For many people, natural disasters inspire both fascination and fear. They are a sign of the power of nature not only to create, but also to destroy. At the same time, they are a reminder of the human potential for ingenuity when it comes to protecting ourselves from forces we cannot control.

In this case, there are two opposing forces: the North American Plate, a huge tectonic plate that carries the entire continental United States on its back, versus the 90,000 square mile Juan de Fuca Plate, located in the ocean off Washington, Oregon. , and Northern California. Over the past 200 million years, these two have faced off in an epic wrestling match in an area known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, or CSZ. Trust us, no one wants to see this round end. Yet only a few people seem genuinely bothered: seismologists, emergency management professionals, and those who have experienced earthquakes.

The Northwest is sure to experience a devastating earthquake again, says Chris Goldfinger, an oceanographer at Oregon State University and one of the world’s leading experts on subduction zone earthquakes. “We have no idea when and how urgently,” Goldfinger said. robot pop. “People tend to ignore it in this case.” The majority of the public, as well as most governments in the North West, are yet to push to implement the sweeping infrastructure changes and early warning communications systems needed to save tens of thousands of lives.

The Juan de Fuca plate is steadily pushing against the Pacific coast as it slides under the North American plate. But the approximately 47 million square mile North American plate is not moving. Instead, he’s locked firmly against Juan de Fuca’s surface.

Here is the chilling prediction of the Cascadia Area Earthquake Task Force (CREW) in its 2013 CSZ Earthquake Report: “Cascadia has been accumulating stress for more than 300 years, such that the The next major earthquake could occur at any time Reduced to simpler odds, the chances of an earthquake as large as magnitude 9.0 occurring along the area within the next 50 years are d about one in ten.

Geologists have been watching this fight closely for 30 years. They say the CSZ, which stretches from northern Vancouver Island in Canada to northern California, is doomed to suddenly return as it did 320 years ago, resulting in double jeopardy: first the violent upheaval of the earth, then the fury of a wall. of water flooding this broken land. Several Native American reports of an earthquake and tsunami wiping out communities in present-day Washington State and British Columbia coincide with this time. So are reports from Japan of a tsunami that devastated the Japanese coast the next day.

When it reoccurs, the earthquake will be magnitude 8.0 or greater, which means the ground will warp and shake for at least two minutes. It would be considered “the big one”. However, there is a possibility that the entire Cascadia area will rupture, turning this earthquake into a disaster movie level disaster.

But there’s still time to prepare, says Goldfinger, and geologists have some good ideas for protecting people and infrastructure in the event of a Big One. We can use Japan as a prime example of preparedness policy, he says, because Japan has a 1,000-year head start in learning to live with earthquakes.

“Japan is the most resilient country in the world when it comes to earthquake preparedness. You can have a major earthquake in Tokyo, but it’s likely there won’t be much real damage,” Goldfinger says. In fact, Japan experiences minor earthquakes every week. A national initiative for seismic code requirements protects buildings. Before an earthquake hits, early warning systems automatically warn the public and shut down certain activities, including the rail system and power stations.

On the other hand, such a systematic procedure does not exist in America. California Seismic Resilience at improved somewhat over the past 100 years. Previous earthquakes on the west coast have caused enough damage and loss of life to cause some change. For example, building codes for new structures now require seismic design to resist collapse.

Yet the main problem is that there is no coherent long-term strategy to prepare our nation against earthquakes. “Every town in America is left to fend for itself,” Goldfinger says. For an unprepared city, even a small earthquake can cause major damage.

“It’s a basic and simple thing. We have to start paying the bills bit by bit and save lives, or pay all at once. Earthquakes don’t have to be disastrous,” says Goldfinger. For example, it is possible to start renovating older buildings across the country, prioritizing schools and hospitals in high-risk regions, he suggests.

To take matters into your own hands, you can check out a program like Shakeout, where people around the world can learn about earthquake drills specific to their region and prepare before an earthquake strikes. More than 3.5 million participants have already registered. You can also turn to ShakeAlert: an earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States, which can alert people to earthquakes on their smartphones. It is managed by the Seismology Laboratory at UC Berkeley in California.

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