|
Earthquake Stories
Thursday, March 8, 2001 AFTERSHOCKS
Home checkups ease fears County inspectors busy with damage assessments JOHN DODGE, THE OLYMPIAN THURSTON COUNTY -- Michael Crowe has spent a lot of time crawling, crouching, climbing and counseling since the Feb. 28 earthquake.
The Thurston County building inspector is up to his eyeballs in earthquake damage inspections of homes in the county's unincorporated area.
By early this week, county inspectors had looked at 88 homes that have $379,000 in damage, county building official Mike Wood said.
"We've probably got 50 more to look at," Wood said.
With a few exceptions, the damage involves cracks in chimneys, foundations, patios and driveways.
It's rarely been enough to render the house unsafe. But dozens of Thurston County homeowners face thousands of dollars in repairs that might be covered by insurance or federal disaster relief funds.
Unassuming and courteous, Crowe is often able to ease a homeowner's fears with his interior and exterior inspection.
"In many cases, I'm just reassuring them that their house is safe to occupy," he said.
And it's pretty common for folks to relive the earthquake experience with Crowe as they walk around the house.
""The way this house was rocking and rolling, I thought I better have it checked out," said Pattison Lake resident Mary Bailey. "I thought the house was going to fall down around me. It was the most afraid I've ever been."
After crawling under her house, Crowe emerged to tell her that two heating ducts were dislodged and portions of her post and beam foundation were twisted and cracked.
Some of the damage may predate the earthquake, Crowe said. But Crowe recommended Bailey call Federal Emergency Management Agency inspectors for a second opinion.
At Ralph Bowers' home in Tanglewilde, Crowe found several cracks in the foundation, a busted-up chimney, a fireplace that has separated from the living room wall and loose nails in the house siding.
"I wouldn't use that fireplace at all until you have it checked out," Crowe said.
Pointing at the loose chimney bricks, he reminded Bowers to cordon off that side of the home's exterior, pending repairs.
"I think you're in good shape except for the fireplace and chimney," Crowe added. "I think you're very fortunate, sir."
"That's what we thought," Bowers said.
Bowers has applied for FEMA relief, as the roughly $4,000 in damage won't be covered by his earthquake insurance policy, which has a $13,000 deductible.
At the home of Jean Gober near Long Lake, Crowe took time to play with Gober's dog and pet her cat as he moved from room to room, looking for cracks in the walls and ceilings.
Outside, a corner of the garage was cracked. Inside, the fireplace had separated from the wall.
"I don't know what to look for -- I really don't," an appreciative Gober said. "This is a nice service our county provides."
The county offers free home inspections after any natural disaster, including floods, landslides and earthquakes, Wood said. In most cases, the county inspectors do the initial damage assessments to determine if the county will quality for federal disaster relief, Wood said. In this case, the region was declared eligible for federal aid a day after the earthquake, long before the county inspectors had made the rounds. Wood said homeowner damage is scattered all over the county. The one common denominator for the heavily damaged homes is underlying, unstable soils, Wood said. "It's a good lesson for us all -- don't build on fill material," Wood said. John Dodge covers the environment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 754-5444. Earthquake damage to public roads, bridges and buildings in Thurston County totals roughly $70.2 million, according to a report filed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bulk of the damage -- $64.2 million -- is in Olympia, including $40 million for the Fourth Avenue bridge and $20 million for Deschutes Parkway. Damage toll To report earthquake damage and schedule an inspection, call these following numbers: - Olympia: 753-8314 - Lacey: 491-5642 - Tumwater: 754-4170 - Other areas of Thurston County: 754-3360. - To report damage to the FEMA: (800) 462-9029. The Olympian Copyright 2000 back to main Earthquake Stories index
|
|
|
 The Olympian - Olympia, Washington 
Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service. ©2002 The Olympian. |