The 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami earlier this month decimated parts of Japan: More than 25,000 people are either dead or missing, with the number expected to rise. Buildings were toppled and villages washed away. And this occurred in a country widely held as one of the best prepared for a natural disaster.
The horrifying results and images have forced cities, states and countries all over the world to again ask the question, what if it happened here?
Bellevue Emergency Management hosted a forum Wednesday to discuss that exact question. Disaster preparation officials emphasized geological similarities to the area of Japan where the quake struck on March 11. The latest death/missing persons toll could have been more if it weren’t for the extensive pre-planning that was done in Japan.
“Japan is probably the most prepared place in the world,” said Bellevue Emergency Manager Luke Meyers. “They do things that we have not even thought about in our country. They have a real level of commitment. Their level of resolve and preparedness is something we should all admire.”
Like Japan, Western Washington sits on a subduction zone, a spot where an oceanic tectonic plate collides with, and slides underneath, a continental plate. The earthquakes occur when rocks break and crumble.
The zone rests approximately 50 miles off the coast, and has produced several large earthquakes in the past, including the 2001 Nisqually quake that measured a 6.8 magnitude.
“We sit on a very similar situation to Japan,” Meyers said.
With the lingering threat of earthquakes, emergency management officials urged citizens to be prepared. Emergency kits with several days worth of food and water, batteries, flashlights and other crucial items should be a part of every household, they said.
Responders have many aspects of an earthquake to deal with, from restoring power, to fixing roads, to getting key businesses and services operational, to rescuing and searching for injured individuals. The additional geographic barriers of the bridges from Bellevue to Seattle makes preparation all the more critical. Responders may not be able to get to everyone immediately. Officials urged families and neighborhoods to develop plans to shelter in place until responders can arrive.
Bill Mitzel, business continuity manager for QBE Americas, said more than one-third of small businesses and one-fifth of large businesses don’t have an emergency plan. Disasters at home can destroy the company offices and directly affect employees, but disasters in places such as Japan can have detrimental effects on businesses as well. Mitzel spoke about General Motors, which had to close several of its plants temporarily as key parts it receives from Japan were unavailable due to the earthquake.
“The better preparations are in advance of the incident, the better communications are, the better the company is going to be able to get back to work,” he said.
More important than even the plan are the employees. If a business wants to keep functioning following a disaster, employees must know that their families are safe and secure before they can get back to work, Mitzel said. Without that, the best plan is doomed to failure.
The buildings those people live and work in need earthquake preparation as well. Several Eastside governments use the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Project Impact, which helps home and business owners retrofit buildings for earthquake protection by bolting them to the foundation, bracing cripple walls, connecting floor joists, and strapping the water heater.
Whether it be businesses, families or buildings, the key to minimizing the damages that become inevitable in the wake of an earthquake or tsunami is to be ready.
“No matter what it is, we’re going to have to deal with these things, so we have to prepare beforehand,” said Bellevue Emergency Preparation Coordinator Vernon Owens. “It’s not a question of if we will have an earthquake, but when, so prepare now. Don’t wait.”
For more information visit Bellevue’s Emergency Management website or Facebook page.
