Still Recovering One Year Later

Still Recovering One Year Later

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Story Published: Feb 28, 2002 at 5:01 AM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 30, 2006 at 11:53 PM PDT

By Molly Shen

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KING COUNTY - Immediately after last year's Nisqually Earthquake, a family in the east King County town of Preston thought they escaped with minor damage. But now, one year later, their lives are still turned upside down.

"The house swayed and creaked a lot, but didn't fall, thank goodness," says Dave Parker.

But it did sink.

Parker documented the changes with his video camera - just after his family moved out.

"So the high point in the house is right there," Parker narrates on his video. "There is about a four inch drop to over there and to the other end over there, way down there, an 11 inch drop."

From the living room, down a hallway towards a bedroom, the house was now crooked.

"It just looked like kind of a fun house. You look down the hallway and you can see that it twisted and then fell off to the right," explains Parker.

Federal inspectors examined the house shortly after the earthquake and said the family could live there temporarily. So they did until October. Then, the repairs began.

The contractor had the house lifted and installed more than 80 metal pilings to make the house earthquake resistant.

Jeff Coulter of J. Studio Design Group is heading up the work. Touching one of the pilings he explains, "They're all mounted to the beams across to help support the house. So in theory when the earthquake does this, this will all ride and keep the house level all the way through."

The Parkers' house was built almost a century ago. When it's restored, it will have some its original features back, including the same hardwood floors. It will also have updates such as voice and data cables wired from room to room.

When it's finished, the total repair bill will be just shy of the house's original value - before the earthquake. Earthquake insurance and a low interest government loan will foot the bill.

"It's been quite an experience," says Parker. "We're to the point now where we're a couple months away from moving back in and getting excited about being back in our house."

The earthquake was a wild ride when it hit at 10:54 that morning in February. Little did the Parkers know they'd still be living with the aftershocks today.

For More Information:

King County's Look At The Nisqually Quake One Year Later -- www.metrokc.gov
King County's Archive Of Their Responses To The Quake -- www.metrokc.gov
Pacific Northwest Seismology -- www.geophys.washington.edu
USGS -- www.usgs.gov
FEMA's Project Impact -- www.fema.gov
Seattle's Project Impact -- www.ci.seattle.wa.us
KOMO 4 News Photo Gallery Of Nisqually Quake -- www.komotv.com
USGS Photo Gallery Of Quake Damage -- nsmp.wr.usgs.gov
Washington Seismology Program -- neic.usgs.gov

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