Holy crap EARTHQUAKE!

[RossMAN]

USGS spokesman on KGW is now saying a 4.7 centered near Olympia, but I find that a little hard to believe. It felt like a 4.0 or stronger here in Portland... And from the damage they are showing in Seattle, it doesn't appear consistent with a 4.7.

I agree, if I felt this quake in a high rise tower in downtown Portland, Oregon and it originated south of Seattle it's probably a lot stronger than 4.7

Ok I guess it's time to get back to work since I can't make any outgoing calls or faxes, all the phone lines from Seattle to Portland are non-stop busy.

Right now CBS (channel 6 KOIN) is at Portland State University interviewing the seizamtology (sp) department.

 

[azazyel]

The phone lines were jammed and I had to tell someone!

 

[~zonker~]

USA Today is reporting 6.2

That's an experience. Lived through the '87 quake in the bay area... I hope things don;t turn out too bad for anyone.

 

[dennilfloss]

USGS just upgraded it to 7.0 magnitude. :Q

Seattle is built on 7 hills with a lot of fill material in places. They expect more damage in the fill areas, just like in San Francisco.

Ready To Run (Dixie Chicks)

 

[Viper GTS]

Now somebody's sayin' 7.0...

This gets better & better.

BTW, for reference, I'm three stories up in an office building.

Viper GTS

 

[NetworkDad]

There is no way it could be a 4.2....we would hardly feel it.

My house was shaking like hell...

 

[Rickr]

I'm also in a downtown Portland high-rise. This building was shaking for over a minute. Pretty scary.

The bad part is that the elevators are off-line. Its going to be a long walk down a lot of stairs for me to get home! D'oh!

 

[The Stigenator]

7.0 and the 30 people stuck on teh space needle.

 

[piku]

Whoa... 30 people are stuck in the Space Needle. Now THAT would be cool.

 

[IBuyUFO]

The USGS has just reclassified this earthquake at 7.0. It did do a lot of damage like the one we had in SF in 1989.

 

[NetworkDad]

Taken from tsunami.gov Tsunami warning site

*****
TO ALL TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM PARTICIPANTS
SUBJECT: TSUNAMI INFORMATION MESSAGE
WEST COAST AND ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED 02/28/2001 AT 1909 UTC

...THIS IS AN INFORMATION MESSAGE...

EARTHQUAKE DATA:
PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE: 6.4
LOCATION: 47.1N 122.6W - 210 MILES N OF EUGENE, OR.
35 MILES SW OF SEATTLE, WA.
TIME: 0955 AST 02/28/2001
1055 PST 02/28/2001
1855 UTC 02/28/2001

THE QUAKE WAS FELT SHARPLY IN THE SEATTLE AREA.

EVALUATION:
.THE MAGNITUDE IS SUCH THAT A TSUNAMI WILL NOT BE GENERATED.

THE LOCATION AND MAGNITUDE ARE BASED ON PRELIMINARY INFORMATION.
WEST COAST AND ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER: HTTP://WCATWC.GOV.
FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE ISSUED BY THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY, GOLDEN, CO., HTTP://WWWNEIC.CR.USGS.GOV.

****

 

[BuckNaked]

That Microsoft footage is funny, wish someone could splice some footage of a big Penguin walking to the Redmond headquaters like the Stay Puff Marshmallow man in Ghostbusters.... HAHA

Dave

 

[joohang]

I keep hearing firetrucks and ambulances around. I hope nobody got hurt badly.

 

[Moonbeam]

Stay off the beach.

 

[joohang]

CBC News

Apparently, the epicentre was 50km south of Seattle. Magnitude 6.4.

I wonder how devastating the "big one" will be..

 

[dennilfloss]

Crap. I'm getting a bad feeling about this. The length of the quake is unusual. That might be a precursor to a bigger one. If your pets show any sign of sudden weirdness, please take cover.

Night Moves (Bob Seger)

 

[joohang]

dennil,

Which pets are sensitive to quakes? My apartment is "no pets" but I'm considering to get one any ways.

 

[UWDawg]

Rockin in Seattle.

 

[RossMAN]

Sheesh people in Vancouver, Canada felt the quake also?

Anyone know of any web sites which have pictures? So far I have only found CNN, KGW (3 pictures), KOIN and Oregons12.

I hope everyone near Seattle and Portland are ok.

 

[BuckNaked]

USGS now upgraded it to 7.0 according to KGW in Portland... Also saying 10 people injured.

 

[rbV5]

We shook pretty good here in Forest Grove(West of Portland)

 

[LadyNiniane]

Just heard from my sister - her daughter (my niece) and family live just north of downtown Seattle. Moved a bunch of stuff around, tossed a few pictures off the wall - no damage to house noted (yet). All of the family has reported in safe...

USGS sites are overloaded (well, duh!) - you can get in but only if you wait or just keep trying. Last screen I saw said magnitude 6.4; news agencies are reporting anything from 6.2 to 7.0. Initial pics of damage would lead me to think the higher numbers are more accurate.

Viper and others, let us know how things go - when it's safe to do so.

Lady Niniane

 

[dennilfloss]

Cats, dogs, birds... Birds stop singing and take to the air.

Capitol dome in Olympia is cracked.

WOW! CNN just showed a camera that was filming inside a building. The computer was really shaking.

I Feel The Earth Move (Carole King)

 

[PG]

People were evacuate from buildings in downtown Seattle, including inmates in the jail.

Doh!! I just hope they get them all back in afterwards.

This was from the link by RossMANN

 

[joohang]

Rossman,

Last time I checked, Vancouver is only like 5 hours of drive away from Seattle.

We are just as vulnerable for the "big one" as Seattle is. I believe that plates are locked up somewhere in lower BC area, although I wish it was a bit further south. j/k Not that it'll make much difference to the damage.

Question: If the epicenter is right on my apartment (and I'm outside), will I get the most/least damage compared to nearby towns/cities?