Considering impact of a megaquake

To The Eagle:

It is heartening to read that county officials are taking seriously the impact a magnitude 9 earthquake will have in Wahkiakum County.

While it is true that the risk of tsunami related problems here is low, we shouldn't be lulled into a sense of false security. In fact, geologists have determined that we are right on the edge of the zone of highest severity for the earthquake itself. So when we talk about bridge approaches being destroyed, we are talking about the Puget Island and Elochoman River bridges.

We can also expect the highways themselves to be made impassable, especially in areas of sedimentary deposits such as Puget Island and Highway 4 between Cathlamet and Skamokawa. I was in Olympia during the 2001 quake which was a mere 6.8 on the Richter scale. The road around Capitol Lake, built on a similar foundation was made completely impassable and it took over two years to get it reopened. In other words, we can expect a tremendous impact and disruption to our lives following a megaquake around here.

I would suggest the county sponsor workshops in which local emergency providers and all interested members of the public can get together with state emergency planners and perhaps representatives from the Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup. We can begin now to assess and address potential problems arising from a megaquake. Just a small example: how are we going to provide needed medical service such as prescriptions to people with ongoing medical issues when the roads are all out?

The earthquake could come in 10 years or tomorrow, but it will come. Let's see if we can get the jump on it.

Rick Beck

Puget Island