How prepared is Renton for a major earthquake?
Ask Eric Holdeman, director of King County’s Office of Emergency Management, this question and he’ll give you a sobering reply. “There isn’t an agency or organization in the nation that can handle a catastrophic event,” Holdeman said. That being said, the city of Renton has done much to prepare for a variety of large-scale disasters, from major gas line ruptures to terrorist attacks and earthquakes. Earthquakes are considered the most likely disaster to strike because the Puget Sound area is second to California in the likelihood of an earthquake causing major damage, according to the U.S. Geogological Survey. Emergency responders and other experts contacted for this article said the federal Department of Homeland Security is focusing more attention on deterring terrorist attacks than preventing earthquakes and other natural disasters. That’s been a challenge, but it hasn’t prevented area agencies from working together. What damage could an earthquake do here? On Feb. 28, 2001, the Nis
