The Cascadia Megaquake- Exploring the "Big One" that will DESTROY the Pacific Northwest

These are one of those things where you can only prepare so much. I don’t let these things worry me. I concern myself with items I have control over. Enjoy your life, each day is special.

This video was particularly well done. Congrats. One piece of advice for those of us living in earthquake country: Put a pair of old shoes under your bed. If the EQ happens overnight, slip 'em on before you exit your bed. The most common injury after an EQ is cut feet!

Yamaguchi's tree ring research at the ghost forest confirmed the January 1700 Japanese Tsunami origin as Cascadia.

I live on the peninsula so I watch my earthquake app every day. Just offshore from Vancouver Island there have been just over 30 quakes in the past 30 hours or so. Also, Puget Sound is having an earthquake swarm right now. The offshore quakes have included many above magnitude 4 up to magnitude 4.8. Any of them could initiate a large rupture. Thanks for the video, Be safe and well

An excellent portrayal of the seismic risk. I concur that the casualties, both deaths and injured, as described by FEMA and other government agencies is far to optimistic. In my opinion, a full rip of the Cascadia fault would see a minimum of 60,000 to 100,000 casualties at the end of 4 weeks. A significant number of the injured will not be able to obtain the necessary medical assistance in a timely manner which will increase the fatality numbers. Your hypothetical example has been narrated in other presentations. What isn't mentioned in all the discussions of the subject that I have seen thus far is the numerous after shocks having various intensities. What was weakened during the main event will now have a greater possibility of collapsing. Now imagine a deep, long cold spell coming out of Canada when that occurs; or a cold wet spell. Whom am I - A Building Inspector of 28 years in the PNW and a Structural engineering Technologist. My experience includes 50 story high rises, etc. The lack of honest clarity by the "Authorities" deeply disturbs me.

I grew up in Oregon and Washington and watched Mt. St. Helen’s erupt in May 18 from my grandparents house in Battleground. They have been talking about The Big One from this fault line since then. There is more than enough that proves when this fault line snaps the coast lines from Northern California to British Colombia will be wiped off the map..guaranteed. The ancient indians all along the coast lines spoke of a great wave that struck the coast lines many centuries ago. It happened before it’ll happen again.

Time to move back to tornado alley…..

Excellent job!!!!! You obviously did your research on this one. A partial rip is most likely, the devastating results are real.

The best person to follow is Nick Zentner a professor of Geology at CWU. He talks about the Cascades in depth.

I live here in Portland and there have been swarms of earthquake activity up & down the Juan de Fuca plate the last couple of days. It actually IS Friday, late afternoon. And it IS very hot & traffic IS crazy right now. Everyone actually IS getting off work now & heading for the coast to cool off this weekend! Your proposed hypothetical scenario is just a little TOO accurate & timely for me...

The CASCADIA IS VERY ACTIVE RIGHT NOW. 👀

Having been in the Northridge Quake (around a 7), there are a few things I can share about getting through the experience - The shaking lasts a long time and it's very hard to stay standing. If you're going to stand in a doorway, watch for the swinging door that can either hit you or crush your fingers. There will be an aftershock almost as strong a few minutes later. Every car alarm in the city goes off, adding to the pandemonium. Your pets might get out and be panicked for many hours. They'll eventually return, but it's another stress. Cell towers will be damaged and you might not be able to make any calls or receive any updates. I remember people relying on their car radios for news updates. It's a good idea to have an agreed upon meeting area with your family in advance in case you need to evacuate but there's no way to reach loved ones. Have a stash of small bills on hand to prepare for this quake. Every ATM was closed, no supermarket had power to process cards or electronic payment. Bottled Water will go fast and they'll ration it out. Speaking of which, your sewage lines might break, making it impossible to use the toilet. If you use natural gas, determine in advance where your shutoff valve is outside. Do NOT light any candles until you turn off your gas. There will be many fires raging in the city. All the streets are littered with glass, none of the traffic lights work. It took a year for the 10 freeway to be fully repaired. The traffic was horrific until it was fixed. Gas stations will be closed until the pumps and lines are checked and the power is restored. There's also an emotional toll, lots of people got severely depressed and got PTSD. A TON of buildings and homes will be condemned and made unlivable. You might have to move out immediately, but the demand for Uhauls will delay you by many days, meanwhile your building might be off limits or too damaged to safely enter. Hopefully, the Cascadia won't happen in the winter since it will make everything even more miserable. Anyway, have a nice day!

Juan De Fuca Plate - sounds like a Mexican Restaurant dish.

The question I’m asking myself right now is, why am lying in bed in my Seattle apartment and watching this before I go to sleep? This is the stuff nightmares are made of. God Bless us in our region when this happens. 😢🙏🏽

3:47 this was the inspiration of the art piece ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’

I used to live in Copalis 76-77. My friend and I used to canoe the Copalis river frequently. We often wondered what killed those huge trees. We had no idea, otherwise I would not have lived on the beach!

I live near Lewiston, Idaho. I was planning a trip out to see the Pacific Ocean, but maybe if I wait a while, it'll come see me!

Great info! I watch everything about Cascadia and your video is among the best! On my way to work one day (from Bonney Lake to Burien) I realized the roads I was on were either Volcano, Tsunami, and/or Earthquake evacuation routes. I was offered a job and moved back to Kansas City in 2012.

My senior class project was with the Portland Water Department less than 10 years so. They discussed what would happen to the water supply due to this expected earthquake. They were very dire. Said we need water and supplies for SIX MONTHS. And even then they said that might not be enough (we would need many years probably). They said those of us on the Westside of Portland are basically S.O.L. They said we all needed to warn our loved ones, bc it was only a matter of time. They said they cannot repair the old pipes fast enough. There will be no water at all for us out here. They said that is the plan, bc they cannot prepare effectively fast enough. Just so everyone knows, they are not planning to help us really. It will be every man for himself.

Well done on details some might consider being geeky. I love how you explained your formulaic estimations