The tsunami-ready program leverages the recently-published national standard ASCE 7-16, which includes provisions for tsunami loads and effects on building structures, by developing an evaluation criteria to screen and evaluate buildings which may be viable for tsunami vertical evacuation.

The project utilized a grassroots process to develop vertical evacuation strategies for several communities in both Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.

Performance-based design methodologies were implemented to ensure that the structure would be able to resist a Cascadia earthquake while having sufficient capacity to resist subsequent tsunami inundation forces.

Pioneering safety for our coastal communities

Degenkolb’s Seattle office is a leader in providing tsunami safety and developing resilient communities along the coasts of the Pacific Northwest. Over the past decade, we have worked with many coastal communities on tsunami evacuation projects, designing some of the country’s first tsunami evacuation structures and helping our clients obtain over $20m in FEMA funding. At the forefront of this leadership is Cale Ash, SE, Principal and Office Director. Cale has led or participated in numerous projects and initiatives that provide safety from a tsunami and improve the resiliency of a community after an earthquake. Alongside Cale is Hee Jae Yang, SE, Associate, who brings a background in tsunami structure design, performance-based earthquake design, and nonlinear dynamic analysis.

Whether it’s developing new building code provisions to incorporate lessons learned from past earthquakes, leading a public workshop related to tsunami evacuation, or designing life-saving structures that will provide safety when an earthquake and tsunami strike, Degenkolb strives to provide leadership in our communities.

Designing safe and resilient buildings is not just a point of pride for our engineers, it’s important to us as members of the community who live and work in Cascadia.

Read more about our tsunami and resiliency work here:

 

MSIRobot