|
News  |
|
|
|
Thursday drill preps MHCC for major quake
The Advocate
The campus is deathly silent, like the quiet before a storm. Then a deep rumbling breaks the silence and trees sway in an otherwise unapparent breeze. Desks rattle across gray carpeting and alarms blare. In an instant, a fuse is disrupted, the Academic Center goes dark despite the daylight outdoors, and students and faculty seek cover from the unimaginable.
“Scientists are now in wide agreement that there’s a 10 to 14 percent chance that a powerful earthquake and tsunami will strike the Oregon coast in the next 50 years,” according to an article by Lori Tobias published Sunday in The Oregonian. A powerful earthquake, according to Rob Witter, coastal geologist with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, will be one of a magnitude nine or more, and apparently, “the amount of devastation is going to be unbelievable.”
With this knowledge, will Mt. Hood Community College be able to withstand such a megaquake?
In observance of Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Month, the MHCC campus performed an annual earthquake drill Thursday at 9:30 a.m., which offered students information to improve their chances of surviving a catastrophic quake.
According to Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator Karen Reynolds, the best way to survive an earthquake is to simply be prepared. Reynolds, a mother of three, never leaves her home without a knapsack filled with food and water to last at least three days, a suitcase filled with extra clothing and necessities, a pillow, a tent, flashlights and first aid kits. Although she doesn’t expect students to carry all of these things to class with them, she does think they should at least have these items available in the trunk of their car.
Reynolds said they should always be prepared to be isolated for at least three days because in all major earthquakes, this has been the minimum amount of time required for emergency crews to get into an area that has been devastated - something that would likely occur in the event of a magnitude nine quake.
In Portland, there are three earthquake faults that, according to a 2003 article published on the web journal ScienceDirect, have the potential to cause major problems at any time. “The Portland metropolitan area historically is the most seismically active region in Oregon. At least three potentially active faults are located in the immediate vicinity of downtown Portland, with the Portland Hills Fault (PHF) extending directly beneath downtown Portland.”
There is also the Cascadia subduction zone 50 to 75 miles off the Oregon coast, thoroughly sandwiching the westernmost portion of the state between two earthquake dangers.
Dick Byers, director of facilities maintenance, said the MHCC campus, and specifically the main academic center, may not be prepared to withstand an earthquake of high magnitude. The infrastructure of the main campus was first evaluated for earthquake safety in 1996 by a Portland State University group. In August 2003, the campus was examined again by MHCC’s insurance carrier and their recommendations for an upgrade were given to the administration a month later.
In August 2004, an engineering firm again evaluated the campus’ stability and, following this assessment, MHCC in December 2005 recommended state bonding to finance two buildings for earthquake upgrading.
“The main academic center was at the top of our list,” said Byers. “The reason why it is top priority is based on the survey conducted in the ’90s.”
Byers also said the building is top priority because it houses more occupants than any other building on campus. “The building also sits on a hillside. When a significant earthquake event occurs, the first thing that happens is the soil liquefies and the buildings begin to slide,” he added. This could create even more problems for students and faculty.
According to the state, MHCC must have its buildings remediated by Jan. 1 in 2032, but so far, “the state has not funded any programs for the remediation,” said Byers.
When the engineering firm conducted their assessment in 2004, they estimated that for every square foot of building it would cost about $300 to upgrade — a significant amount, according to Byers, and one the institution can can’t afford on its own.
With 50 years left on the theorized timeline, the threat of an earthquake is being addressed mainly by an attempt to get the word out to students and faculty about the importance of preparation. Reynolds posted a map in the library that gives a closer look at “high hazard” areas across the state, and she also placed informational booklets, published by the Red Cross, near the exit that feature instructions to follow in case of an emergency.
The booklets include everything from creating an emergency contact card (with a family member or friend who lives outside of the state) to building an emergency kit complete with toothbrushes, shovels, pens, paper, and more.
“It’s a hard sell, but it’s important. And the security that you have from being prepared is probably the best way to combat the stress of having to deal with one of these devastating disasters,” said Reynolds.
For more information on earthquake safety, contact the Oregon Trail chapter of the Red Cross at 503-284-1234 or visit their website at www.redcross.pdx.org.