Summer 2020
When the sky fell
Forty years ago, on a fateful day in May, a volcanic eruption—unprecedented in modern times—etched itself on the memories of Washingtonians from Vancouver to Pullman. » More ...
Natural disaster
Summer 2018
Prepare your pets and livestock for disasters
Disaster strikes not only people, but also their pets and livestock. Be ready for disasters by making plans for your animals, using these tips from Ready.gov.
Read more about animal evacuation during disasters in “Bug out!”
Make a Plan
If you leave your pets behind, they may be lost, injured—or worse. Never leave a pet chained outdoors.
Create a buddy system in case you’re not home. Ask a trusted neighbor to check on your animals.
Identify shelters. For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets.
Find pet friendly hotels along your … » More …
Summer 2018
Bug out!
A scrawled note was stuck to the door of the clinic. “All animals left here have died,” it said. “We have buried them for you. I have no way of expressing my grief.” The note was signed by the vet whose clinic was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
That note is a sad reminder that being prepared for a disaster is key to surviving storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and whatever else might come crashing down upon us—and our animals.
That’s why Cynthia Faux says, “If I have 15 minutes to evacuate in front of a fast-moving fire, I don’t want to spend 10 of those looking … » More …
Spring 2017
Swift Dam
Sid Gustafson ’77, ’79 DVM
Open Books: 2016
Swift Dam pulls you in, drags you practically, sweeping you over the western landscape until you are ankle deep in Sid Gustafson’s world. The writing flows through the reader’s mind like water and entrenches the reader in the story. With each passing chapter, it becomes harder to discern if you are reading a published novel or a form of the author’s diary.
The story follows … » More …
Fall 2014
Oso—a view from inside a disaster
On a Saturday afternoon last March, Matt Carroll got a curious Facebook message from the stepdaughter of his best friend, Tom Durnell. There had been a landslide near Tom’s home. His wife, Debbie, was at work. They couldn’t get in touch with Tom.
“At first it didn’t sound that ominous,” says Carroll, a professor in Washington State University’s School of the Environment, “like maybe the cell tower went out or something.”
Still, Carroll raised his wife from an afternoon nap and told her something was going on at Tom and Debbie’s.
“Her initial instinct,” says Carroll, “was start packing bags.”
Thus began a deeply personal … » More …
Fall 2012
The dangers of a major Cascadia earthquake
What happens when a major earthquake strikes the Pacific Northwest? A group has assessed the ability of Washington state to recover, and presented their findings in a report in February 2012.
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Fall 2012
Come the big one, everyone becomes a Coug
An earthquake is like a big finger in a spider web. Touch one spot and parts of the web far away will move.
Dan Dolan has been pondering just how far away in the hopes that the web of our state’s vast institutional infrastructure doesn’t snap under the strain. Dolan, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, looked at how we might respond to and recover from damage to the state’s building and housing stock as part of the Resilient Washington State Initiative, a multifaceted assessment of the ways an earthquake can hurt us and how hard it will be to recover.
The quick answer: … » More …