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BPA simulates Cascadia earthquake power outages

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A giant earthquake like the Cascadia event will likely knock out power.

The Bonneville Power Administration’s emergency command center in NE Portland is preparing for a scenario in which everyone in the Cascades lost power.

They pretended they had to set up in Spokane, Washington.

“The plan that you do may not work with real-world circumstances,” Lee Hall with BPA said. “So you have to be flexible and adjust on the fly.”

Team members also answered tough questions they might face after a disaster.

KOIN’s Dan Tilkin also took part in an earthquake simulator, a shake house that shows what a 9.0 earthquake would feel like for 30 seconds.