Fischer Broadcasting is hosting the first "What If?" Expo, this Saturday from 10-5.  Disaster preparedness and response experts will be exhibiting and presenting. 

Visit Sound Seismic's table to discuss retrofitting with Leif or Erik.  Or stop by the seminar stage at 3:30 to hear Leif talk about how our homes can be reinforced to resist earthquake damage.

Anchoring, bracing, and connecting a home through a home earthquake retrofit is as easy as ABC.

Most homes built in the last 30 years or so do not require earthquake retrofits, but older properties may require foundation repairs. Ground shaking can cause significant damage if the foundation is not properly fastened to the rest of the construction.

The recent earthquakes in Japan, as well as strong tremors in New Zealand, Chile, and Haiti, have refocused attention on seismic safety at home...

Following Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami, relief and terror mixed across the Northwest on Friday.

Though one person is believed to have perished and many ports in Northern California and Oregon were damaged, the majority of the region was spared by the storm.

However, photos from Japan of shattered buildings and ships, as well as houses and automobiles being washed away like trash, served as a stark warning that a quake and tsunami of similar — or greater — magnitude will strike the United States at some point...

SEATTLE — Scientists warn Northwesterners to pay close attention to the disaster unfolding in Japan because the same thing is heading our way.

The enormous earthquake that occurred Thursday night, accompanied by tsunami waves 20 feet high or more, is virtually identical to what the Pacific Northwest coast may experience if the offshore fault known as the Cascadia subduction zone ruptures.

"It's the finest illustration of what we're going to experience, and I'm sure Japan is better prepared than we are," said John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington. The Cascadia fault last ruptured in 1700, causing a magnitude 9 earthquake and a tsunami that may have been larger than the one that hit Japan. Major earthquakes on the Cascadia fault happen every 400 to 500 years, but new research suggests they might happen much more frequently...

EVEN the harrowing videos of Japan's 8.9 magnitude earthquake appear to stretch on forever. Images of the 23-foot tidal wave crashing onshore and its debris-laden onslaught inland are particularly distressing.

The natural calamity in Japan is a human tragedy with a specific resonance in the Puget Sound region. The unprecedented loss of life, damage, and economic devastation are heartbreaking. The sights are even more distressing by our awareness of our own weakness.

The quake, which struck 80 miles off Japan's eastern coast and was felt across a wide area, is the sixth biggest on record since 1900. Two days previously, the area had a 7.2 magnitude tremor, which geologists refer to as a forequake.

The sole indication that a tsunami had arrived in Washington on Friday morning was violent waves akin to any rainy day on the coast.

The first wave of the tsunami to reach the Washington Coast shortly after 7 a.m. measured 1.7 feet in La Push, nearly half a foot at Neah Bay and Port Angeles, and 1.3 feet at Westport, according to the National Weather Service.

The tsunami warning for the Washington coast remained in place, and further waves were forecast, according to Kirby Cook, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Seattle. More waves were crashing in California, which suggested that Washington and Oregon might be in for more...

CRESCENT CITY, CA — The tsunami warnings moved quicker than the waves, enabling millions of people throughout the Pacific hours to evacuate to higher ground. They are now left to clean up the aftermath of the waves, which have destroyed docks and ruined boats. A catastrophic tsunami triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan rushed over the Pacific on Friday, breaking into marinas and ports in Hawaii and the West Coast, sending boats crashing into one another, taking others out to sea, and wrecking piers. The destruction, which was most severe in two beach communities near the Oregon-California border, was estimated to be in the millions of dollars. "This is simply devastating. I never expected to see this again, "Ted Scott, a retired mill worker from Crescent, stated...