UO to talk about “The Really Big One”

The University of Oregon is jumping into the earthquake fray. What earthquake fray, you ask?

On a recent trip to the Oregon coast, a certain EW reporter found herself mentally planning evacuation routes and nervously eyeing the coastline, imagining tidal waves of unrealistic proportions crashing down on her.

Although I’ve been reporting on the Cascadia Subduction Zone mega-earthquake and subsequent tsunami since 2011, The New Yorkerstory “The Really Big One” has everyone and their dog nervously chittering about the unholy doom predicted to rain down on the Pacific Northwest.

Seriously, folks, we’ve got talking head physicist Michio Kaku telling Fox News that he’d “think twice” about living in the Pacific Northwest if he had children. Emergency preparedness kits are selling like hotcakes in Seattle. People are quibbling over the meaning of “toast.”

Kathryn Schulz, the author of the New Yorker story, wrote a follow-up this week, “How to Stay Safe When the Big One Comes,” in an attempt to provide some actionable information to her panicked readers.

And now, the UO is hosting its own info session to discuss earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest. The panel includes UO geologists Rebecca Dorsey and Douglas Toomey, as well as Oregon State University researcher Chris Goldfinger, who was prominently featured in Schulz’s story.

It’s sure to be a rollicking good time with science, risk mitigation and hopefully only a little bit of panic. Head over to Room 156 of Straub Hall, 1451 Onyx St., 7-9 pm next Thursday, Aug. 6. Admission is free.

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