Last week’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Seattle has proven the Pacific Northwest is not immune from a major tremor, but many experts on campus say the University would suffer no major damage should Eugene experience a similar quake.
“I think we may have many buildings that would be able to stand an earthquake,” said Steve Hildebrand, the building manager for the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.
Hildebrand, who manages one-third of all campus buildings, said the damage would mimic that in Seattle due to the combination of old and new buildings on campus.Nancy Wright, director of facilities housing, said the residence halls, built in the 1960s, would do well in an earthquake because of the many walls that separate residents.
“We feel that the residence halls are probably some of the safest buildings on campus,” she said.
She said many of the residence halls have met safety standards from their era, but whenever there are any major upgrades to be completed on halls, retrofitting is also included.
An ongoing study by AAA, called the Hazus Project, has shown that buildings around campus would be at a greater risk than those on campus, said Christine Theodoropoulos, an associate professor in the school.
“The Hazus Project is a predictive tool that helps committees predict possible losses,” she said. “These losses can include building damage, as well as human life.”
Theodoropoulos said Prince Lucien Campbell, the tallest building on campus, would not suffer a worse fate than most buildings on campus.
“There isn’t anything about it to believe it would behave any differently than any other structure of its era,” she said.
Earthquakes tend to strike structural irregularities in a building, she said, which is why some buildings fall more easily than others. PLC does not contain any major irregularities, she said.
Theodoropoulos added the slender build of the building should not affect its ability to withstand an earthquake.
Geology professor Eugene Humphreys said an earthquake would not cause much damage on campus.
“I think we would probably fare pretty well,” he said.
Humphreys said the last major earthquake to hit the Eugene area occurred around 300 years ago. There is an average of 400 to 500 years between major quakes in the area, so the possibility of another coming soon is small, he said.
“We’re entering the time period for this, but it’s not too likely,” he said.
Humphreys said the Pacific Northwest is mainly in a subduction zone environment, in which one continental plate slides underneath another. This is unlike the situation in California, which has a major strike-slip fault, and has suffered two major earthquakes in the last 15 years: The Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area of 1989, which registered a 7.1 magnitude, and the Northridge earthquake of 1994 in the Los Angeles area, which measured 6.7.
In the event of an earthquake, the University has put together an Emergency Procedures packet, which outlines various emergencies on campus and what to do if they occur. But it is only put together as a precautionary measure, said Thomas Hicks, associate director of the Department of Public Safety.
“One of the concepts of a disaster plan is you cannot predict what will happen,” he said.
Joan Saylor, an administrative lieutenant for DPS, said the University is analyzing the situation at California State University Northridge to determine the best plan if an emergency occurs.
The school was badly damaged by the earthquake that shook the L.A. area and is still recovering from it, she said.
“We’re looking at what happened to them so we can get back on our feet as soon as possible,” she said.
Saylor said no matter how much preparation is done, there is still a danger.
“I don’t know if we would ever be completely safe,” she said. “What the most important thing to know is the basics we’ve all been taught.”