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| The US is testing its response to a mega-quake tsunami |
THE US military is preparing for what
is expected to be the most devastating earthquake tsunami to strike its west
coast.
PUBLISHED: 17:46, Sat, Jun 4, 2016 | UPDATED: 12:37, Sun, Jun 5, 2016
In just a few days major rehearsals
will take place by disaster officials, the emergency services, and military, in
a bid to face what will happen when an overdue major earthquake strikes.
The
massive earthquake and tsunami readiness drill has been developed by the US
government, military, and state and local emergency managers over several years
to test if they are ready for what is expected to be the country’s worst ever
natural disaster when it comes.
And
it is a case of when, not if.
The exercise from June 7 to 10 is
called Cascadia Rising or even the “Doomsday Drill”.
This
is in reference to the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 600-mile-long fault line off
the west coast from Northern California to British Columbia.
Scientists
agree that the area is due major seismic activity and that a “big one”
magnitude eight or greater earthquake is overdue by about 80 years.
Lt
Col Clayton Braun of the Washington State National Guard, said: “This is the
largest exercise ever for a Cascadia break.”
Around 20,000 people will take part
in the dry run of the disaster that could affect millions of people.
The
major exercise will test how well agencies work together to minimise loss of
life.
Such
an earthquake would likely trigger a huge tsunmai to crash towards the coast.
More than eight million people live
in the area that would be affected, including Seattle and Portland, and
Interstate 5, one of the US’s busiest roads.
Experts
already fear the amount of expected deaths will overwhelm emergency services.
Bridges
and roads could be destroyed, with fuel supplies and communications disrupted.
Next
week Washington State National Guardsmen will landing on Vashon Island to
rehearse delivery of supplies.
Tests
will include pulling people from rubble at a simulated collapsed building.
Related Posts:
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-cascadia-can-deliver-quake-thats.html
http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/676871/BIG-ONE-COMING-US-prepares-for-devastating-earthquake-tsunami-to-strike
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