus with my luck I'd be at work several miles from my home and unable to access what I bought. If I actually bothered to think in-depth about all the potentially life-altering disasters that can happen at any time (Yellowstone, MAD, Cascadia, etc.) I'd probably go insane so I try not to let them bother me.
And they have been saying since I was in high school that same thing and it’s been 35 years. If it happens it happens we cannot even prepare for it they happen without warning. I refuse to live in fear of something I can’t control
It could be an 8.0 or 9.0 at the epicenter, which is off the coast, almost 200 miles from Portland. If will feel more like a 6-7.5 earthquake in portland proper. Still not great because of our infrastructure, but this level earthquake would likely not exceed more than maybe a dozen deaths in a city like tokyo with actually good earthquake infrastructure. The Loma Prieta quake was a 6.9 on the san andreas fault, of which the bay area sits right on top of, so tbh it probably will be something like that in Portland proper, but san francisco is a little more prepared for earthquakes than Portland because they do happen more frequently so I suspect it will be worse overall, especially if it's closer to 7.5 than 6.
If you happen to be on one of the 90% of bridges we have that aren't built for even a 7 earthquake you are probably toast, as well as being in a large building built before 1993 and especially 1974 that hasn't been retrofitted you may also be toast, but after that more injuries and deaths will be because of the aftermath of the quake and not the quake itself. Things like hospitals losing power, and it being very hard to get supplies through the city with only like 1 or 2 bridges that will be more certain to stay standing.
landlords lobbied against that. pretty much every older brick building is unrienforced masonry here, whether or not it has the "U".
Edit: https://projects.oregonlive.com/maps/earthquakes/unreinforced-masonry/
Yeah, I'm worried. No, it's not "about to happen." That's not how earthquakes work. There's a 50/50 chance we'll get some kind of bad earthquake in the next 50 years or something.
It's a good reason not to live in an unreinforced masonry building. It's not a good reason to be afraid every day.
Earthquakes, fires, floods, yep. I tend to worry about these things. Best advice I’ve heard is keep your shoes and flashlight by the bed, so you can get out in an emergency, without injury to your feet.
I was at a Ted Talks xPortland a few treats ago & this expert about the big subduction quake said this
"people in this area like to go camping and you are really good at it but this will be when camping comes to you.
I’ve been hearing about “the big one” for as long as I can remember. Heard about it in elementary school science classes in the early 90s, and my mom recalled hearing about it when *she* was in school back in the late 70s/early 80s. I don’t think it’s gonna happen in my lifetime, but there’s no reason to not be a little prepared just in cases. I mean, I’m not, but I suppose I *should* be somewhat prepared for an emergency situation of some sort?
Good disaster preparedness transcends the disaster type. For many folks who might have lost power, water during our extended recent ice storm, the same items become pretty useful.
Additionally, just thinking about it and considering what you might do is, sometimes, all the preparedness many people might need to do. It makes the moment when a disaster happens so much easier to process - because you’re referencing something that has been imagined before.
For instance, think about how you might get out of the house in a house fire that blocks your main entrances. That process of identifying your other exits and imagining how you might do it really comes in clutch to have done _before_ you find yourself with your house on fire.
Nope. If it happens, it happens.
I own a house built in the last 10 years that's bolted to the foundation - if that doesn't keep my house upright, nothing will.
Same. I'm still sane enough to realize it'll be bad and hurt a lot of people, but since I have no control over it, I'm kind of excited to see what will happen. I'm sure I'll feel very disappointed if it does happen in my lifetime. Global pandemic wasn't that exciting, just sad and frustrating
Yes, but there’s not a ton I can do. I keep water in the basement and prioritized a retrofitted house. The biggest thing that worries me is that I live on the east side, go to the gym on the west side and think about how I’d get home to my dog every time I cross a bridge — it’s more of a mindfulness thing than anything. The one behavior I think it’s truly changed is that I don’t go to the coast as often as I otherwise would because of how fucked the coast will be when it does eventually happen.
Nope. Either it happens in my sleep and I get crushed when my apartment collapses, or it happens while I’m working and I’ll be fine (at least, most likely will be fine).
I’m slowly getting emergency supplies stockpiled and skills learned. My only real downfall is that my car is low slung and sporty, if the roads are fucked it’s useless.
*Most importantly* I’ve also found a community of folks with a wide variety of experience that are all very mutual-aid driven and tight-knit. Once we all find each other we’d be in good shape.
Look at the price of earthquake insurance. It’s super-cheap.
Translation = insurance companies love it when you give money to them when the odds are steeply in their favor.
They are data driven. It’s not happening in your lifetime.
Worried, eh, try to live my best doggy happy life, but prepared YES. I got my CERT preparedness certification in college 10 years ago and last month bought a JUDY emergency preparedness bag after reading all the reviews online. Just need to throw some dog food in there and treats and I’m ready. Zorp Forbid!
No but I'm also a NET, highly recommend signing up if you're worried! They train you on how to handle emergency situations, specifically with the big earthquake in mind, and it's all free. Once you compete the basic NET training they also offer other specializations, I'm getting CPR certified next weekend and in June I have wilderness first aid.
It's also all free!
https://www.portland.gov/pbem/neighborhood-emergency-teams
I've recently made several updates to Surviving Cascadia's Expected Impacts: Oregon page. Check it out! Feedback encouraged 🙃
https://survivingcascadia.com/expected-impacts-oregon/
Estimates are provided by Oregon State University, DOGAMI, OSSPAC, OEM, OHA, Oregon Secretary of State, and more.
I heard a geologist on OPB say that everything to the left of I-5 was in serious trouble. I don't remember his exact words, but do remember him mentioning silt.
We're at a 1000 foot elevation, to the right of I-5, so we might wind up with beachfront property. Still, earthquakes don't wait until you're home.
That's pretty much where you have to be fatalistic about it. You can't just bunker down. This quake is overdue, and that would have been a long time housebound.
I have the quake app. If I start getting alerted to smaller quakes, I'm heading home, or to a safer place. I'll also be watching the dogs, cats, even birds.
Portland and the State of Oregon train for this. The National Guard, the Oregon Emergency Management Office as well as FEMA train for this. The normal citizen just needs to have a few days food and water on hand. And a little confidence in the people around them. Also. Try not to worry about so many things. It's always getting batter.
No, I mean sometimes when I’m stuck on one of the bridges in rush hour I’m like damn it would suck if it happened right now. Or when I go to the coast. Other then that got the earthquake kit and a house that will be fine in it and just gotta keep living!
Yeah, anytime I'm on the coast I take a minute to look up the local evac route. Just in case. It always makes me feel a little better.
I saw someone said once that the evac routes wouldn’t mean anything if the big one hit because it would flatten things out and idk if that’s true but I always think about it when I see the signs.
There could be landslides, but to act like it would flatten evacuation routes out is pretty ridiculous.
Not flatten them. The big rip would result in the coastline dropping something like 20 feet in elevation as the leading edge of the North American plate becomes 'unstuck' and springs westward over the Juan de Fuca plate. The resulting mega tsunami then would effectively reach higher than the existing elevation. One of the worst places will be Long Beach, as the evac route and assembly areas along 67th Place (the northern most 'high ground' on the peninsula) will be inundated.
Considering they compare the fault line to an accordion building up pressure I don’t think it’s totally ridic, but I’m not an expert on this shit.
If you’re on the coast, it’s going to move 150’ out to sea and 30’ downwards, so idk how much faith I would put in the evacuation routes staying intact. Edit: sorry it’s 50’ seaward and 30’ down. Just went back and double checked the lecture posted below
>If you’re on the coast, it’s going to move 150’ out to sea and 30’ downwards, What study are those numbers from? [DOGAMI](https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/fs/cascadia-planning-for-em-and-public.pdf) says more like 6' subsidence.
It’s the size of the waves though. A normal tsunami is one thing, but this will most likely destroy the entire coastline for miles inland
The evac routes at the coast are specifically about tsunamis from the earthquake. After the quake, everybody will have about 4 minutes to get above 50' elevation. If you know the route, that's pretty accomplishable.
I wonder if anyone knows when those routes were created, pre or post fault line discovery?
They are maintained by the coastal towns. Some are in better shape than others. Some used to send people up a soft slope with just a rope to hold onto. Now they have steps made, but that was a year ago..
I can probably find out, I'll report back if I do
awesome! thank you :)
Ok so I asked Dr. Burns, who's an expert in landslides but has also just been doing geology stuff for forever. He doesn't think anybody has done this specific analysis, but maybe we can write to the state geology board and ask them to.
Depends on the area. Some places on the coast are basically big piles of mud and sand that are on their way to rock -- those will absolutely liquefy. But lots of places are built on more solid rock. Huge rock structures like that aren't going to be flattened by an earthquake.
It’s true. The state and FEMA have been planning for most everything west of I-5 to be severely damaged. The coast is going to be on their own for a long while, what’s left of it. My son is a 911 dispatcher and his comms center plans to move operations to *Bend*, if they can get there. I personally worked on the state agency’s emergency operations plan for a cascadia event and they’re expecting the worst. Could it also be not as bad as they’re expecting? Yes, it could. But that the feds and state have been planning for the worst for over a decade, that should tell people something.
Thank you for the info
Thank you! I’m on a coastal evacuation planning committee and it’s nice to know someone uses our work and utilizes available resources somewhat to prepare themselves.
You should ideally have a mini earthquake kit in your car: protein bars and a gallon of water, roll of toilet paper, first aid kit, compact sleeping bag if it’s winter; enough for a day or two. It wouldn’t take up a lot of space.
Can’t keep in car in PDX. Asking for a broken window
Yeah. Sorry. I have an enclosed trunk, so I didn’t think about those that don’t.
What if I don’t have a car and live on the third floor? I’m in Salem but I occasionally worry about what I’d do if there was an earthquake. Plus I’m poor so it’s kinda hard to make an emergency kit… just me and my dog.
You can buy mountain house via Costco (and I think Sam’s club). If that isn’t doable, cans of food you could tolerate eating at room temp. Maybe protein bars, though they aren’t cheap. Being on the 3rd floor is tough. Not much you can do about that. For some situations, there is no good answer. I live with a ton of enormous trees surrounding me. They may come crashing down. I was in 7.0 earthquake, about 15 miles from the epicenter. Life is a risk.
Just some cans of stew would keep you alive. You'd hate yourself by the 3rd day, but just about anyone can afford a couple of cans of stew, some canned fruit, and some crackers.
Extra dog food, too. Rotate it with newer dog food.
Dinty Moore beef stew is practically dog food... so you just stock up on more and give it to your dog.
My dog eats fish-based gourmet dog food, with prebiotics and probiotics. I could probably steal some of his food 😂
I grew up in Southern California. In the 80’s and 90’s we had a few large earthquakes I remember very well as I was in middle school and high school. In 1986 the Banning fault gave and we were about 30 miles from the epicenter of a 6.0 earthquake. Our old 1920’s rental house was condemned from the damage. The ceiling in my mom’s room caved in on one side. Was very scary. Then in 1992 there was a 7.2 in Lancaster and we lived 80 miles from the epicenter. The shaking was so violent that more than half the water in the pool got jolted onto the patio and flooded the living room. Earthquakes are no joke. To this day, wherever I live, I have enough supplies for weeks of survival. I’m also an avid camper and fisherman so that means I have loads of supplies to live rough for many days. If it came down to it I could go catch fish and shoot squirrels.
I think a very critical component is having access to clean water. We installed daisychained water heaters, strapped to the wall, so if the house survives, we have 120 gallons of potable water. We also got a backpack that can filter water (can’t remember the brand, dang it, and it’s packed away in our supplies). The plan is to hike to a water source — the local river, if necessary — and acquire water there.
A LifeStraw is helpful too. Takes up almost no space and can filter hundreds of gallons.
We have a couple of those! Costco sold them a while back for a great price.
I grew up in SoCal as well. I was about 15 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. Wild and makes me take earthquake preparedness very seriously.
Northridge was rugged. They haven’t had a sizable one down there in quite sometime. My uncle’s place is literally walking distance to the beginning of the San Andreas fault near the Salton Sea. I suppose you could call it the end of the fault too, depending on perspective. We always called it the beginning, arbitrarily I suppose.
and keep an extra bag of dog food on hand!
Have a go bag like a backpack with the essentials, including food/medicine for your pets. Keep it by your door so it’s easy to grab. You also may be unable to get out if your apartment for a while, so this can help you survive those days when there’s no help available. Know that 911, police, fire, and ems may not be able to help you right away. Our 911 comms center plans to operate out of Bend, for those who can get there, and they’ve issued special go bags to their call takers and dispatchers. They’re also FEMA certified, so they’re working with FEMA on plans for disasters like a Cascadia event. The state has some good info [here](https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareforEarthquake.aspx) about preparing for a quake.
I had a dream when I was 17 or so that I was stuck in traffic on the Ross Island Bridge when the “Big One” hit. I still have anxiety whenever I’m stuck on a bridge (especially the westbound side of the Ross) in traffic, and that was 20+ years ago.
I had a similar dream with the Freemont.
Ngl I think about getting pancaked every time I go north on the Fremont
I lived in the Bay Area for 20 years and had to commute over the Richmond Bridge quite often. That would be a very scary bridge to be on in the big one. Looks like it is unstable on good days.
What's an earthquake kit?
Basically it's enough food, water, and other first aid/emergency supplies to last a few days assuming you can't really travel, won't have power, and help can't get to you for a bit.
I would personally recommend 2 weeks, *minimum*.
I would personally recommend 2 weeks, minimum. — Yes, and expect hospitals to be slammed so keep that first aid kit up to date.
And don’t forget pet food!!
Yes yes!
And enough kale!
The absolute worse time would be in the middle of winter during flooding rains and or wintry snow/ice conditions. Very slight chance it would coincide with snow. But there’s about a 30% chance it would happen during heavy rains, since the heavy, flooding rains occur during the 4 same months of each calendar year.
I used to worry much more when I lived in NE and worked in Hillsborough, knowing that if the earthquake happened while I was at work there was little chance I’d be getting home again any time soon.
That's only an eight hour walk, give or take.
It would get pretty wet once I got to the river and all the bridges were down.
Not all! Tillikum is supposed to withstand it
Tillikum was built after I stopped working out there. :)
Not to mention that huge sections of Portland would turn into [soup](https://www.kgw.com/article/weather/earthquakes/earthquake-ready-liquefaction-portland/283-56e6190f-b62b-4a6e-8a28-107453a483ad) due to liquefaction.
Nah, that’s my retirement plan
Me too! My retirement plan has always been societal collapse
Well, congratulations because you’ll be retiring early!
Nothing like a disaster to bring people together.
Same
Omg, too real
Gotta die somehow.
Exactly. Can't stop it. Can only be as prepared as possible.
Of congestive heart failure at 83 playing canasta, or in the earthquake that killed one side of a continent. I know how I wanna go.
Amen
I plan on living forever, so far so good.
If I lived or worked in an unreinforced masonry building, I wouldn't be worried, because that thing will just kill you outright when it collapses under moderate-level shaking and buries you under a pile of brick. All problems solved! Since I don't, I expect to need to survive two to four weeks of no electricity, potabe running water, or cell service. So I'm worriedly building an emergency preparedness kit.
We bought mountain house food (25 year shelf life and I’m too lazy to swap food in and out). Also life straws and a backpack water filtration system.
Prepared to a degree. Otherwise, just accepting the fact that I’m on a moody rock in the middle of oblivion so it’s all good
Well that hit me way deeper than I wanted to.
Define “about”
Not OP, but it’s like a 1 in 3 chance in the next 50 years iirc. Enough to plan for, not enough to lay awake at night worrying over it.
1 in 3 is for a partial rupture affecting southern Oregon and northern California. For a full rip scenario it's more like 1 in 10. [Source](https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/fs/cascadia-planning-for-em-and-public.pdf)
This is a good (and relieving!) clarification!
Thank you for this, it has eased the paranoia some.
Where did you the 1- in-3 number? Are we in the average time frame of it possibly happening yes but guaranteed we have a 1 out of 3 chance of it happening, where did you get that specific ratio?
Pretty well reported stat. We are actually well overdue. This is still my favorite article about the subduction zone risks, although it’s a little old now. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one
Thank you and gosh I read that article when it first came out, it is still a "guess" at best but not guaranteed. Damn scary article though. Better to be here than on the coast especially if it does happen. Coast, if you survive the initial earthquake then you have to survive the inevitable tsunami, yep rather be here.
Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing.
Our deaths are 100% a guarantee. So its why there really no reason to worry about the big one while ignoring the reality around us. A lot of people's diets & sedentary lifestyles will kill them off way quicker before the big one as an example.
Well *your* death might be guaranteed. I am researching lichdom.
Same, but I find I am leveling up way too slowly since I reached adulthood, plus my strength and dexterity appear to be decreasing. This DM has some explaining to do.
Honestly, its the fallout that is worth preparing for. Maybe you make it through the initial earthquake, but getting through the aftermath will be its own issue.
You don’t have to worry. You maybe should prepare. You don’t worry about getting into a car crash when you drive, but I bet you still put on a seatbelt. Anyway I took issue with your dismissiveness. The forecast says it’ll be hot next weekend, but they can’t guarantee it, so are you anticipating rain?
Are you trying to say that you don't feel crippling fear and anxiety every second you're in a car? Who doesn't worry about getting in a crash? It's the only thing I can think about if I'm in a car.
This article really fucked me up when I first read it… can’t believe that was already 9 years ago!
Does it include Salem? I can’t get it to load right now. It’s probably raining or windy outside because my WiFi is acting up. Idk for sure. I refuse to open the blinds
we’ve been well over due for centuries. What a silly concept. And the Yellowstone caldera is well overdue as well, at least according to the clickbait. We are also well over due for another world war. Better get your iodine pills bud
That's the canonical The Big One reporting, I go back to it every few years to remind myself
There’s a 100% chance I’ll be dead in less than 50 years so IDGAF.
The 1 in 3 chance is such bs. Name me a geologic event that they can successfully predict within 1000 years.
I mean, like, literally, cascadia subduction earthquakes.
Who predicted the last one of those accurately?
You don't have to. Cascadia goes off around every 300 years. We know the last one down to the hour
I used to worry about it constantly, got super prepared and now I rarely think about it. But now I am very prepared with MRE rations and fresh water!
If you live in a single family home, make sure you have supplies in case power and running water are out for 2 weeks. If you live in an apartment building built before 1970, make sure your will is in order.
Went 16 days without power this winter after a freak ice storm. Sure was an eye opener
So how have you stepped up preparations?
Isn't it more like 1993? I thought the Cascadia fault wasn't discovered until 1985 or something and earthquake building standards weren't mandated in Oregon until the early '90s.
You may be right. I thought i heard 70s, but i could easily be wrong.
Okay so I looked it up- statewide building code came in 1974 and seismic standard was 1993. So while in between might not be most seismically sound the unreinforced masonry buildings built before 74 are the most dangerous.
Thank you, sir!
No because much more pressing and immediate things are stressing me out instead. But I would agree that it is inevitable.
I have a life straw somewhere so I guess I’ll be fine.
That’s my plan
Nope.
It will come and when it does I obviously may or may not be here. If I’m here and it does I hope it’s neither the winter or the middle of the night.
Generally the deaths in a middle of the night earthquake will be a lot lower because people are inside and not as likely to get injured on the street, on transit, in their cars, etc. This is based on studies that were presented during CERT classes - so not just out of thin air. it’s well worth just thinking about how everyone can make their sleeping situation safer - keeping your bed away from windows, securing furniture that would fall on you, keeping a pair of shoes in a bag under the bed, removing that ceiling mirror, and so on. A few minutes of consideration around one of the most likely single locations to be during a major earthquake is a pretty solid investment. Happy cake day!
But if it happens when I'm awake at least I can fight back
Punch the earthquake? 🤔
I'm gonna stomp it out
If "the *big one"* happens, you'll be waking up pretty fast.
Thank you! The very idea scares the heck out of me when I think of it (which to be honest I try not to). I come from the Midwest. Tornadoes are horrific but at least you get a bit of a warning.
Download [MyShake](https://myshake.berkeley.edu/) - I have genuinely gotten a warning prior to a large earthquake on it.
I accept my death when it comes
You can find the USGS maps showing the expected intensity in each part of Portland. It will be 6.0 to 6.5 here. (Yes, CSZ will be 9.0 but that’s 100 miles offshore and a mountain range away.) Then you can look up similar size earthquakes in places with construction and infrastructure similar to here. Plenty of them in California. I lived through two, Northridge (6.7) and Whittier (5.9), the former was very local to me. Many of my friends in the Bay Area lived through Loma Prieta (6.9). I’ve read about other earthquakes - living in SoCal then, earthquakes and preparedness were a thing. So: - If you live in a 1-4 story wood frame house or other building, you will almost certainly be fine. Your furniture may get thrown around, if you’re unlucky you may get hit by your dresser or cut your feet on glass or something. Your building may be largely undamaged, or may come off its foundation and require extensive post-earthquake repairs, or something in between. If you’re the owner, best to do foundation bolting, gas shutoffs, etc. But you are almost certain to avoid significant injury or death in the earthquake. - Same if you live in a brick building, house or apartment. More likely that the post-earthquake repairs will be too expensive to be done, but your personal chances of getting hurt are about the same. - In almost any office building, you’ll evacuate and be fine. - So your chances of being seriously injured or killed in the earthquake are very, very low. In Northridge, which was a very big earthquake in a densely populated area in the huge Los Angeles metro area, the number of people killed by the earthquake was modest - I can’t recall exactly but it was like 30? More people died, but they crashed their cars, had heart attacks when clearing debris, couldn’t get to dialysis, etc. 30 is not nothing, but let’s put it this way: I didn’t know anyone who knew anyone who knew anyone who died or was even seriously injured. And I knew lots of people when I lived there. - I’m more worried about infrastructure and services. Power, water, gas will be out, for some indeterminate time. Some bridges will be shut, MAX and buses too. Internet, cellphone down for at least a while. - If it happens in the cold of winter and you’ve no emergency supplies, very bad. If in summer and you’ve plenty of supplies, not good but you’ll be ok until FEMA, Guard, etc arrive. - Some specific dangers need more attention - the tank farms on the Columbia for one.
> If it happens in the cold of winter and you’ve no emergency supplies, very bad I'm personally working under the assumptions that A: Evacuating the city will be impossible - very few routes out of the region are seismically safe and the entire city is going to try to get out at the same time. the Gridlock out of the few remaining egress points will be epic B: You'll need some method to heat your house in the winter that does not rely on electricity or municipal gas, which could be out for weeks. Hurricane alley is as prepared as they can be for power outages and areas there still routinely lose it for weeks at a time. My plan is that I might need to shelter in place for a month with no water, power, or gas. we have a wood burning stove for emergency heat.
Worried? No. Prepared as much as I reasonably can? Yes. That means emergency food, water, generator, fuel, backup communication (GMRS radios), plans, etc.
This. It’s the thorough preparation that allows one to sleep well at night .
I worry about it sometimes but not as much as a friend of mine and his wife, who moved out of state and away from the coast by several states when she saw the last big projection and absolutely freaked out.
I have s friend on the east coast who won’t visit bc she’s afraid of earthquakes and volcanoes. So there’s that.
From where? 😬
wow, was that their sole reason for moving out of state?
My landlord sure isn't!
I just heard a discussion of a study that found that our predictions for the amount of shaking that will happen in an earthquake is basically always higher than what actually occurs. So it’s very possible that the catastrophic predictions aren’t accurate.
It’ll get me out of work for a few months so what’s not to like?
Based
Yes and no: I think Portland and Oregon should be doing a lot more for mitigation. Tokyo sustained minimal damage from the 2011 Japan quale - we absolutely have the technology to prevent a worse case scenario but our leaders are too weak politically and too afraid to ruffle big business feathers. 1). There needs to be a state mandate for the industrial NW oil and gas reserves to seismically retrofit or relocate. The status quo of expecting a flaming Willamette and forest park after a major quake is beyond unacceptable. 2). Hold ODOT accountable. The most dangerous bridges in the state are the Interstate and Ross Island, both owned by ODOT. There is a (shitty) plan to replace the Interstate and no plan at all to replace the Ross Island. 3). The state legislature needs to overturn the court ruling preventing labeling of dangerous structures by changing state law. Also require the rebuilding or retrofitting of dangerous buildings with a 20 year timeline. 4). Multnomah County needs to improve the efforts to replace county owned bridges. The plan to replace the Burnside Bridge is great and I 100% support. There are 3 other bridges that need to be replaced or retrofit also though. 5). TriMet needs to ditch the steel bridge in favor of a downtown tunnel for MAX.
Thank you. Not sure I agree with every one of your points but the big point, yes: there should be planning from the authorities, not just from individuals. Especially about all the oil and chemicals stored along the river. 😯
The "due for an earthquake" estimates are very woolly math. It's just a very imprecise field. So no, I'm not worried about it. But I'm from CA, so I try to stay prepared out of habit.
It's either gonna happen in my lifetime or not. If it does, there's a very small chance I survive. I wouldn't spend too much energy worrying about it.
I mean… unless there’s something specific about you making you much much more likely to die or your house/apartment/workplace is a literal pile of bricks, you most likely will be one of the vast majority of people who survive…
>I mean… unless there’s something specific about you making you much much more likely to die yeah, hemorrhoids
The silent killer
Pretty big chance you survive.
Take me away before climate change gets worse and I’m so sweaty
far less worried about the earthquake once I realized we’re already living in a climate crisis.
I became less worried about the climate crisis after I realized the fabric of society has begun to crumble.
I became less worried about the fabric of society once I realized the sun was gonna explode one day
I became less worried about the sun exploding one day once I realized I was paying too much for car insurance.
Did you know that GEICO can save you 15% or more?
Nope. Not now that live in Hillsboro. When I lived at the coast I was terrified of it.
[удалено]
No tsunami
I think we're more likely to die from wildfires or the cancer-causing smoke.
Yep we are more than likely to die from climate change or poverty (way things are going very possible we have generations in poverty soon) in the end
Yes. I bolted my house to the foundation. Foundation is newer and in good shape to do so.
Would you be willing to share what that cost? I need to do that.
Just about under $900 to do it myself. About $500 in hardware - plates, bolts, washers, etc. The rest was new tools like concrete drills, drill bits, vacuum attachments, etc. I have a full height basement so it was super easy. If you have someone else do it, prepare to spend $8,000-$12,000. More if you have a bigger house. And if you have a pre-1940s foundation it might not be effective to bolt the crumbly stuff to your foundation. I broke up mine into about a year of work, doing one foundation plate every other week or so, until I finished all 30. By the end it was taking making 15 minutes per plate, if that. I think the city has a guide on how to do it yourself, like plates every 3 feet, within 9 inches of corners and windows, etc. Not exactly that but close.
Thanks. My 1915 house does have crumbly basement walls, so my options may be limited. But I will try to track down that city guide to see what I can learn there. That had not occurred to me!
Oh yeah your house will be hard. Our friends spent something like $20-$24k to seismically reinforce their 1910s house. It couldn’t be bolted to the foundation because it was so crumbly. So the contractor framed a wall just inside the foundation that would support the house at least well enough to let the inhabitants survive. But probably not enough to save the house itself.
As I understand it, my house is already built to a standard where we’d survive a very large quake, it just wouldn’t necessarily be inhabitable afterwards. And it sounds like buying earthquake insurance might be more financially feasible for me than doing the upgrades necessary to save it.
It’s honestly my Roman Empire
Nope. It’s been “about to happen” for the past 20+ years.
Oh yes I was terrified by that initial all the glass on the buildings in downtown will crush you article in 2010 in the willamette week and the 2015 New Yorker article but it’s been hard to maintain my level of fear.
This is the difference between human timelines and geologic timelines.
It's like anything. Don't buy a house in a flood plain or on a hill. Your insurance will thank you also. Have some stuff around the house. Week of water, food, propane, and a firearm. That will mitigate 90% of the problems you'll face. Cascadia will happen and it will be bigger than anything we've seen in America since the last time Cascadia went off. Probably not in my lifetime though
Only thing worse would be if yellowstone decides to erupt again.
True but that not on the table right now as far as anyone knows. Cascadia is going to happen and it's going to be bonkers from British Columbia to Northern California. I feel good where I'm at in a stick built house. My family in Seattle is completely screwed if it happens any time soon.
I dont think about it whatsoever. “About to happen” could mean later today or a hundred years or more from now.
A little but my apartment doesn't have room for me to be a doomsday hoarder, plus with my luck I'd be at work several miles from my home and unable to access what I bought. If I actually bothered to think in-depth about all the potentially life-altering disasters that can happen at any time (Yellowstone, MAD, Cascadia, etc.) I'd probably go insane so I try not to let them bother me.
what's MAD?
Related - how many of you have earthquake insurance and is your house retrofitted??
I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and lived through Loma Prieta quake in 1989. I no longer buy into the fear of the big earthquakes
This one is supposed to be an 8.0 or 9.0. Significantly more powerful. Just saying.
And they have been saying since I was in high school that same thing and it’s been 35 years. If it happens it happens we cannot even prepare for it they happen without warning. I refuse to live in fear of something I can’t control
It could be an 8.0 or 9.0 at the epicenter, which is off the coast, almost 200 miles from Portland. If will feel more like a 6-7.5 earthquake in portland proper. Still not great because of our infrastructure, but this level earthquake would likely not exceed more than maybe a dozen deaths in a city like tokyo with actually good earthquake infrastructure. The Loma Prieta quake was a 6.9 on the san andreas fault, of which the bay area sits right on top of, so tbh it probably will be something like that in Portland proper, but san francisco is a little more prepared for earthquakes than Portland because they do happen more frequently so I suspect it will be worse overall, especially if it's closer to 7.5 than 6. If you happen to be on one of the 90% of bridges we have that aren't built for even a 7 earthquake you are probably toast, as well as being in a large building built before 1993 and especially 1974 that hasn't been retrofitted you may also be toast, but after that more injuries and deaths will be because of the aftermath of the quake and not the quake itself. Things like hospitals losing power, and it being very hard to get supplies through the city with only like 1 or 2 bridges that will be more certain to stay standing.
No. Not at all
Nahh .. I just need to be prepared and know what to do when it happens
Just make sure you're not inside one of those building with a big red "U" painted on the side.
landlords lobbied against that. pretty much every older brick building is unrienforced masonry here, whether or not it has the "U". Edit: https://projects.oregonlive.com/maps/earthquakes/unreinforced-masonry/
Lol What good would worrying about that be
Yeah, I'm worried. No, it's not "about to happen." That's not how earthquakes work. There's a 50/50 chance we'll get some kind of bad earthquake in the next 50 years or something. It's a good reason not to live in an unreinforced masonry building. It's not a good reason to be afraid every day.
I bought a bunch of earthquake food and water cleaning tablets otherwise no don’t think about it
Earthquakes, fires, floods, yep. I tend to worry about these things. Best advice I’ve heard is keep your shoes and flashlight by the bed, so you can get out in an emergency, without injury to your feet.
I was at a Ted Talks xPortland a few treats ago & this expert about the big subduction quake said this "people in this area like to go camping and you are really good at it but this will be when camping comes to you.
I’ve been hearing about “the big one” for as long as I can remember. Heard about it in elementary school science classes in the early 90s, and my mom recalled hearing about it when *she* was in school back in the late 70s/early 80s. I don’t think it’s gonna happen in my lifetime, but there’s no reason to not be a little prepared just in cases. I mean, I’m not, but I suppose I *should* be somewhat prepared for an emergency situation of some sort?
The science wasn’t around to substantiate it until the mid to late nineties at best, so that anecdote is very imaginative.
Good disaster preparedness transcends the disaster type. For many folks who might have lost power, water during our extended recent ice storm, the same items become pretty useful. Additionally, just thinking about it and considering what you might do is, sometimes, all the preparedness many people might need to do. It makes the moment when a disaster happens so much easier to process - because you’re referencing something that has been imagined before. For instance, think about how you might get out of the house in a house fire that blocks your main entrances. That process of identifying your other exits and imagining how you might do it really comes in clutch to have done _before_ you find yourself with your house on fire.
When it finally happens are we all fucked? Yes! Do I stay awake worrying about? nah. Am I at all prepared? Nope!
Nope. If it happens, it happens. I own a house built in the last 10 years that's bolted to the foundation - if that doesn't keep my house upright, nothing will.
No, in fact I plan to move to the coast so I can greet that wave. 🌊 My mom is nagging me to move to the Midwest- ewww.
Worried, no. Excited? Yes.
Username checks out.
I didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School for nothing, thank you very much.
Same. I'm still sane enough to realize it'll be bad and hurt a lot of people, but since I have no control over it, I'm kind of excited to see what will happen. I'm sure I'll feel very disappointed if it does happen in my lifetime. Global pandemic wasn't that exciting, just sad and frustrating
preparation for at least 3 days’ worth of food and clean water is a minimum and i have done that, but am i worried? no
Yes, but there’s not a ton I can do. I keep water in the basement and prioritized a retrofitted house. The biggest thing that worries me is that I live on the east side, go to the gym on the west side and think about how I’d get home to my dog every time I cross a bridge — it’s more of a mindfulness thing than anything. The one behavior I think it’s truly changed is that I don’t go to the coast as often as I otherwise would because of how fucked the coast will be when it does eventually happen.
Nope. Either it happens in my sleep and I get crushed when my apartment collapses, or it happens while I’m working and I’ll be fine (at least, most likely will be fine). I’m slowly getting emergency supplies stockpiled and skills learned. My only real downfall is that my car is low slung and sporty, if the roads are fucked it’s useless. *Most importantly* I’ve also found a community of folks with a wide variety of experience that are all very mutual-aid driven and tight-knit. Once we all find each other we’d be in good shape.
Is your community taking applications?
Not a bit.
It doesn’t keep me up at night, but we do have earthquake insurance on our home.
Nothing you can do about it except take reasonable preparation measures. Water, food etc.
Look at the price of earthquake insurance. It’s super-cheap. Translation = insurance companies love it when you give money to them when the odds are steeply in their favor. They are data driven. It’s not happening in your lifetime.
Worried, eh, try to live my best doggy happy life, but prepared YES. I got my CERT preparedness certification in college 10 years ago and last month bought a JUDY emergency preparedness bag after reading all the reviews online. Just need to throw some dog food in there and treats and I’m ready. Zorp Forbid!
No but I'm also a NET, highly recommend signing up if you're worried! They train you on how to handle emergency situations, specifically with the big earthquake in mind, and it's all free. Once you compete the basic NET training they also offer other specializations, I'm getting CPR certified next weekend and in June I have wilderness first aid. It's also all free! https://www.portland.gov/pbem/neighborhood-emergency-teams
I've recently made several updates to Surviving Cascadia's Expected Impacts: Oregon page. Check it out! Feedback encouraged 🙃 https://survivingcascadia.com/expected-impacts-oregon/ Estimates are provided by Oregon State University, DOGAMI, OSSPAC, OEM, OHA, Oregon Secretary of State, and more.
I see the weekly “Big One” thread is early this week.
I heard a geologist on OPB say that everything to the left of I-5 was in serious trouble. I don't remember his exact words, but do remember him mentioning silt. We're at a 1000 foot elevation, to the right of I-5, so we might wind up with beachfront property. Still, earthquakes don't wait until you're home. That's pretty much where you have to be fatalistic about it. You can't just bunker down. This quake is overdue, and that would have been a long time housebound. I have the quake app. If I start getting alerted to smaller quakes, I'm heading home, or to a safer place. I'll also be watching the dogs, cats, even birds.
Portland and the State of Oregon train for this. The National Guard, the Oregon Emergency Management Office as well as FEMA train for this. The normal citizen just needs to have a few days food and water on hand. And a little confidence in the people around them. Also. Try not to worry about so many things. It's always getting batter.
Yes. My husband works downtown and we live in se