Oregon Races to Reinforce Buildings as Scientists Warn of the ‘Big One’

Preparations are underway to reinforce building structures larger than 50,000 square feet in Oregon to cope with a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, often referred to as the ‘Big One.’

The Last Earthquake Generated a Tsunami that reached Japan

The last time an earthquake occurred off the Pacific Northwest coast was 325 years ago, in 1700, with an estimated Magnitude of 9.0.

The mega-thrust earthquake caused the coastline to drop by several feet and generated a powerful tsunami that reached Japan.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek takes the threat of a possible earthquake seriously and, in a press release, announced that all state-owned buildings larger than 10,000 square feet must meet stringent earthquake safety standards.

The same applies to older buildings, which will be upgraded.

She has set a deadline to meet this regulation by 2060.

These precautionary measures follow scientific warnings of another Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake recurring in the future.

Scientists indicate a 37% chance of an earthquake reaching a magnitude of  7.1 or higher within the next 50 years, stating that these events occur approximately every 300 to 500 years.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 700-mile fault, extending from California to British Columbia. Scientists warn that another quake will create a tsunami that will flood the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, causing the coastline to drop and resulting in prolonged shaking (quakes) along the coastline.

The governor says emergency workers must be able to operate from safe structures to ensure that they can offer help, where needed, to Oregonians.

Planning is the responsibility of the state’s Department of Administrative Services, which will prioritize the buildings to be upgraded to meet safety standards. These include office buildings larger than 50,000 square feet and buildings from which first response emergency workers operate.