Quake costs still unknown

"Kitsap County's Department of Emergency Management is still trying to count the cost of damages from last week's Ash Wednesday earthquake, said the agency's director, Phyliss Mann. There are no monetary figures yet, we haven't even gotten that far. Probably for public and government buildings it will be close to $1 million, Mann said. As of March 3, she had reports of major and minor damage to 82 homes in the area. Of those, 33 had major structural damage, roof, garage or deck separations, broken windows, foundation cracks or slippage. Major damage requires an inspection and assessment by the county's building inspector. Another 31 homes had minor damage, classified as chimney cracks, bricks falling off chimneys and separation from the wall. Those don't require the building inspector to come out, but the homeowner can hire an inspector ( to check the damage), Mann said. Eleven other unknown damage reports turned out to be chinmey cracks, Mann said. She added, We want people to report their damage to the county's Damage Assessment Hotline, 337-7038. They should also call the Federal Emergency Management Agency if they need financial assistance for repairs. The call to FEMA, at (800) 452-9029, starts the registration process, Mann said. Kitsap County came through the 6.8 magnitude quake fairly unscathed, compared to other areas in the affected region. Gov. Gary Locke said damages from the earthquake could mount into the billions of dollars not only from property damage, but also in economic impact from lost wages and businesses shut down. Last week's quake, which hit at 10:55 a.m. Feb. 28, was the largest in 30 years. Its epicenter was about 11 miles northeast of Olympia. A 6.5 earthquake in 1965 injured at least 31 people. In 1949, a 7.1 quake near Olympia killed eight people. "

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.