Magnitude 9.0 Pacific Northwest Quake Drill Set for June 7-10
The "Cascadia Rising" drill involving federal, state, and local agencies takes place June 7-10 and uses a scenario of a major earthquake on the Cascadian Subduction Zone.
A big earthquake preparedness exercise named "Cascadia Rising" is set for June 7-10, with FEMA and other federal agencies, along with state and local agencies, participating. The scenario is a 9.0 magnitude earthquake lasting more than four minutes and located along the Cascadia Subduction Zone; the quake affects 140,000 square miles of territory in Washington state, Oregon, and British Columbia, a region inhabited by 10 million people. The scenario also has tsunamis and aftershocks affecting the area after the earthquake.
Involving nearly 6,000 emergency and military personnel, it will be the largest earthquake exercise ever in the Pacific Northwest, Sandi Doughton, the Seattle Times science reporter, reported Feb. 27. FEMA is coordinating the exercise.
The scenario also involves more than 10,000 deaths, mostly due to the tsunami, along with 30,000 injuries and some 7,000 highway bridges and 16,000 miles of highway with high to moderate damage, according to Doughton's article, which includes a link to the FEMA exercise plan.