For the first time in 20 years, Portlanders are getting a detailed look at the damage that will be caused by a catastrophe we all know is coming — a major earthquake striking the metro area — and the prospects are grim.
The assessment comes in a new report published Thursday by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and includes some stark numbers. In a worst-case scenario, the metro area could see more than $80 billion in building damage, tens of thousands of people wounded or killed and more than 250,000 people facing long-term displacement.
"The damage estimates are significantly higher than those given in previously published studies for the area," the report states, as it uses better data about the buildings in the metro area, many of which were built using unreinforced masonry.