QUAKE NOTES

Emergency center issues update

The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray issued the following figures for quake damage as of 8 p.m. Saturday:

-Preliminary damage estimate is in excess of $1 billion.

-110 single-family homes and apartments were destroyed statewide, and 126 sustained major damage.

-1 person died in the Seattle area from a stress-related heart attack.

-407 injuries were reported statewide.

-Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is operating at 75 percent of capacity.

-Boeing Field has closed 5,000 feet of runway and imposed weight limits for aircraft take-offs and landings.

Red Cross shelter closes Saturday

The Red Cross shelter at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church was closed Saturday and residents who remained were moved to a motel, which is being paid for by the Community Foundation.

The 17 people will be able to stay there until their residences are restored or replacement housing is found, said Vance Aeschleman, Red Cross disaster coordinator.

Anyone who still needs housing, particularly residents of the Olympian Apartments or Elks Apartments, should contact the Red Cross at 352-8575.

The agency continues to distribute bottled water donated by the Miller Brewing Company.

Red Cross disaster relief is provided free to communities in distress. Monetary donations can be mailed to the Red Cross at P.O. Box 1547, Olympia, WA 98507.

South Sound arts getting back on track

The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., has reopened following Wednesday's earthquake.

The structure was not damaged in the quake, but it remained dark due to the closure of Washington Street.

Public access has been restored and all events planned for today and Monday will take place as scheduled, including the Capitol Area Youth Symphony concert and the South Puget Sound Community College's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue."

The Tumwater High School theater sustained damage from sprinklers set off during the earthquake. The school's production of "Lend Me a Tenor" was postponed and will be rescheduled later in March.

Moratorium put on HUD foreclosures

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is imposing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of home mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration in earthquake-damaged areas.

The FHA is also providing mortgage insurance and rehabilitation assistance and can help relocate displaced families in Section 8 rental housing.

For more information, call (206) 220-5104, or visit HUD's Web site at www.hud.gov/ disarelf.cfm.

Ecology inspecting regional dams

Inspectors from the Washington Department of Ecology are checking dams throughout Puget Sound to ensure they weathered the earthquake.

The inspectors began at the epicenter and have continued checking from Centralia to Seattle.

At least 25 dams have been inspected since Wednesday's earthquake.

Nearly all dam owners that have reported to Ecology said the earthquake did not cause any damage.

Most of the dams are recreational and drinking water supply dams.

In Centralia, about 30 of the dams are dedicated to the coal-fired steam plant for stormwater and sediment treatment.

QUESTION OF TIME

When did the earthquake actually occur? The answer depends on whether you count the beginning or the end.

Wednesday's shaking began at 10:54:32 a.m., according to data collected by the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network. But the earthquake lasted 45 seconds, taking the time just past 10:55 a.m.

For this report, we've chosen to go with the quake's start time of 10:54.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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