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» danflorio - thanks re - hurricanes and pets

In response to thanks re - hurricanes and pets posted by JButler:

Our geologic position is fairly safe here in downtown Bellevue. The major concern would be of an earthquake since there are numerous faults in the area.

As for Mt. Rainer: it's far enough away that the only direct worries for us would be ash fall. It's likely that the prevailing winds would take the ash away from Bellevue/Seattle. You're right that volcanos don't always give much warning before a disaster.

The main concern is of lahars - mud flows. A lahar could overwhelm the communities surrounding the flanks of Rainer with no warning. Sometimes the side of a mountain just gives way due to an accumulation of snow. Geologists believe this has happened in the past.

The History Channel did a "Mega Disaster" special on Rainer. The show was really bad. They just sensationalized everything. While they did point out the danger of lahars, they only associated them with volcanic activity - which is tatally misleading. Hopefully the residents in the area know better.

Dan Florio
Business Travel

-- posted by danflorio