In Our View: Time to get shaking on quake preparedness The Columbian Share: Twenty years ago this week, Washington was shaken by an earthquake centered northeast of Olympia. The Nisqually quake twisted the Capitol dome off its base, peeled bricks off buildings (in some cases crushing cars below), shattered windows in the air traffic control tower at Sea-Tac International Airport, and caused more than $2 billion in damage. But it wasn’t The Big One. Scientists warn that eventually — maybe soon, maybe not for hundreds of years — the region will see an earthquake that registers a magnitude of 9.0. The Nisqually quake registered 6.8.