Industry, government in Pacific Northwest simulated earthquake drill

More than 300 government, industry, and emergency management personnel from four Pacific Northwest states, Alaska, and British Columbia gathered behind closed doors yesterday in Bellevue to participate in a two-day simulated mega-quake disaster scenario. The scenario calls for a massive earthquake that will kill thousands, destroy buildings, knock out power and water, set fires, and leave the region devastated for years. The goal of the exercise at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency, code-named Blue Cascades III and redesigned to take into account some of the lessons learned from Katrina, is to improve communication and coordination among the public and private players in the critical infrastructure needed to mount the most effective response to a catastrophe.

Sponsors of the Blue Cascades event include the Bonneville Power Administration, Microsoft, Concurrent Technologies, King County government, Premera Blue Cross, Puget Sound Energy, ESRI, and CH2M Hill. DHS is providing technical support.

-read more in this report