Well, there was, in '64, up in Anchorage, but you'd have to be older than 50 to even remember it. You can look up the pictures, though. I work in a building (the Alaska Railroad Depot building in downtown Anchorage) that stood through that earthquake with nary a scratch. Thick reinforced concrete walls, and sitting at the base of a slough must've been what saved it. Who knows? I sit on the 2nd floor of three, and it crosses my mind what would happen if another big one hit, which everyone says is passed due here. I sit next to a rather thick wall pillar, so it's either glom up against it, or bail out the window across the room. Standard advice is to not try and leave the building, but find a secure wall to get up against and ride it out. My desk is too flimsy for any sort of protection.

I never felt that the Seattle/Tacoma area was very secure at all. I think they are in much worse condition for a catastrophe due to the way they've built up their cities, the population levels, and the geologic features that will wreak havoc if a seismic event releases their hazards. I don't think there's one safe place along the west side of the Cascade mountain range in the event of a major seismic event.