Kotek described the purpose of her order as making state buildings resilient to “The Big One” so they can be used as staging areas and workspaces for emergency response and recovery efforts. The “Big One” refers to an anticipated massive Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, which last hit the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California in 1700. “When a devastating earthquake hits Oregon, we need to be able to show up for Oregonians,” Kotek said in a statement. “An M8-9 earthquake in our future is inevitable, and seismically sound state buildings will be crucial. This is the kind of proactive action Oregon needs,” said Chris Goldfinger, a professor emeritus at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, in a statement.