Effects of the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake on Small Businesses in Washington State

The 2001 Nisqually earthquake in Wash. State was a large magnitude (6.8 Mw) quake that yielded mild ground shaking. Yet it was the costliest natural disaster in the state's history. The fact that a relatively mild earthquake can yield such significant losses may be the most important lesson Nisqually has to offer. This report discusses the quake's effect on small bus. Bldg. damage was the most common & most costly form of direct loss. Large losses also resulted from damage to inventory &/or to data & records. Retail bus. were the most likely to suffer both bldg. damage & inventory damage. Following Nisqually, about 1/3 of the bus. owners have taken steps to better prepare for future earthquake, mainly by training, planning & strapping contents.Meszaros, Jacqueline is the author of 'Effects of the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake on Small Businesses in Washington State', published 2003 under ISBN 9780756734930 and ISBN 0756734932.