Olympia Earthquake Memorial--Tacoma, Washington

This bronze statue is a memorial to the April 13, 1949 Olympia earthquake in Tacoma, Washington. The 1949 Olympia earthquake claimed eight lives and caused $25 million in damage (equivalent to $330 million today). It should be noted that many masonry structures, and structures built upon soft soils, were damaged by this earthquake. The earthquake measured 7.1 (on the Richter Scale). Also, it caused a large landslide into Puget Sound, which triggered a localized tsunami along the Tacoma Narrows area. Additionally, the quake damaged 40% of homes and businesses in the Centralia area (located about 50 miles, or 80 kilometers, south of Tacoma.
The memorial relates to the efforts of an older child who tried to save a young child during the 1949 earthquake. The bronze banner at the base of the monument states, "We Honor A Hero". Eleven-year-old Marvin Klegman was a crossing guard at Tacoma's Lowell Elementary School. He was evacuating six-year-old Kelcy Allen out of Lowell School to safety--during the earthquake event. Unfortunately, as they were leaving the school building, bricks fell off a cornice. The older boy shielded the younger boy from falling bricks. This effort saved the younger child’s life. Unfortunately, the older child, Marvin Klegman, was killed by falling debris (note the randomly scattered bricks that are located at the foot-level of the bronze statue). The 2003 memorial was created, after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake brought back memories of Klegman's heroism during the 1949 earthquake. [References: www.atlasobscura.com/places/w... , and www.knkx.org/other-news/2019-... earthquake- trembling-arm-that-remains-grateful-to-a-child-who-died-saving-his-life-67-years-ago ]. The location of the memorial is at the intersection of North "I" Street and North 12th Street, in Tacoma.
Western Washington is prone to periodic earthquakes. The 1949 earthquake is similar in shaking intensity and general location to the 1965 Puget Sound earthquake (magnitude 6.5), and the 2001 Nisqually earthquake (magnitude 6.8). The earthquake in 1965 dramatically increased awareness of regional seismic hazards. It spurred the establishment of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network in 1969, and later led to improved building design codes in construction. [Reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_Pu...]. The earthquake has pushed state and local governments to back up many bridges and structures to better withstand quakes.
The 1949, 1965 and 2001 earthquakes are considered deep earthquakes. Western Washington also are affected by shallow earthquakes and subduction earthquakes. For this reason, an annual Earthquake Awareness Day takes place on the third Thursday of every October. It’s called The Great Washington Shakeout: www.shakeout.org/washington/ . Here are some tips for preparing for future earthquakes: 1) mil.wa.gov/preparedness , 2) • Do you know how to sto... iNezh95YJeOuldXiN and 3) • What you should do whe...
It can be easy to forget about the earthquakes in Western Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Fortunately, with modern building codes, recent structures now are less susceptible to damage. Nevertheless, very strong earthquakes can occur that can damage buildings. Also, specific areas of the region are more susceptible to strong shaking than others. Additionally, heavy objects can fall from inside and outside a building--can cause damage.
Although the idea of experiencing ​​an earthquake may seem scary--especially when experiencing a very large quake--the chances of surviving a large quake are good. Nevertheless, emergency services--and even basic services like electricity, water, groceries and telephones--could be disrupted for extended periods of time. Because of limitations of utilities and services after an earthquake, you may also need to help people around you--family, friends, and neighbors. Therefore, what you can do now to prepare for the next earthquake--will allow much more comfort and less stress after an earthquake occurs.
Hello Rock People! This is Dave the GeologyDude. Please note that there are other videos on this CZcams channel. Please "like" and subscribe to this CZcams channel!
Music (CZcams Audio Library): No. 8 Requiem (by Asther Abrami)
Copyright David Knoblach, © 2024. All rights reserved.

[@GeologyDude]

Hello Rock People! This is Dave the Geology Dude! There is more to this video. There are detailed notes in the video description area. If you want more, longer length rock identification videos are on this CZcams channel. Check them out, or leave a comment here!