Quake Injury Toll Rises
As crews continue their round-the-clock effort to clear the debris from Wednesday's powerful Northwest earthquake, the injury toll rose again.
State emergency officials now say 410 people were hurt in the quake. Most of the injuries were minor. The one related fatality was that of a 66-year-old woman from Burien, a Seattle suburb near the airport, who died of a heart attack after the quake.
Dozens of buildings remain uninhabitable -- more than 20 in Seattle, and nearly 30 in Olympia.
Some 10,000 people in the Capitol complex had another day off as cleanup and inspections continued.
State lawmakers, who are already wrestling with major financial headaches, now must come up with millions of dollars to fix the damage caused by this week's earthquake as soon as they find a place to work.
Two cracks were visible in the Capitol dome, and all 20 office buildings in the complex remained closed. All but the Capitol have been cleared for occupancy, but business as usual won't resume until Monday.
President Bush Thursday declared the region rocked by the 6.8-magnitude quake a federal disaster area Thursday, clearing the way for low-interest loans, grants and other assistance.
The federal disaster declaration covers King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce and Thurston counties, which include Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and dozens of surrounding cities.
Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, who usually wears Armani suits, was in pressed blue jeans, a denim shirt and tie, no jacket. He called it "dress-down Friday," and most senators were in clean-out-the-garage attire.
For now, the plan is to hold legislative hearings next week in buildings a block away from the Capitol. Engineers are expected to spend the weekend determining when it will be safe to use the 73-year-old Capitol.
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The good news for Washington state residents is that Friday brought no more aftershocks.
But as they continue to recover from the temblor that caused at least $2 billion in damage, CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen reports, some residents are not out of the woods yet.
What has been bad week is not over yet for residents forced out of their hillside homes in Burien. The neighborhood is red-tagged because it could still slide away.
It appears disaster is also waiting to happen at secluded Salmon Beach near Tacoma. Quake triggered sand and earthslides threaten to bury eight homes there. Derek Woods second story has already collapsed to ground level.
"It's devastating. Just goes to show you the power of Mother Nature."
And when Mother Nature demonstrated that power on Wednesday, Greg Smith was at work as a controller at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
He hung on for dear life as he heard the announcement that the quake was tearing the control tower apart.
"Its the first time in my life that I thought I was gonna die," said Smith.
Damage to Sea-Tac airport is estimated at $30 million and with controllers now directing planes from a temporary trailer, traffic is 60 percent of normal. Airlines warn delays could be a fact of life for weeks.
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| Cleaning up a wine store in Renton, Wash. |
As the effort continues to rebuild and return to normal, good news of any kind is welcome— from the re-opening of Seattle's main elevated commuter corridor in time for Friday's morning rush hour to the unlikely story of Topaz the wonder dog. So frightened by Wednesdy's shaking, the dog jumped from a fifth story apartment...and turned up at the pound.
"Topaz was microchipped, so all they had to do was scan the microchip and then my name came up," said owner John Rucker, happy to be reunited with his pet.
Somehow Topaz came through with just bruised paws. A four-footed miracle from the Great Quake of 2001.
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