From creating early warning systems and retrofitting bridges to updating building standards and engaging the public in outreach, options for preparing the Pacific Northwest for a catastrophic earthquake are as varied as they are necessary.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, heard from a number of federal, state, university and local representatives Tuesday in a roundtable discussion, “Earthquake Early Warning in the Pacific Northwest: Preparing for the Big One,” at the University of Oregon.

DeFazio recently introduced legislation that would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan and identify funding for an early earthquake warning system in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The congressman asked participants to discuss current work surrounding earthquake preparedness and to outline a No. 1 need or wish for moving forward.

Doug Given, earthquake early warning coordinator for the United States Geological Survey, spoke of the need to complete “ShakeAlert,” an early earthquake warning system on the West Coast, and to create an offshore system along the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the Pacific Ocean. The University of Oregon is one of the universities participating in the effort to develop and expand the “ShakeAlert” West Coast early warning system.

“I’ve been in this business long enough to know earthquakes and to know we know nothing about earthquakes,” Given said. “There’s a lot of research left to be done and we fool ourselves if we think we already know what this earthquake will look like.”

DeFazio mentioned a visit to the UO about a year ago when he saw a video of the early earthquake warning in action.

“The question is, what do we get out of an early warning system,” he said. “There seems to be debate over the value of early warning over applied infrastructure. What do we gain from extending the system? Would there be a real-time benefit to early warning that would save people’s lives?”

“We hear that everything west of (Interstate) 5 is toast, but that assumes the offshore portion of the subduction zone is fully locked,” said Ray Weldon, UO professor of geological studies, member of the USGS Survey Seismic Hazard Map Advisory Committee and member of the Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities. “We have to be really careful about thinking we know exactly what is going to happen. Many of the questions are only answerable if we go offshore. What is the true convergence rate? What fraction of the plate is locked? Is there slipping?

Researching the real-time activity of the Cascadia Subduction Zone can help inform what a large earthquake might look like and how to best prepare to save lives and infrastructure, Weldon said. For others in the room, saving lives, accessibility by first responders and rebuilding after the event were top priorities.

Oregon State Sen. Arnie Roblan, whose district covers a large portion of the Oregon coast, talked about the need surrounding public education, specifically related to tsunamis and landslides. Matt Garrett, director of Oregon Department of Transportation, spoke of the need to fortify specific highways and bridges so coastal communities could be reached in the aftermath. Most of the room agreed that building codes, standards and retrofits need to better address seismic activity.

DeFazio asked if agencies are working together around this issue.

“There is a brain trust in this room, but how do we coordinate it? How do we integrate it? How do we look at it holistically from land-use and outreach to the state and federal levels?” said Andre Le Duc, executive director of UO Enterprise Risk Services, founder of Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience and the Disaster Resilient University Network. “Why don’t we have a consortium? Who is taking what forward in this initiative, rather than a piecemeal approach? Let’s get creative minds together to change the future.”

DeFazio, concluding the discussion, said, “Every little increment we can add will give us more focus and allow us to figure our way forward that is both prudent and cost effective.”