Associated Press
SEATTLE — The damage estimate from the earthquake that rocked the Northwest climbed to $2 billion today as engineers inspected bridges, buildings, dams and roads. But the region congratulated itself for escaping far worse damage.
Most people went about their lives as usual, swapping stories about close calls during the most powerful quake to hit Washington state in 52 years. Few people noticed two minor aftershocks early today, and no additional damage was reported.
State emergency officials counted 272 injuries directly linked to Wednesday’s magnitude-6.8 quake, but most were minor and none critical.
“The biggest news is there is no news,” Seattle Mayor Paul Schell said. “There aren’t any fatalities. The damage, while serious, is not anything like what people would have expected.”
The earthquake was centered 35 miles southwest of Seattle and 33 miles underground. Scientists said the depth of the quake eased its impact, while municipal leaders said the millions of dollars spent stabilizing the region’s highways and buildings against earthquakes over the past decade paid off.
As inspectors fanned out across the region to check the safety of bridges, dams and roads, most Seattle businesses and schools were open. Four homes were evacuated in a Tacoma neighborhood because of the danger of mudslides.
In nearby Steilacoom, more than 200 patients at a state hospital for the criminally insane were moved after inspectors declared the building unsafe. The patients were kept in a gymnasium under guard Wednesday night.
In Olympia, the state capital, several streets were blocked off as crews began clearing away rubble and most students in surrounding Thurston County stayed home. The Capitol complex remained closed, idling 10,000 workers, most of them until Monday, when buildings were expected to be inspected and cleaned.
Legislative leaders said they will not know until Friday whether the Capitol itself, with a crack behind pillars supporting its dome, can be used. They were scouting other sites in case the Legislature has to relocate for the rest of the session.
A viaduct in downtown Seattle and other roads remained closed, and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — its controllers forced into a trailer because of damage to the tower — offered only limited service.
Most of the Seattle damage was confined to individual buildings. A building near Pioneer Square was enclosed with scaffolding to prevent falling bricks from hitting passers-by.
Just outside Seattle, Paula Vandorssen, 40, of Maple Valley was driven from her home by a quake-triggered mudslide.
“This used to be my living room,” she said, pointing to a 2-foot-deep flow of mud and broken glass. Vandorssen was hoping for federal aid: “We need all the help we can get.”
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the preliminary damage estimate had reached $2 billion. Gov. Gary Locke said the figure is expected to rise once lost wages and lost business are added to property damage.
Most of the region’s buildings built since the mid-1970s comply with seismic codes designed to make them capable of withstanding strong earthquakes. Officials also gave high praise to a $65 million program that has firmed up more than 300 bridges since 1990.
State engineer Ed Henley said the program had “paid for itself.”
“Washington was prepared and they’ve done a good job handling this,” added Joe Allbaugh, the Federal Emergency Management Agency director.
Murray and other Democrats criticized a proposal by President Bush to eliminate a $25 million FEMA program designed to help communities prepare for disasters. Project Impact involves 250 cities nationwide, including Seattle.
“Project Impact funds have made an incredible difference,” Murray said. “Obviously, this is the example we will use as we try to restore the funds. I don’t think we should be cutting FEMA anywhere.”
Allbaugh said Project Impact undoubtedly helped but was only a small part of federal disaster preparations. He declined to discuss the future of the program, which a White House budget blueprint said “has not proven effective.”
In Seattle, a $1 million Project Impact grant has been used to overhaul homes to make them safer in case of an earthquake and to remove hazards in schools. The money also has been used to map earthquake and landslide hazards.
On the Net:
U.S. Geological Survey: http://www.usgs.gov
U.S.G.S. Earthquake Information Center: http://neic.usgs.gov
