OUR VIEWS: Luck was with us!

We are so lucky. In the aftermath of Wednesday's magnitude 6.8 earthquake, South Sound is counting its losses in buildings and bridges, not in human lives.

For that we are eternally thankful.

Bumps, bruises and a few broken bones sent about 50 South Sound residents to hospital emergency rooms. But not a single fatality was recorded. In fact, medical personnel could not pinpoint a single, life-threatening injury.

Just a lot of shattered nerves.

Those who filled South Sound churches for Ash Wednesday services offered prayers of thanks and credited divine intervention with their safe delivery.

It is remarkable, when you think about it, that not a single person was hurt by the tons of bricks and mortar that tumbled off the storefronts and buried downtown sidewalks.

No buildings collapsed. Bridges buckled, but did not collapse. Motorists were bounced all over the roadway, but no major accidents were recorded.

A big shock

The earthquake, centered just 11 miles northeast of Olympia, struck at 10:55 a.m. with such ferocity that Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, said, "I thought a bomb had exploded."

It's absolutely amazing that the damage was not worse.

We were so lucky, but we were also well prepared.

As we count our blessings and share our personal stories with friends and loved ones, let's take time to reflect on our good fortune and give credit where it belongs.

-Modern construction standards locally and in the state of Washington acknowledge our location on major fault lines. Builders sometime grouse about heavy-handed regulation, but the truth is the newer buildings in this community fared extremely well Wednesday.

Many state offices in leased structures reported not so much as a single crack in the plaster. That's remarkable given the rolling, jolting nature of the quake that rumbled and shook for a full 45 seconds.

-Building designers, architects and engineers know so much more about soil and building movement during earthquakes that they factor those conditions in when they put pen to paper and begin initial design work.

Plan for future

Olympia Architect Steve Masini said, "Every major earthquake we have, we learn from it. We learn how damage occurred and then we change the codes to account for that in future earthquakes."

That's why state lawmakers must adopt the new 2001 building code once they get back in legislative session. The new code puts Washington, Alaska and California into a higher-risk classification that calls for even stricter building standards.

-South Sound residents were well rehearsed and well prepared for Wednesday's shake. For the most part, people reacted as they should. Students dived under their desks. Workers moved away from glass windows and rode out the ups and downs in doorways and under tables.

Buildings were safely evacuated as emergency crews responded immediately to reports of broken gas and water lines. Police searched damaged buildings for injured or missing people while firefighters risked their own lives to make sure no one was injured in the collapsed elevator shaft at the Olympian Hotel.

Quick response

Emergency command centers were operational within minutes. Shelters opened within hours. The entire community pulled together to check the welfare of neighbors, to comfort those in distress, and to reassure and calm frightened children.

It was a remarkable day with heart-warming stories of courage and leadership.

As our nerves calm, as buildings are inspected and the cleanup process begins, let each of us give thanks that the South Sound community survived Wednesday's earthquake so well.

Call it luck. Call it divine intervention. The fact that we had no serious injuries or deaths is a miracle.

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