Cultural renewal
Opinionated Judge
Native community
works to reconnect
with nature
Movie review gives
“Beasts o f the
Southern Wild, ’ a
thumbs up
See Local News, page 3
See Metro, page 11
¡Otari! attfr (©bsertier 43
Volume XXXXIII
Number II
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Wednesday • March 20,
20. 2013
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PHOTO BY CARI HACHM ANN/THE PORTLAND OBSERVER
A Portland contractor uses steel plates to bolt down a 100-year-old home to its foundation as part of a seismic upgrade to keep the home from collapsing during a
massive earthquake. March is earthquake awareness month in Oregon.
Retrofitting
houses to protect
life and property
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
March is Earthquake Awareness Month in Oregon. It also
marks the month a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck
the coast of Sendai, Japan two years ago, creating a devas­
tating tsunami, killing thousands and causing a nuclear
reactor meltdown.
Two years later, as debris from the quake still washes up
along our coastline, the Portland Bureau of Emergency
Management is reminding Portlanders to prepare for a sub­
duction zone earthquake of similar nature and size that
scientists expect to hit home anytime.
An Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission
report for Gov. John Kitzhaber’s office has estimated that
statewide damage from such an event would total in the tens
of billions of dollars.
The report also illuminates how Oregon’s public and
private sectors are unprepared for such a disaster, and
underscores the work needed to protect life and property.
At the top of the city ’ s priority list is educating homeowners
about how to seismically upgrade their homes to withstand
massive lateral shifting from a devastating earthquake.
The city demonstrates our vulnerability to disasters by its
commitment to construct a new 30,000-square foot emer­
gency coordination center, located near Portland’s 911 Cen­
ter at 3732 S.E. 99th Avenue. Slated for completion later this
year, the new center will serve as a multi-agency coordination
hub supporting on-scene response to an emergency.
Some Portlanders are taking initiative to prepare. For
many, their home is their biggest asset.
Not wanting to take any chances, southeast Portland
resident David Moro just seismic retrofitted his 100-year-old
house in hopes that it will remain on its foundation during
such an earth-shifting event.
“I’ll sleep better knowing that I tried,” said Moro, a retired
building maintenance supervisor who lives with his wife and
one of four children.
continued
on page 10