5 Ways Washington State Could Kill You

Could you imagine the chaos that would occur if one of Washington's dams collapsed? Grand Coulee's spillway capacity is 1,000,000 cubic ft/s. It would be completely catastrophic if Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake was drained and the waters flooded down the Columbia.

Hanford continues to be the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States. The toxic waste tanks have been known to burp after being opened, and those who were not wearing ventilators have claimed that their lungs were completely destroyed after breathing in the toxic fumes. Other concerns regard the nuclear waste leaking into the Columbia river and tainting the wildlife and water supply.

Researchers believe Washington is long overdue for a massive earthquake. The pattern of quakes is every several hundred years, and Seattle being built on low elevation could see incredible damage from a shake in western Washington.

With all of our farming, livestock, and orchards, a bacterial epidemic could not only get us killed, but ruin the economy. Washington is the number one producer of apples nationwide, and that business alone travels all over and brings in a great amount of revenue. E. coli from vegetables could end up in grocery stores and restaurants, infecting thousands.

In 1902, the Yacolt Burn killed more than 65 people after spreading over 238,900 acres during its turmoil. As recent as 2015, we experienced one of the most man-heavy wildfires in recorded history. The Okanogan Fire destroyed a whopping 195 buildings and other structures.