December 26 is the 10-year anniversary of the Boxing Day earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Since the devastating earthquake and tsunami, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management has stepped up preparations for a major quake here.
Oregon is located along the Cascadia Subduction zone, a fault capable of producing a major quake. Cory Grogan, with the Oregon Office of Emergency Management says it’s not a matter of if it’s a matter of when. New evacuation and tsunami inundation maps have been created and are vital to Oregon’s preparedness.
Grogan: “Since the Indonesia earthquake there’s been a lot of work done by experts to develop theses maps to know exactly where that tsunami’s going to hit when the big earthquake happens. The water could come in as much as 80, so it’s going to be a long way that some folks are going to have to go to get out of the inundation zone.”
A 9.0 magnitude quake could hit the region at any time. Grogan says a study done by Oregon State University scientists suggests there’s a 40 percent chance a major temblor will happen in the next 50 years. Grogan says one of the most important things people can do is to have an evacuation plan and an emergency supply kit.