The 'terrifying' Seattle/Olympia earthquake: a learning experience for area hospitals about disaster plans

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Seattle/Olympia area about an hour before lunchtime on Wednesday, February 28, caused an estimated $2 billion in damage but resulted in only one death. The quake was centered near Washington's state capital, Olympia, about 50 miles from Seattle. Scientists attribute the relatively small amount of damage to the fact that the quake was a deep one centered about 30 miles below the earth's surface. Experts also credit modern building codes, which require new buildings to be quake-resistant, and the retrofitting of older buildings to resist quakes for the lack of damage and casualties (less than 400 injuries). Hospitals in the region escaped serious damage and emergency rooms received relatively few casualties. However, in carrying out disaster plans, security and safety officials uncovered a number of problems that could have had serious impact in another emergency situation.