[Joey]

Food for thought http://video.foxnews.com/v/4356513070001/report-mega-quake-could-kill-13000-in-pacific-northwest/#.Vae9QAKs2gc.email Here is the New Yorker article that prompted the FOX video. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

[zephyr]

Great to see this post Joey. I wondered why it had not been brought up yet. That New Yorker article is rather scary. There have been other articles and discussions since, including one on Reddit featuring John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, Debbie Goetz of Seattle’s Emergency Management Office and Sandi Doughton, science writer at The Seattle Times. Here's a link to that forum where they are taking questions brought up in the New Yorker piece. ~z

[Randito]

geo-scientists have been aware of the possibility of level 9 quakes in the Cascadian subduction zone for decades now... But I suspect this won't result in higher building standards until after one of those actually hits -- and maybe even then. I recall reading something recently that in Japan after the recent big tsunamis that they found man made "high water" markers on the hillsides above inlets in Japan from the 1700 cascadian quake tsunamis. The markers had warnings -- but after a couple of generations -- people started building below the markers again. Buying a house is Ocean Shores is an interesting gamble.

[IanB]

Just visiting Ocean Shores is a gamble. If it hits in the summer, thousands of people will be trying to evacuate by car down a narrow, two-lane road in less than 30 minutes. Guaranteed fail. May as well head the other direction and grab a good seat on the jetty to watch the waves come in. Juxtaposed against the discussion about safety-proofing the ice caves, what will the rest of the country say about all the people who "should have known better" than building on sand spits in tsunami country? The risk is not news. Every now and then someone's book or article raises the point, everybody agrees we should be better prepared, and a few weeks later it's business as usual...

[Ski]

from Ocean Shores it's about an hour's drive before you get to higher ground east of Elma. where you gonna go? we're all gonna die

[Joey]

[Backpacker Joe]

Yep, living in Eastern Washington is the best way to experience Washington!

[Bedivere]

[Randito]

[zephyr]

[Chico]

[Chico]

The north beach evac routes are up the local logging roads. For example the folks in Taholah - they have to drive south a couple miles (or did) before heading inland. Elevation wise it's pretty flat until you reach the foothills for the Olympics. Pretty scary all right. All you can hope for is the water doesn't make it that far inland. South beach is somewhat better with the higher ground to the east. When the new school for Westport kids is built you can head there and hope you're safe. That is what they say and time will tell. Abredeen/Hoquiam - they're gone. Montesano - hard to say, Maybe it'll survive. Maybe not with the Chehalis River.

[Cohokiller]

[Chico]

[gb]