If you reside in the Pacific Northwest, it is your duty to read Bruce Barcott’s harrowing report on what we can expect when our impending mega-earthquake/tsunami combo hits.

It’s long, and terrifying, but, you know, knowledge is power or something. Find the piece at Outside magazine.

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...

15 replies on “Today in 7,500-Word Panic Attacks”

  3. Isn’t that something? I’m always surprised how few who live here understand what we’re in for. I do wish it would spur us to massively invest in sensible preemptive measures to limit some of the worst possible damage. But we won’t, as usual. For pete’s sake, I’ve been told this since I was a tiny boy, and yet I choose to live in a vintage masonry building. Hey, it’s a landmark, if one that will collapse all around me….

  6. As a recent arrival from Texas, I’m trying to find good ideas for how to plan/prepare/survive. If anyone has links, outside of FEMA, I’m very interested, if you wouldn’t mind.

    Thanks,

  7. @5 It’s actually between 244-500 years. So… yeah. Could be tomorrow, could be 200 years from now. Doesn’t make sense to freak out, but its also foolhardy not to take certain precautions.

  9. As a possible emigre back to Texas, from whence I came, I wish y’all the best of luck up here when your stupid goddamn tunnel gets flooded by a tsunami, collapsed by an earthquake, or shat in by Godzilla.

    Seriously, though, I mean, it’s only a matter of time until some natural disaster just fuckin’ wipes us all. Might as well not worry about it any more than is helpful, e.g. the amount of worry that makes you put together a disaster kit.

  11. From the article’s epilogue:

    Six months after the megaquake and tsunami, the official death toll stands at 7,241. More than 3,200 were killed in or around Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. Many died when older houses collapsed. Others were killed by falling objects or died in fires. A num­ber succumbed to heart attacks, and 679 were killed by the tsunami.

    OH MY GOD, IT’S THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD!!!!!

    In an urban population of about 3.3 million, I’ll take my 0.2 percent chance of dying in a serious earthquake.

  12. I’m more worried about one of our local “dormant” volcanoes becoming the pressure release valve for all the built up tectonic energy, instead of a massive off-shore earthquake. That’s when the death toll starts to skyrocket.

  13. I’ve never care much for disaster porn. I’ve done all the responsible preperations, and I know my role in a major earthquake (hang onto something and sob, while trying not to wet myself)

    Until then, I’m not going to think about it, other than to do my annual shuffling of the canned goods and bottled water.

  14. It was a pretty interesting article actually. It wasn’t difficult to imagine how these things would evolve. After Japan’s quake, I noticed how big the aftershocks were and thinking “we’re so damned screwed.” Here was a country that was prepared far beyond anything ever even considered in the U.S….

    It’s a good distance outside of Ocean Shores, by the way, before you hit the 109 Spur to take you to higher ground. And 20 minutes isn’t enough time for everyone to get out with roads in perfect shape.

    I suppose the best preparation is to be ready to shut off your gas, have a bunch of water and a bunch of canned food to get by—if you’re lucky enough to be home when it hits. In 2001 I was at work and it was hours before we could leave. Was the bridge connecting 101 to I-5 intact and safe? What about the 4th and 5th ave bridge in Olympia (no to one of them) And that was a puny 6.8 10 miles away.

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