In case you missed the recent New Yorker article “The Really Big One,” about the potential for a catastrophic earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, allow me to sum it up for you:
WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
Someday, a massive quake will strike our tranquil little place on the Ring of Fire and give everyone a very bumpy ride, followed by a thorough soak in a tsunami. One official put it in technical terms: “Everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.”
Two logical responses followed the news that our home will be turned into breakfast food: 1. Sharing the story on Facebook to scare all your friends; and 2. Asking, “Could you kindly tell us when this will occur?”
The best that scientists can do is give us odds. There’s a 1-in-3 chance of a “Big One” and 1-in-10 chance of a “Really Big One” in the next 50 years, they say. The region averages a severe quake once every 243 years, but it’s been 315 years since the last one. There’s no way to know when one is imminent; all we can do is play nature’s Roulette wheel.
In our latest poll at HeraldNet.com, we asked how you’ve responded to this little freakout.
A few – 16 percent – are taking extra precautions. If nothing else, it’s a reminder to have bottled water handy.
Six percent said they’re worrying more, and 5 percent are considering moving somewhere more stable. Might I suggest Sweet Grass County, Montana? Time magazine pegged it as the safest place in America, so there’s little to fret about, other than the risk you’ll die of boredom.
Most – 73 percent – are doing nothing. You’re just going on with life, taking spins at that Roulette wheel.
We’re on a 315-year winning streak. You’ve got to like our chances.
—Doug Parry, @parryracer
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Next, we’d like to know your opinion on Tim Eyman, who’s pushing another tax-related initiative for the November ballot:
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