As the Cascadia Earthquake looms in the Pacific Northwest's future, emergency preparedness advocates are pushing for stronger seismic standards in new school construction to ensure schools can function as shelters during a disaster. However, this initiative faces resistance from school associations and local governments, making the future of such legislation uncertain.

Oregon lawmakers, including Rep. Paul Evans, have introduced House Bill 3707, which seeks to require new schools in earthquake-prone areas to be built stronger and equipped with disaster shelter features. The bill was designed to raise construction standards from a "life safety" to an "immediate occupancy" standard, ensuring that schools can remain operational and serve as shelters during or after a natural disaster. Evans emphasized the need for a strategic resilience vision in Oregon, pointing out that "The Cascadia Earthquake will most likely be the most powerful natural disaster in modern U.S. history, and we must be bold in our efforts to build a strategic resilience vision for Oregon."

The proposed legislation would slightly increase construction costs, offering local jurisdictions the benefit of utilizing these schools as shelters, particularly in the aftermath of an earthquake. Despite these benefits, the bill faces opposition, primarily due to concerns about costs. The Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) and the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) have raised objections, with OSBA advocating for local control over seismic standards, and COSA expressing concerns about the additional financial burden of the proposed upgrades.

"I think one of our fears is that they just don’t believe us when we have documented facts that it basically doesn’t cost that much. They think it must cost more," said Jay Raskin, a Portland architect and earthquake preparedness advocate.

Similar proposals in Washington state are also facing challenges. The Washington Legislature allocated funding for a study to evaluate the feasibility of tougher seismic building codes, but budget cuts and delays have hindered the progress of this study.

Despite these challenges, some districts are taking matters into their own hands. Beaverton, Eugene, and Lake Oswego school districts in Oregon have voluntarily adopted higher seismic standards for new school buildings, ensuring that they can function as emergency shelters. Lake Oswego, for example, has incorporated a microgrid at River Grove Elementary, which allows the school to remain operational even during power outages.

Mary Kay Larson, the director of communications for Lake Oswego School District, highlighted that the additional cost of meeting higher seismic standards was only about 1% of the total construction cost. "If we’re going to invest in these buildings, let’s build them to last. Especially in an earthquake, we want them to be standing," Larson said.

As lawmakers debate the issue, the call for safer schools in earthquake-prone areas remains urgent, with many believing that the decision to build schools to higher seismic standards is not only a matter of safety but also of long-term value.

The challenges faced by advocates of seismic improvements highlight a broader national conversation on disaster preparedness, especially in regions prone to natural disasters. Across the country, as more communities face the effects of climate change and heightened risks from natural events, the discussion about resilient infrastructure and emergency shelters continues to evolve. Building schools that can serve as safe havens is just one example of how municipalities can balance long-term investment in safety with immediate concerns over construction costs.

As the region moves closer to the next expected earthquake, these debates will continue to shape the future of public building standards.

Originally reported by Tom Banse in Oregon capital Chronicle.