Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of discussion around the likelihood of a major earthquake in the Pacific Northwest. The original article in the New Yorker describes many scientists certainty that the massive quake is coming and will raise Seattle and Portland to the ground with a massive 100ft high tsunami. This article made me question my own families safety and how we could be better prepared.
The following is a list of the top 5 changes that you can make to be ready for such a disaster.
Structural integrity
Although making a tsunami proof home is impossible, you can make your home more protected from floods. This can be achieved through several steps. The first step is fix your window and door seals. This is where the initial flood waters will enter a structure. It will begin with a simple damp spot. The wall will weaken then a total section collapse will follow. I saw this during hurricane Katrina. The homes with poor window and door seals had a 60% higher fail rate than those with solid seals. (continue reading)