The City Club of Portland has released a lengthy report from its Earthquake Resilience Research Committee and it looks like the city has its work cut out for it before the big one hits.
The report, called “Big Steps Before the Big One: How the Portland area can bounce back after a major earthquake,” makes some big asks of Oregonians, from civic leaders to regular citizens.
“Portland-area communities are built atop tectonic forces beyond anyone’s control, but the region is not helpless,” the report states. “The Portland area is not yet prepared, but leaders and the public are learning what must be done to reduce damage and recover quickly from the earthquake’s impacts.”
For anyone living along the impact area of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the faultline that runs off the coast from northern California to British Columbia, it’s not a question of if, but when a major quake strikes the region. Last year, seismologists revised the likelihood of a subduction zone rupture upward from previous estimates.
To prepare for the big one, the committee identified five areas of particular concern: fuel, buildings, lifelines, people and coordinated planning.
Each of those areas presents different challenges, the report notes, but work can be done one all of them to make for a more rapid recovery.
“When a major earthquake hits the Portland area, survival alone is not enough,” Committee Chair Teri Martin said. “We must invest in the social and physical infrastructure that will allow our unique culture and strong economy to thrive after a major earthquake.”
On Thursday night, the committee will discuss the report and answer any questions at Migration Brewing. Then, at the City Club’s Friday Forum on Feb. 24 at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland, members will vote on whether to adopt the report.
You can read the full 88-page report here.
— Kale Williams
kwilliams@oregonian.com
503-294-4048
@sfkale
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