Most people have heard of the San Andreas fault line. It runs the length of California, and is perpetually rumored to be to be on the verge of unleashing a big earthquake. But there’s a much lesser known fault line located just north of the San Andreas that’s predicted to trigger an even larger quake.
Highlighted in an article recently published in the New Yorker, the Cascadia subduction zone is 700 miles long, extending from Cape Mendocino, California to Vancouver Island, Canada. This fault unleashes monstrous tremors on average every 243 years. The Pacific Northwest is 72 years overdue for the next quake, which is expected to be between 8.0 and 9.2 in magnitude, and trigger a massive tsunami.
FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency – has an emergency response plan for when this earthquake strikes. It’s expectations are frightening. FEMA projects nearly 13,000 people will die as a result of the Cascadia earthquake. Another 27,000 will be injured, one million displaced, and two and a half million will need food and water.
Kenneth Murphy is the Administrator of FEMA’s Region X, which is responsible for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
“If this entire Cascadia fault were to go off, you’re really looking at a certain amount of damage really from Northern California all the way to Vancouver Island, which takes into account a very large number of people, and roads, bridges, and tunnels that provide transportation out here in the western United States.”
Murphy strongly encourages those living in this area to develop an earthquake family action plan, to build an earthquake preparedness kit, and to stay informed.
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Web Extra
Full interview with Kenneth Murphy, the Administrator of FEMA’s Region X, which is responsible for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska
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Photo, posted August 5, 2015, courtesy of Oregonmildep via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.