An earthquake could destroy a sizable portion of the coastal Northwest (2015)

I was in New Orleans in October 2002, and this guy was on the front page of the main newspaper predicting that within 20 years a category 5 hurricane was likely to whip around Florida and strike the city head on. He said the levies weren't high or strong enough, and that downtown New Orleans would be under 20 feet of water: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/predicting-katrina.html I remember reading it with interest and then shrugging and moving on with my day. Three years…

> Kenneth Murphy, who directs FEMA’s Region X, the division responsible for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, says, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.” I remember when this article came out, my mom called me and said "you'll be okay, you're east of I-5, right?" "Yeah mom." About 6 blocks east. Plenty of cushion.

Seattle resident here. First things first, this article is a great reminder for all of us PNWers to have an earthquake kit around the house. Second, on a much more lighthearted note, our state department of transportation released a video simulating different levels of earthquakes along the waterfront. For some reason in the rendering they included a little touristy hot dog stand that is actually there and show it collapsing. I dunno why I find this so funny but to…

A century and a half elapsed before anyone had any inkling that the Pacific Northwest was not a quiet place but a place in a long period of quiet. A fine wordsmith paints images of understanding.