The Ultimate Disaster Pack People in the Pacific Northwest know to be prepared for earthquakes. But what can the current state of earthquake science tell us about readiness? US Geological Survey brings four local experts to Town Hall’s stage for a forum discussion on seismic activity in our region. They offer us insight into the study of faults and ground shaking, monitoring technology and early warning systems, earthquake-based building engineering, and strategies and policies for preparedness. Sit in for a chance to learn more about earthquakes throughout our region, and what we can do to make sure we’re not caught unprepared.
Harold Tobin is the Director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (pnsn.org) and professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. As PNSN Director he leads the organization responsible for seismic monitoring and seismologic research in the region, and is also Washington’s designated State Seismologist.
Barb Graff is the Director of the Seattle Office of Emergency Management and is responsible for the team that manages the all-hazard community-wide emergency management program for the City of Seattle. For 21 years she led Bellevue’s emergency management program, which served as the pilot for the national Emergency Management Accreditation process.
John Hooper is a Senior Principal and the Director of Earthquake Engineering at Magnusson Klemencic Associates, a consulting structural and civil engineering firm in Seattle, Washington. John has over 30 years of engineering experience in the fields of renovation, earthquake engineering, and performance-based seismic design.
Erin Wirth is a research geophysicist with the U. S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center in Seattle, Washington. Her research focuses on earthquake hazards, particularly in subduction zone settings, and recent work involved running supercomputer simulations for dozens of hypothetical Magnitude 9 Cascadia earthquake scenarios.
Visit the Website Pacific Northwest Earthquake Forum