Last month the costliest natural disaster on record has killed as many as 25,000 people, caused an estimated $300-billion in damage and raised the spectre of widespread radioactive pollution.
A tectonic fault known as the Cascadia subduction zone runs south 1,300 kilometres to Cape Mendocino, the most westerly point in California.
The devastation in Japan should serve as a wake-up call, a reminder that much of North America’s West Coast faces a very similar threat: The question isn’t whether Cascadia’s fault will wreak havoc once more but when.
If the whole fault does tear apart, five major cities – Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Portland and Sacramento – would be slammed simultaneously, along with dozens of smaller communities. According to Eddie Bernard of the Pacific Marine Environmental Lab in Seattle, the net effect would be like having Hurricane Katrina strike in five places at once.
Twenty minutes after the shaking stops, killer waves will strike B.C., Washington, Oregon and northern California. Hours later, “our” tsunami would hit Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
The damage could be staggering, and how well we survive will depend on how well we have prepared. With any luck, the painful experience of Japan will offer a “teachable moment” – a chance for North America to get ready for the inevitable.
So, as well as putting together survival kits, concerned citizens would be wise to spread the word and call for action. The danger that lies ahead is almost unknown beyond British Columbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest
If any further reminder is required, both Mexico and Japan were hit with sizable quakes again this week.