Efforts to make schools safer in earthquake and tsunami prone areas  took a big step forward Wednesday. State senators voted unanimously to support a bill that would authorize up to $500 million dollars in bonds to finance a school safety grant program to retrofit buildings in danger. During Wednesday’s floor debate Democratic State Senator David Frockt of Seattle said school seismic safety could range anywhere from a brace for a building to relocating a building entirely.

FROCKT:  “This is not a theoretical problem Madam President. You may remember there was a volcanic eruption in Tonga I believe about a week ago and we had tsunami warnings on the coast and nothing really happened. But what would happen if there had been a more serious one.  I would note the bill provides for evacuation tsunami towers as an option as well, so these elevated platforms could be built under this legislation.”

Republican Senator Mark Schoesler from the eastern Washington community of Ritzville was a co-sponsor of the bill.

“Some of us have tragic fires. Some of us have floods. Some are in a position that it’s not a matter of if there is an earthquake disaster but when, or a tsunami. I think what we have here is a very much needed improvement to how we do this. It is a statewide issue that requires a statewide solution.”

The grant program would pay two-thirds of the cost of replacing or retrofitting eligible schools in earthquake or tsunami prone areas. The measure now heads to the House for consideration.