NEED
NEED TO
NEED TO DO TO GET READY. GLENN FARLEY HAS MORE ON WHERE
WE STAND.
WE STAND.
>>
>> Reporter: THE GOOD NEW IS WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS.
THE QUESTION IS DO WE HAVE
ENOUGH TIME TO GET READY
BEFORE WE'RE HIT BY A BIG
QUAKE?
QUAKE?
QUAKE? THE BIGGEST THREAT COMING FROM
A MAGNITUDE 9 THREAT AND
TSUNAMI ALONG THE COAST.
IT'S OCTOBER 18.
AND JOHN HAYE ELEMENTARY.
KIDS KNOW THE DRILL AND DIVE
UNDER THEIR DESK.
AGAIN, THIS IS A DRILL.
YEAR AFTER YEAR, IT'S THE KIDS
THAT MAY KNOW MORE THAN THEIR
PARENTS ABOUT HOW TO DROP,
COVER, AND HOLD ON.
PRINCIPAL TAMMY BEACH.
>> WE WANT MUSCLE MEMORY TO
PLAY A PART IN ANY EMERGENCY.
THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO.
IT WILL HOPEFULLY CALM ANY
ANXIETY AND MAKE THEM FEEL A
LOT MORE CAPABLE IF SOMETHING
DOES HAPPEN.
DOES HAPPEN. >> Reporter: IT'S NOW MORE
THAN TWO YEARS SINCE THE STATE
TOOK A MAJOR SHIFT TOWARD
EARTHQUAKE READINESS.
EARTHQUAKE READINESS. JUNE OF 2016 SERVED AS A
WAKEUP CALL IN A MASSIVE
EXERCISE ENTITLED CASCADIA
RISING.
RISING.
RISING. THEY CONCLUDE ALL OF US NEED
TO BE READY TO BE ON OUR OWN
IN AN EARTHQUAKE OR OTHER
DISASTER FOR UP TO TWO WEEKS.
IN SOME PLACES, DOUBLE THAT.
>> AND THE SIDE WALLS ARE
SOMETHING WE HAVE TO REALLY
LOOK AT.
LOOK AT.
LOOK AT. >> Reporter: WE ARE MAKING
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS. THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES AND THE OFFICE OF
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION HIRING EXPERTS IN
SCHOOL DESIGN TO ASSESS HOW
SAFE OUR SCHOOLS WOULD BE IN
AN EARTH WAKE.
220 SCHOOLS EVALUATED THIS
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. DAVE SWANSON IS THE LEAD
ENGINEER.
ENGINEER.
ENGINEER. >> SO WHAT THE GEOLOGISTS ARE
DOING IS GIVING US GROUND
PARAMETERS THAT TELL US HOW
MUCH IT WILL SHAKE.
WE'RE USING THOSE PARAMETERS
TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH OF A
CONCERN WE MIGHT HAVE AT SOME
OF THESE CRITICAL POINTS ON
THE BILLING STRUCTURE.
>> WASHINGTON STATE SECOND
HIGHEST EARTHQUAKE IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> Reporter: MAX DIXON IS THE
PROGRAM MANAGER.
PROGRAM MANAGER. AND BEFORE CASCADIA RISING,
UNIVERSITIES WERE WORKING ON
AN EARTHQUAKE ALERT WARNING
SYSTEM KNOWN AS SHAKE ALERT.
IT CAN TELL US HOW MANY
SECONDS WE HAVE TO BRACE
OURSELVES FOR THE SHAKING
THAT'S COMING.
THAT'S COMING. WASHINGTON IS THE ONLY STATE
IN NORTH AMERICA WITH A
VERTICAL EVACUATION STRUCTURE
HIGH ENOUGH AND STRONG ENOUGH
WHERE PEOPLE CAN RUN FROM A
TSUNAMI.
TSUNAMI.
TSUNAMI. AND A SECOND IS UNDER
DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT. >> THERE'S MOMENTUM.
AT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.
WITHIN THE EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
MANAGEMENT. AND WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO
MOVE FORWARD A LITTLE BIT AT A
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> Reporter: PROGRESS, BUT WE
ARE NOT THERE TOTALLY ON ANY
OF THIS.
OF THIS.
OF THIS. WHAT ABOUT THE THOUSANDS OF
URM IN THE STATE?
UNREENFORCEED MASONRY BUILT IN
THE 20s , 30s , AND 40s WITH
NO STEEL REENFORCEMENT.
CALIFORNIA HAS LONG ORDERED
THESE BUILDINGS BE TORN DOWN.
WASHINGTON HAS NOT.
BUT THE ISSUE IS BEING STUDIED
BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE.
COMMERCE.
COMMERCE. AND THAT SHAKE ALERT SYSTEM
WOULD BENEFIT FROM A LOT MORE
SEISMOMETERS TO GET MORE
ACCURATE WARNINGS.
ACCURATE WARNINGS. NEEDED MORE MONEY FOR THAT.
VERTICAL EVACUATION.
VERTICAL EVACUATION. THE STATE LOOKING TO BUILD
ANOTHER THREE TO FOUR OVER THE
NEXT FEW YEARS.
SO, WE HAVE SORT OF ONE NOW,
ONE IN PLANNING.
AND THEN HOPEFULLY, THAT WILL
SPREAD OUT BECAUSE THERE'S A
LOT OF LOW LYING LAND ALONG
THE COAST.
THE COAST. AND THERE'S A LOT OF SCIENCE
THAT IS ALSO GOING ON.
>> ANY INDICATION THAT
AWARENESS IS ON THE RISE AND
PEOPLE ARE TAKING THIS
SERIOUSLY?
SERIOUSLY? >> WE THINK THERE ARE.
A LOT OF THE STORIES WE DO, WE
KNOW PEOPLE ARE WATCHING.
DOWNLOADING THAT.
DOWNLOADING THAT. THE GUIDES THAT THE STATE
OFFERS.
OFFERS.
OFFERS. THE TWO WEEK READY GUIDE.
YOU CAN GET THOSE ONLINE.
A LOT ON KING5.COM.
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY
TO PRINT AS MUCH DEMAND.
THEY'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE
TO LOOK ONLINE.
>> AND PRINT THEIR OWN.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> I DID NOT KNOW THOSE
UNREENFORCED BUILDINGS ...
I THOUGHT THEY HAD TO BE RETRO
FITTED.
FITTED.
FITTED. >> Reporter: NOT UNTIL THERE
IS A MAJOR REMODEL IN THE
BUILDING.
BUILDING.
BUILDING. AT THAT POINT, THEY ARE
ORDERED TO.
ORDERED TO. SO FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU'RE
LOOKING AT ONE OF THESE OLD
BUILDINGS AND YOU SEE A CROSS
OF STEEL IN THE WINDOW,
SOMETIMES THAT CROSS CAN BE
HIDDEN IN THE WALLS, YOU DON'T
KNOW IT'S THERE.
YOU LOOK FOR CERTAIN THINGS IN
THE SIDE OF THE BILLING
INDICATING THAT THE FLOOR AND
THE WALL ARE TIED TOGETHER.
THOSE ARE PRETTY GOOD.
BUT, THEY HAVE NOT ALL BEEN
HANDLED AND THERE'S NOT A
SYSTEMATIC, REALLY A
SYSTEMATIC WAY TO KNOW EXACTLY
HOW MANY OF THOSE BUILDINGS
HAVE BEEN ROTE REFITTED.
WE HAVE A STORY ONLINE ABOUT
THAT FROM OUR COVERAGE FROM
LAST