wfn.org | Diocese of Olympia rocks and rolls thru Ash Wednesday earthquake

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2001-52

Diocese of Olympia rocks and rolls thru Ash Wednesday earthquake

by Dede Dunn

     (ENS) "Wešre having an earthquake," said my sister, who lives about 60 miles 
southwest of Seattle. A split second later my office in Seattle began to rock and 
roll and I could hear an ominous rumbling. "So are we." Click, the line went 
dead.

Stories such as this are being shared all across western Washington as people 
talk about the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck just before 11 a.m. on 
Wednesday, February 28. "Where were you when the quake hit," has become a 
familiar conversation starter.

     The quake was centered 11 miles northeast of Olympia, the capital of the 
state of Washington. It was caused by a shift in the Juan de Fuca plate, located 
30 miles beneath the earth's surface. The quake was felt as far away as Salt Lake 
City and Alaska. The western part of the state has been declared a disaster area, 
with damage estimates running into the billions of dollars.

     Episcopal congregations in the Diocese of Olympia, which encompasses all of 
western Washington (from the British Columbia border in the north to the Oregon 
border in the south, and from the Cascade mountains in the east to the Pacific 
ocean in the west), have also been affected by the quake.

     The diocesan office has been in contact with most of its 104 congregations. 
Sixteen congregations have reported some minor to moderate damage, from fallen 
masonry and bricks to cracks in walls and stained glass windows, to broken 
processional crosses or paschal candles. Whether or not the cracks are in load-
bearing walls is yet to be determined.

     The diocesan offices, located in Seattle, suffered slight damage with some 
cracked plaster and apparently superficial cracks in walls and ceilings. One 
chimney on the historic house has a large crack where the top third of the 
chimney separated from the building.

     Trinity Church, Seattle, one of the oldest parishes in the diocese, suffered 
significant damage to the sanctuary. According to rector Paul Collins, "the 
extent of the damage is not yet known but daylight can be seen through several 
cracks in the walls and ceiling." The sanctuary has been closed, Ash Wednesday 
afternoon and evening services were cancelled, and the congregation is in the 
process of moving needed items into the parish house so that services can resume 
on Sunday.

     At St. Markšs Cathedral, three doors south of Diocesan House, the building 
itself was not damaged but the world-famous Flentrop organ suffered considerable 
damage. "The main organ case holding hundreds of pipes was pulled several inches 
from the wall," said the Very Rev. Robert V. Taylor, dean of St. Mark's. "Several 
parts of the organ had broken loose within the case and crushed many pipes." The 
costs associated with repairing the instrument are estimated at $150,000 to 
$250,000, and repairs may continue through the end of the year. Ash Wednesday 
services did go on as planned, but without the organ; hymns were sung a cappella. 
Across the parking lot at the Cathedral Shop, nothing was damaged or even fell 
off the shelves. 

--Dede Dunn is the editor of the Episcopal Voice, the diocesan newspaper in the 
Diocese of Olympia.