15 Worst Disasters to Hit the Pacific NW Since 1900

Of all the disasters in this listing, tornadoes are the least frequent. Flooding, like almost everywhere else in the United States, claims the most lives. The one that really jumped out at me was the fairly recent heat dome event that killed hundreds in an area normally known for very temperate temperatures. Likely that is one reason so many people died.

Four of the 15 happened during my tenure as an emergency manager here in the northwest. More of them happened during my lifetime, e.g., Mount Saint Helens, which I remember watching on TV in Wisconsin.

Clearly there is a call to action to become better prepared. Preparedness needs to move beyond the three days, which here in Oregon and Washington is now 14 days as messaging to the public. The killer buildings that exist throughout the area are unreinforced masonry buildings (URM) that need to be seismically mitigated. It will be done by people and governments who care, or they will fall down in a big quake and kill people. It is as simple as that.

The future is sometimes uncertain. In this case it is very predictable.