Overview

Scientists believe there is a high potential for the Pacific Northwest to experience earthquakes and their associated hazards. These associated hazards are tsunamis, which are a series of waves that occur due to some activity that displaces large amounts of water, and landslides, which can be caused by earthquakes and are downward movements of material due to gravity's forces. There are secondary hazards, such as fires, floods, and hazardous spills, that can also occur during earthquakes and tsunamis.

Focus

The major focus of this Web site is to increase the public's awareness of its vulnerability to regional (coastal Pacific Northwest) hazards and to outline and assess the potential impacts of these hazards in and around port and harbor communities.

Why Ports and Harbors?

Ports and harbors throughout the region are especially vulnerable to coastal hazards and, due to their location, will most likely bear the brunt of damages.

• Ports and harbors play significant roles in the economic and cultural development of coastal communities.
• They play a major role in response and recovery efforts after an event.
• The location and nature of ports and harbors make them vulnerable to a wide range of hazards. If ports and harbors are built on fill material or soft natural material, or are surrounded by steep slopes, they can run the risk of being damaged by earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides.

Plans for preventing damage to ports and harbors and strategies to speed recovery after a disaster have yet to be determined for many port and harbor communities. By providing the Protecting Our Ports and Harbors Web site, we hope to assist communities in accomplishing these tasks.

The Protecting Our Ports and Harbors Web site has several components:

• Overview – This section defines the importance of ports and harbors, their vulnerability to coseismic hazards, and a brief explanation of each section in the Web site.
• Hazards – This section can help educate communities about the array of potential coseismic hazards for the Pacific Northwest.
  • Earthquakes – An earthquake is a sudden trembling motion caused by an abrupt release or strain on the tectonic plates that form the earth's crust. Faults on or near the plate boundaries slip when the rock exceeds its elastic limit causing earthquakes.
    • Introduction
    • History
    • Future Risk
    • Amplification
  
  
  • Tsunamis – A tsunami is one or a series of huge sea waves caused by an earthquake, submarine earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, or other large-scale disturbance of the ocean floor. Sometimes referred to incorrectly as tidal waves, tsunamis have nothing to do with tides. The word tsunami means "harbor wave" in Japanese.
  
  
  • Ground Failure
    Liquefaction – Liquefaction is a physical process in which saturated soils react to vibrations, lose their strength and stiffness, and act as viscous or jelly-like fluid. Earthquakes can cause the soil to liquefy.
  
  
  • Landslides – A landslide is the downward and outward movement of slope-forming material such as rocks, dirt, or mud due to gravity's forces. Earthquakes can trigger landslides causing severe damage to both the natural and man-made environment.
  
  
  • Subsidence – Subsidence is the loss of surface elevation due to the removal of subsurface support. For example, extensive mining in a place can cause subsidence to occur.
  
  
  • Secondary Hazards

    Secondary hazards are triggered by an earthquake or seismic activity, and include such events as dam failures, fires, and oil or chemical spills.




• Vulnerability – This section defines vulnerability and the vulnerabilities of ports and harbors.
• Mitigation Options

  This section defines mitigation, the steps involved, how it benefits communities, plus individual mitigation strategies and mitigation efforts for specific hazards.



• Port/Harbor Atlas
  

   

  This section profiles Pacific Northwest ports and harbors and includes a map atlas and an interactive mapping application for each port/harbor.
• Planning Tool – This section provides a methodology that leads stakeholders through the process of identifying hazards and assessing the vulnerability of their port and harbor communities. Mitigation strategies will also be provided to help communities increase their resiliency to coseismic hazards.
• Resources – This section includes a glossary, a bibliography, data resource links, Internet Web links, and an acronyms list.

How to Use This Web Site

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