If Large Quake Hits Seattle You Can Expect Landslides And Tsunamis

With the earthquake in Chile and the one in Haiti last month and tomorrow being the 9th anniversary of the Nisqually Quake the question on everyone’s mind is, when will the next big one hit Seattle and could the Puget Sound get rocked by a tsunami.

Saturday was a calm day on the water around Seattle, deep below it though a ticking time bomb and earthquake waiting to unleash its fury. Brian Atwater who is a USGS geologist says a major quake could cause the waters to rise around Seattle.

“So, you can expect that there would be locally generally tsunamis in Puget Sound from the shaking,” said Atwater.

Atwater was in the University of Washington Seismology lab on Saturday monitoring the tsunami from the Chilean quake. He says a local shaker would cause landslide and big waves.

“It'll just become strong currents by the time you get into, rapidly rising and falling waters,” said Atwater.

University of Washington seismologist Bill Steele says a big quake will topple buildings and north of Seattle send Puget Sound inland.

“As far as big waves washing away homes the modeling is showing parts of Bellingham could be vulnerable to some low lying flooding,” said Steele.

If and when a big earthquake hits Seattle, it could trigger a tsunami on Puget Sound, but also in fresh water like Lake Washington. Big waves could damage both floating bridges and threaten lives on the water and shoreline.

Brian Atwater says people should seek higher ground after the earthquake hits.

“Is there a building that's well built that might withstand the earthquake and I can get up on and ride out the tsunami,” said Atwater.

State Emergency Responders were on high alert today from the Chilean Tsunami. Rob Harper with the Washington Emergency Management Division says it was a good test for the big one.

“So, it's very important to see how we respond that our plans work, we coordinate and all of that happened successfully today,” said Harper.

When that major earthquake strikes Seismologist Bill Steele says take cover and stay off the water.

“So, it's going to be kind of chaotic, difficult to navigate perhaps, while these are coming on it will be scary to be out in a boat I think,” said Steele.