How to Survive the Really Big One
In June 2016, more than 20,000 emergency managers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho participated in Cascadia Rising. The four-day exercise was designed to test response and recovery capabilities after a 9.0 magnitude Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami—what has come to be known colloquially as “The Really Big One.” The results: the area is underprepared for a catastrophic earthquake, says Anne Newcombe, R.N., clinical director for emergency services at Harborview Medical Center.
The 620-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone fault line runs off the coast from Cape Mendocino, California to Northern Vancouver Island—and when it ruptures, tsunamis, landslides and extreme shaking damage are expected in the Pacific Northwest.