‘New Yorker’ tries to calm Seattle’s fears after terrifying earthquake story
Jul 29, 2015, 9:31 AM | Updated: 10:20 am
A 'New Yorker' writer is offering some advice after scaring Seattleites about a major earthquake. (AP image)
(AP image)
If you read that New Yorker article last month and immediately started panicking about what an earthquake will do to your family and home, you’re not alone.
The writer, Kathryn Schulz, says she received an enormous response and is now offering advice about how to prepare for the Big One.
Related: Scientists say no need to panic over Seattle earthquake
In a nutshell, study a Red Cross or FEMA resources guide that is tailor-made for our region. Bolt your house to its foundation, which could cost thousands of dollars. Secure your water heater if it isn’t already. Know how to turn off your water and gas mains. Redecorate your home while thinking about what could fall on top of you. Make an emergency plan with your family and get to know your neighbors. And, you’ve heard it before, build an emergency kit with food and water.
Schulz also stands by a dire quote from the head of FEMA: “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.” However, she specified it doesn’t mean we’re all going to be buried in a pile of rubble. The casualties she cited (13,000 deaths and 27,000 injuries) amount to under one-half of one percent of the population.
Check the Northwest Earthquake Tracker
“Overdue for an earthquake” was also clarified. The amount of time that elapses between subduction earthquakes is 243 years, Schulz originally wrote. Based on the quake of 1700, the area is now 350 years in its cycle — or 72 years past its due date. But Schulz specified that the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries says, “You’re not overdue for an earthquake until you’re three standard deviations beyond the mean.”
In other words:
The odds I cite in the story are correct: there is a 30 percent chance of the M8.0-8.6 Cascadia earthquake and a 10 percent chance of the M8.7-9.2 earthquake in the next fifty years.
As for a tsunami, Seattle, and other major cities along the I-5 corridor, are not vulnerable, according to Schulz. But if you live on the coast, be prepared and know your evacuation route.
