Washington state’s plan for megaquake ‘grossly inadequate,’ review finds
Source(s):
Seattle Times Company, The
By Sandi Doughton and Daniel Gilbert
The largest disaster drill ever conducted in the Pacific Northwest found that, despite decades of warnings, the region remains dangerously unprepared to deal with a Cascadia megaquake and tsunami.
During the four-day “Cascadia Rising” exercise in June, 23,000 participants grappled with a hypothetical catastrophe that knocked out power, roads and communications and left communities battered, isolated — and with no hope of quick relief.
Washington state officials called their own response plans “grossly inadequate,” according to a draft report and records reviewed by The Seattle Times. The report warns that “the state is at risk of a humanitarian disaster within 10 days” of the quake.
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Themes
Recovery
Risk identification and assessment
Urban risk and planning
Governance
Economics of DRR
Disaster risk management
Country and region
United States of America