11/16/2023 0 Comments Seattle alaska quake![]() More than 100 people died in Alaska and others as far south as Oregon when tsunamis rushed down the west coast of the U.S. The earthquake-caused wave at Chenega Bay, which Plafker attributed to a small group of nearby islands focusing the onrushing water, was one example of the water displaced by the great earthquake. He interviewed a survivor who described a “wall of water 90 feet high.” Plafker saw with his own eyes that ocean water had entered the school building almost 100 feet above sea level. “There was not one single livable house there,” said Plafker, who snapped a photo of a naked hillside with only one building - a schoolhouse - visible above a hillside of tree stubs. A wave caused by the earthquake drowned 25 of those people. ![]() Plafker remembers flying to Chenega Bay, where 76 people lived before the earthquake. He covered much of that country with Jim Osborne, a pilot for Cordova Airlines, who took Plafker to what was left of some villages on Osborne’s mail route. Plafker caught military helicopter rides and flew in Bush planes to villages and unoccupied islands in Prince William Sound. On the initial trip a few days after the earthquake, two of his colleagues focused on Anchorage and Alaska’s road system. Realizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he and other scientists ended up returning to spend most of the summer of 1964 in Alaska. During that time he traveled much of Prince William Sound to inspect the torn, uplifted and sunken landscape. He flew to Alaska for a one-week trip after the earthquake. Then assigned to the “Alaska Division,” he was one of three scientists from the Menlo Park office sent northward right after the earthquake to see what had happened. Geological Survey researcher who knew a lot about basic geology and mapping, but very little about earthquakes. When disaster strikes, an effective emergency plan will lay out how to make sure those loved ones can get care in case you aren’t able to reach them.Plafker, now 94, was then a 35-year-old U.S. But they do happen and when the ‘big one’ happens it will be bad, so let’s be ready.”Īside from starting to assemble a food-and-water stockpile, an emergency kit and always keeping two weeks of medication stocked, Lopez said a critical part of preparedness is thinking about who depends on you, be it family members, pets or a neighbor. “You’re right, they don’t happen all the time. “I know some folks like to shrug it off, like, ‘Earthquakes don’t happen all the time,’” Lopez said. ![]() “I hope it makes us better prepared because we’re beginning to understand what it means to shelter in place,” Steele said.Įven though the predicted 9.0-magnitude earthquake will be far worse, interrupting access to stores, roads and utilities, the difficulties experienced at the start of the stay-home order did spark new conversations, especially as people swiped needed supplies from store shelves, leaving them bare for days. Steele and Lopez both said living through COVID-19 is also forcing people to think more about emergency planning. “Two weeks is what we say, but honestly, grab what you can to make it through,” she said. The message is to start small and incrementally you’ll be better prepared for when disaster strikes. Lopez said having food and water or a water filter on hand is a first step. That’s why they say even grabbing a little extra at the grocery store or using Wednesday’s earthquakes as a reminder to make an emergency plan will help you be better prepared than you were yesterday. “Hopefully it’s 20 years from now before something serious happens, but it could be this afternoon, you just don’t know.”Įxperts know there are some barriers to having the same level of preparedness as Thomsen. “Just over time, incrementally improved things so that today I think I truly am ready,” Thomsen said. But his stockpile didn’t happen overnight. Then he started wondering how he could apply that same ‘be prepared’ mentality at home. ![]() Thomsen said his interest in preparedness started two decades ago when he became a mountaineer and needed to be ready for the worst out in nature. His Jeep is also equipped with similar needs for an emergency. At his home, he has at least two weeks worth of nonperishable meals and water, a generator, car batteries with inverters to plug in most power needs, first-aid kits and more. Bellevue resident Paul Thomsen is more prepared than most.
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