‘Any type of structure will be damaged’ after a mega-quake, official says
Jun 10, 2016, 2:35 PM | Updated: 2:41 pm
When "the big one" hits, people in and around Seattle should be safe from a tsunami, a FEMA official told KIRO Radio's Dave Ross. (AP)
(AP)
The most damage done to inland cities during a massive earthquake will be from the shaking itself, and Regional Administrator of FEMA Kenneth Murphy says no structure is safe.
Scientists predict a magnitude-8.7 or higher earthquake — which is what Washington agencies have been training for all week — will shake for about five minutes. There isn’t much that will go undamaged from so much shaking, Murphy told KIRO Radio’s Dave Ross.
Related: Major Gen. says “the big one” will be a “catastrophe we have never seen”
Many houses in the Northwest are woodframed. Murphy says they will have moderate damage. Older homes will have even more damage.
“Really, any type of structure will have damage,” Murphy said. “A lot of things don’t do well being shook for five minutes.”
On the coast, a tsunami will cause even more devastation. Concerned with the safety of people in Seattle, Dave asked Murphy how far up James Street he needs to run to escape a tsunami.
“In all honesty … I don’t think the power of a tsunami will reach [Seattle],” Murphy said. “The tsunami will hit the coast and islands and lose its power.”
However, Murphy says it might not be a bad idea to go about a half-mile away from the Seattle waterfront, just in case.
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