The San Juan County Department of Emergency Management is hosting two lectures by Tim Walsh, State Geologist for WA State DNR. Topic will be “The Big One: Tsunami and Quake Impacts of a 9.0 Cascadia Quake.”

“This is focusing on local impacts- i.e. when a big quake happens, what will it mean for the islands?” San Juan County Emergency Management director Brendan Cowan told the Sounder. “What will tsunami look like, where will shaking be worst, what will it mean for our houses, etc.?”

Lectures will be on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Friday Harbor Grange and on Thursday, Nov.17 at 7 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center. Attendance is free. Early arrival is encouraged to ensure a seat. Cowan and assistant director Dave Halloran will be present to offer handouts and answer questions after the presentation.

Tim Walsh is a licensed engineering geologist and Geologic Hazards Program manager for the Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources of the Department of Natural Resources. He has practiced geology in Washington for more than 30 years and taught at South Puget Sound Community College for 25 years.

Tim has done extensive geologic mapping in all parts of the state and has done tsunami hazard mapping, active fault characterization, landslide, and abandoned coal mine hazard assessments. He has also directed and participated in a broad range of  geologic hazard assessments and maps for land use and emergency management planning. Tim received Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in geology from UCLA.