Yelm’s Lackamas School, built in 1911,
three of the buildings in the National Register of Historic Places,
earthquake retrofitted in 2005.

– “Schools get tested on their seismic safety — with kids’ help”
“Washington is the only West Coast state that hasn’t surveyed all schools for earthquake safety, but a Thurston County project could lead the way.”

“The work is part of a pilot project, which also includes building inspections, to determine how well several Thurston County schools will stand up to a major quake.”

“With a $45,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and volunteer assistance from structural engineers, the project is evaluating the seismic safety of 15 schools in three districts.”

“During the pilot project in Thurston County [Lackamas Elementary was featured in this report], engineers are inspecting each school, looking for structural weaknesses and hazards like bookshelves that aren’t bolted to the wall. Those observations will be combined with the data Cakir and his team are gathering on how solid — or shaky — the ground is at each site.”

“A report on the pilot project, which covers schools in the Yelm, North Thurston and Tumwater school districts, is expected in February,” by Sandi Doughton, Seattle Times science reporter.
Read more and click the video in the story.


– UPDATE: December 9, 2015
“Washington, Oregon Striving To Make Schools Earthquake Safe”
“Making school buildings strong enough to withstand a major earthquake is one of the highest priorities for emergency planners on the West Coast. Washington state is taking small steps to identify the most vulnerable schools, while Oregon is actually spending to fix things.

Dozens of fifth graders at Southworth Elementary School in Yelm, Washington, were happy to help professional geologists assess their school’s seismic safety.

They repeatedly jumped in unison to make the ground vibrate and generate seismic data about the local soil Wednesday. This is one of 15 schools in the Yelm, Tumwater and North Thurston districts to be evaluated this fall, thanks to a federal grant along with donated time from structural eng,” by Tom Banse, Northwest News Network.
Read more