1st Seattle Bicycle Disaster Relief Trial Held
- John Cornelison
- June 24, 2013
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Some 50 cyclists tested their disaster preparedness skills at the 1st Seattle Disaster Relief Trial. It was held near the University of Washington on June 21st.
According to their Facebook event listing:
“Imagine a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hitting the Seattle Fault. Freeway overpasses crumble, a Lake Washington sieche (oscillating wave) takes chunks out of bridges. Motor vehicles are rendered useless, but following the example of Sandy Relief by bike, Seattle residents with bikes and trailers or cargo bikes are able to transport food and medical supplies.”
“Seattle's first Disaster Relief Trials will be part of the Bicycle Urbanism Symposium on Friday, June 21st.”
This Q13Fox story reports they would be “learning what they can do if a major disaster, like a large earthquake, strikes. Because of debris, cars could be useless, but bikes and their riders could be lifesavers.”
Seattle Emergency Management Agency’s Tracy Connelly praised their speed and ability to circumvent piles of rubble. Madeleine (Madi) Carlson, Seattle’s Biking Mom, helped organize the event.
Similar Disaster Relief Trials have been held in Portland for several years. Here are a bunch of fun photos of their event. Their next event will be Saturday, July 13, 2013 at The Oregon Museum of Science & Industry.
The recent August 24, 2014 earthquake outside of Napa, California again demonstrated the seismic risk posed by a building’s nonstructural components. In general, the components of a building’s structural system that support the building and keep it standing—the frame, walls, and roof—performed very well in the Napa Valley earthquake. However, the nonstructural components of a building—the cladding, interior walls, ceilings, utilities, and contents – were responsible for more than 90 percent of the damage.