We live in Oregon but no matter where you live, preparedness is for everyone! In Oregon, we need to prepare for the big one! Have you heard about the Cascadia Subduction Zone? Watch this!
Created by the Oregon State University IDEAS Visualization Team
Are you prepared with a Go-Bag? How about a Ham Radio? Do you know how you would get home if you had to walk? This is going to be a very bad day no matter how you prepare. Be smart NOW about how you prepare. FEMA tells you to be prepared for 3 days, how did that work out for the folks of Hurricane Harvey? Not well, they needed to prepare for 2 weeks instead. That is about what you will need here in Oregon for this very bad and disastrous day!
Two weeks of preparedness means, without help from the outside! You need to self sufficient for this time with your neighbors and surrounding community. Will you be able to live without running water, without being able to flush your toilet or electricity? It's more then just stuff that you will need to be prepared with.
Preparedness isn't easy, it takes time and you have to have a plan. Do you know how to shut off your Natural Gas? Do you have the tool need to shut it off? Do you know how to shut off your water?
Gas and Water Shutoff! Zip tie this to your Gas Meter! Be Ready....
Do you have satellite radio in your car? If you have a newer car, you probably do but you pay the $$ each month to use it. You will be able to get information about your area via Satellite radio in the event of a disaster. . Communication is key during any disaster.
Do you have a meeting place for your family. Have you practiced getting to this place. Remember, you may be walking to this meeting place be ready with a good pair of walking shoes.
When experts talk about a 9+ earthquake hitting off the coast of Oregon, this is not a small event. It will effect the entire West Coast.
Estimated Impacts:
The scenario Cascadia earthquake would be an unprecedented catastrophe for Oregon and for the United States. It would impact every aspect of life for all Oregonians and for the residents of northern California, Washington, and British Columbia. The effects of a Cascadia subduction earthquake will be greatest on the coast, which is right next to the subduction zone fault, and will diminish as one goes inland. This, in combination with Oregon’s mountainous geography, divides the state into four impact zones: within the tsunami zone, damage will be nearly complete. In the coastal zone, shaking will be severe, liquefaction and landsliding will be widespread and severe, and damage will be severe. In the valley zone, shaking will be strong, liquefaction and landsliding will be common but less severe, and moderate damage will be widespread. In the eastern zone, shaking will be mild, landslides and liquefaction sporadic, and damage generally light.
The impacts of a great subduction earthquake on Oregon are impossible to predict accurately, but several studies have estimated damage and casualties, and those estimates give a sense for how far- reaching a disaster the next great earthquake will be. Estimated consequences include:
Earthquake deaths ranging from 650 to 5,000, with another 600 to 5,000 deaths due to the tsunami.
24,000 buildings completely destroyed, and another 85,000 with extensive damage requiring months to years of repair.
Approximately $32 billion in economic losses.
27,600 displaced households.
These high levels of damage and loss reflect both the great size of the earthquake and the fact that many buildings, roads, bridges, and utility networks were designed before Oregon’s building codes and practices recognized any significant earthquake threats, and most were designed before codes began to take great subduction earthquakes into account. Lifeline systems, such as highways and pipelines, are particularly vulnerable to ground failure, which will be widespread in the next great earthquake. As a result, the vulnerability analyses done for this plan are grim. For example, if the earthquake were to happen tomorrow.
Estimated Time to restore services:
One to three years to restore drinking water and sewer service in the coastal zone.
One month to one year to restore water and sewer in the valley zone.
Six to twelve months to restore partial function of the top-priority highways in the valley zone.
Two to four months to restore police and fire stations in the valley zone.
Eighteen months to restore healthcare facilities in the valley zone, three years or more in the coastal zone.