Alaskans live on shaky ground

Every now and then, Kenai Peninsula residents are awakened by the ground shaking. These minor tremors are common and hardly noted.

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However, equally likely is the chance of a major quake ripping through the Southcentral part of Alaska. In fact, the eight strongest quakes in American history have happened in Alaska, mostly in Southcentral and the Aleutians.

Earthquakes have a long history of wreaking mass destruction along fault lines.

Peter Haeussler, a geologist with the United States Geological Survey, said people living in Alaska need to be aware of the risk and be prepared.

"Earthquakes have been part of the history of southern Alaska for the past 200 billion years," Haeussler said. "They're not something new and they're not going to go away anytime soon."

"Alaska, on average, gets one magnitude 7 (earthquake) a year," he said. "It could easily be under Valdez or Anchorage."

The Good Friday earthquake of 1964 was centered in the northwest corner of Prince William Sound and had a Richter scale magnitude of 9.2, making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America. This quake and the seismic sea waves that followed took the lives of 131 people.

Following the destruction of that quake, boroughs and municipalities around the state revised building codes, said Max Best, acting planning director for the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Although the only way to avoid earthquakes entirely is relocation, there are things emergency officials recommend to decrease the risk and amount of damage caused by these forces of nature. (See related story, page 26.)

n Conform to local building safety codes and avoid building on unstable land. Haeussler said, "You can choose where to live and you can choose to live someplace safe;"

n Practice "duck, cover and hold" drills at home and work;

n Practice counting to 60 seconds. Because most quakes do not last that long, you will have a good judge of when the shaking is likely to be over. Counting also will help you keep calm in an actual emergency by occupying your mind;

n Fasten hot water heaters, bookcases and heavy furniture to walls, or as Haeussler said, "attach tall, tippy things to the wall;"

n Install bolts or latches on cupboard doors;

n Hang heavy items, such as pictures and mirrors, away from beds, couches and other seating areas;

n Brace overhead light fixtures;

n Repair defective wiring and leaky gas pipes;

n Store breakable things like bottled and jarred foods, glass and china in low cabinets with latches;

n Repair ceiling and foundation cracks; call in a professional if they show signs of structural defects;

n Store flammable products, weed killers and pesticides on bottom shelves in securely closed cabinets;

n Identify the safest place in each room. These would be away from glass that could shatter and heavy furniture that might fall over.