W. Wash. goes back to work

MIA PENTA, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE -- Most Western Washington residents were back at work as usual Monday, but damage from last week's 6.8 magnitude earthquake still kept some at home.

Wednesday's earthquake, centered 11 miles northeast of Olympia, caused an estimated $2 billion in damage and hurt some 400 people, most suffering minor injuries. Scientists say the quake's 33-mile depth kept damage relatively light.

Operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were nearly back to normal, said Ronald Beckerdite, air traffic manager with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The quake shattered most of the glass in Sea-Tac's control tower, and the controllers were moved to a temporary trailer. The original control tower was expected to be fixed within 60 days, said Gina Marie Lindsey, director of aviation for the Port of Seattle.

Damage to the airport is estimated at $30 million.

The King County Courthouse and all administrative buildings reopened Monday.

"The building is safe," Terry Lundeen, principal with CoughlinPorterLundeen, told the King County Council. Lundeen, whose company was hired to retrofit the courthouse, emphasized the damage was cosmetic.

Still, the 51 Superior Court judges said they wanted a second opinion and have hired their own engineer.

The Boeing Co. employees returned to work, and the engineering building at the Renton plant was the only place still shut down among the aerospace company's Seattle-area plants, Boeing spokesman Tom Ryan said. Planes had begun flying out of Boeing Field south of Seattle, where runways, taxiways and the terminal were damaged.

More than two dozen buildings in Seattle have been deemed uninhabitable. Initial estimates of damage in the city topped $40 million, and the amount is expected to increase as more inspections are made, said Rick Krochalis, director of the city's Department of Design, Construction and Land Use.

Hospitals in the city suffered as much as $10 million in damage.

and bridges an estimated $20 million. Of the 28 roadway structures damaged, only the Magnolia Bridge has remained closed.

Mayor Paul Schell was creating a response team to help members of the community work with banks, insurance companies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Citizens could report damages at a city emergency response center, and an earthquake recovery forum was planned for Saturday for residents to talk about their experiences, Schell said.

He is also requesting a FEMA office in Pioneer Square, where many historic buildings suffered damage in the quake.

Landslide concerns remained in one section of Burien, south of Seattle, and in Tacoma's waterfront Salmon Beach neighborhood.

In Seattle, a massive, 70-year-old organ at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral suffered as much as $250,000 damage.

"As we climbed to the organ loft, we were expecting the worst. Sadly that is exactly what we found," music director Mel Butler said.

A 75-year-old smokestack that was damaged during the quake was demolished Sunday in Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle. Local officials had hoped to preserve the 145-foot-tall stack, but it was too badly damaged.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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