Tuesday, Jan, 26, commemorated the 316th anniversary of the Great Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami of 1700.
The Pacific Northwest was greatly impacted by the Great Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami three centuries ago and we have been told the same type event will occur again.
Research has uncovered evidence the Cascadia earthquake occurs every 300-500 years. Every hour and day that passes, our communities draw closer to an inevitable disaster on such a magnitude and scale, one can barely imagine the consequences.
This June, Washington State will be joined by British Columbia, Oregon, and Northern California in an enormous federal, state and local earthquake exercise called CASCADIA RISING. The Cascadia Rising exercise will be focused upon the Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake, the resulting Tsunami and the massive response needed to come to our aide following the event.
A huge military response will be exercised in conjunction with state and local jurisdiction response abilities following such a major event. Every jurisdiction, fire district, hospitals, the PUD, the Port of Grays Harbor and our amateur radio communications groups are being asked to take part in this once in a lifetime event that focuses very much on Grays Harbor County and our regional neighboring counties.
A Cascadia earthquake and tsunami will impact every citizen in Western Washington. Every area in our county will be damaged greatly – even areas in East County and in higher elevations. No one will escape the wrath of the earthquake and we will be dependent upon each other for many days.
As we move closer to the Cascadia Rising Exercise in June, we will be asking all citizens to find a way to participate, whether it be working with one of our numerous volunteer groups, working with your place of employment or even just sitting down with your family to discuss this type of event and the numerous other natural disaster events we in the Pacific Northwest encounter.
Planning and preparation for natural disasters will lessen the impact upon family, friends and community. There is no better time to begin than today.
Chuck Wallace is the Deputy Director of Grays Harbor County Emergency Management.