Threat of Catastrophic
Earth Changes Quickens
YOWUSA.COM, 26-November-02
Marshall Masters
…Continued
How Boeing Got 20-20 Vision in 2001
On February 28, 2001 the Seattle, Washington area was jolted by the 6.8 magnitude Olympia earthquake. Luckily for Seattle, the earthquake happened at a depth of some 33 miles beneath the Earth's surface, which
softened the blow considerably. Had it been a crustal earthquake, Seattle would have likely suffered horrendous amounts of damage, along with
considerable loss of life. This face was not lost on the management of the Boeing Aircraft Company, which at the time was based in Seattle.
CNN, February 28, 2001
Seattle tries to get back to normal SEATTLE, Washington -- Structural engineers and
inspectors are fanning out across the city to determine whether buildings are safe after the strongest earthquake to hit Washington state in more than half a century rocked the Seattle area.
 Seattle officials say the region appeared to have escaped
relatively unscathed from the second largest temblor to strike the city.
Famous Seattle-area corporations as Microsoft, Starbucks and Boeing suffered damage.
Boeing Field, an airport operated by the company that is also the site for the King County Airport, suffered some of the most serious damage of any corporate facility as the quake
buckled runways and blew out windows and pipes in the control tower, King County Executive Ron Sims told reporters. Boeing sent home some 70,000 workers from several
factories in the Puget Sound area, where Boeing builds planes like the 747 jumbo jet, so that inspectors could assess damage, a spokesman said.
According to Boeing insiders in Seattle, the Olympia earthquake stunned the management of Boeing. The wheels of change began to turn within days, and 21 days later, Boeing announced that it would move its
corporate headquarters from Seattle.
 This announcement was a double-whammy blow
for the city of Seattle, as it has been the home for Boeing since William Boeing founded the airplane-manufacturing company in 1916. Of course there was the usual PR yadda-yadda, and
Boeing spin jockeys told the media that the company wanted to reposition itself as a global player and free itself to explore new business opportunities. Everyone (especially those inside
Boeing) knew it was just a load of bovine excrement dished out for the benefit of Wall Street, so what was the real motivating factor. Did the management
heads at Boeing all come down with post-quake syndrome? No. Like risk-minded business managers, they did their homework.
A good idea of what they may have seen was a study published by the business risk assessment firm of ABS Consulting of Houston, Texas on July 15, 2001 shortly after the earthquake. The report, which was publicly
reprinted on July 15, 2001 clearly indicated that major Puget Sound bridges in Seattle area would not survive a big quake. According to the report (which has since then been removed from the Internet), a major
earthquake could possibly topple as many as 40 bridges between Seattle and Tacoma. This would cripple the region's highway system.
Would this mean that another quake could paralyze Boeing's business because it would become impossible for the company to continue its manufacture of aircraft with massive disruptions in its supply chains? Yes,
in part.
However, if you go beyond that simple supply chain analysis and look at the bigger picture, what the report most likely pointed out was if a major
eruption of Mt. Rainier were to occur, the roadways and bridges in the Seattle area will undoubtedly be made impassable. In turn, the residents of
the Seattle area will have only one way to safety; that is if they can find a seaworthy craft.
Mt. Rainier Park, August 25, 1999
History and Hazards of Mount Rainier, Washington
 Mount Rainier is an active volcano that first erupted about half a
million years ago. Because of Rainier's great height (14,410 feet above sea level) and northerly location, glaciers have cut deeply into its lavas, making it appear deceptively older
than it actually is. Mount Rainier is known to have erupted as recently as in the 1840's, and large eruptions took place as recently as about 1,000 and 2,300 years ago.
There is nothing to suggest that volcanic activity has ended at Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier will surely erupt again, and this will affect people who live in the surrounding areas or who visit Mount Rainier
National Park. Experience at other volcanoes indicates that renewed eruptions will likely be preceded by weeks or months of small earthquakes centered beneath the volcano. These earthquakes can be accompanied by
swelling or other changes in the shape of the volcano, as well as changes in ground temperatures and the amount and type of gas released from the volcano.
The potential hazards posed by Mount Rainier led to its inclusions as one of sixteen volcanoes worldwide to be designated Decade Volcanoes. The Decade Volcano initiative is part of a United Nations program aimed
at better utilizing science and emergency management to reduce the severity of natural disasters.
The amazing thing about the Boeing move was the speed at which it was accomplished. Most large companies can easily spend a year or more selecting a relocation site for their corporate headquarters and then
planning the move. However, the management at Boeing obviously kept their 20-20 sight, and on September 4 of that same year, the company
officially moved its company headquarters in Seattle to Chicago. The resulting loss in jobs and tax revenue has gutted the Seattle economy like a Pacific Salmon.
Obliviously the depth of Olympia earthquake opened the eyes of Boeing managers to the true catastrophic potential of Mount Rainier, should it
erupt and wreak havoc on the Pacific Northwest. But is the West coast of America the only place where America's corporate managers need to worry about deep earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
America's East Coast is Also in the Cross Hairs
It is odd that the East coast of America faces the most immediate threat of catastrophic destruction from a volcanic event. Cumbre Vieja volcano, on
the island of La Palma, in the Canaries archipelago, is considered to be Europe's Southern frontier.
BBC, October 4, 2000
Giant wave could threaten US
 A collapsing volcano in the Atlantic could unleash a giant wave of
water that would swamp the Caribbean and much of the eastern seaboard of the United States, a scientist has claimed.
Dr Simon Day, of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research
Centre at University College London, UK, believes one flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma, in the Canaries archipelago, is unstable and could plunge into the ocean.
Swiss researchers who have modeled the landslide say half a trillion tonnes of rock falling into the water all at once would create a wave 650 metres high (2,130 feet) that would spread out and travel across the
Atlantic at high speed. Geological studies have found evidence of giant landslides elsewhere in the world such as Hawaii, the Cape Verde Islands and Réunion in the Indian Ocean.
Dr Day has identified dozens of volcanic vents in the Cumbre Vieja volcano that have been formed by successive eruptions over the past 100,000 years.
He thinks water trapped between dykes of impermeable rock could create pressures that eventually lead to the western flank of the mountain falling away during some future eruption.
The bottom line is that if Cumbre Vieja begins erupting, we'll quickly begin to see major American companies moving their East coast headquarters
inland, especially those who are large defense contractors like Boeing.
We Need to Be Vigilant
If you think you can rationalize away your fears by calling Edgar Cayce a fringe lunatic kook, then so be it. Go ahead and stick your head in the sand.
On the other hand, if you can see what is happening to our planet with the same 20-20 clarity of a Boeing executive, then you've got a fighting chance.
No matter what the prophecy advocates, scientists and pundits have to say, let it all roll off your back like water off a duck. Rather, keep your eyes
peeled out for sudden moves by large American defense contractors like Boeing. If they start moving out of your geography, maybe you should too.
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