Engineers try to put Capitol back together

State lawmakers met with engineers Thursday to hear an assessment of damage done to the Capitol campus by Wednesday's earthquake.

It could be days before the Capitol building itself is deemed habitable, said engineer Mike Wright, and that's if no surprises are found during further inspections.

The Capitol sustained a visible crack behind pillars supporting its heavy dome. The dome moved three-quarters of an inch during the quake, Senate Majority Leader Sid Snyder, D-Long Beach, said.

But inside during the shaking, it seemed to move a lot more than that, Snyder said.

"Like when you pour milk on Krispies and it goes snap, crackle, pop, but multiplied about 10 times."

Pieces of ceiling plaster littered desks and floors of the House and Senate chambers Thursday. In other areas, plaster had dropped from long cracks in walls and tall pillars had pulled apart from the ceiling.

Despite the destruction, "I would not say the building has been devastated," said Marsh Tadano Long, director for the Department of General Administration.

Snyder said he was told the two buildings sitting across the way from the Capitol have no serious structural damage and he's optimistic the buildings can provide enough space to accommodate the Legislature, allowing the session to resume soon.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are making do.

"Yesterday we convened on the sidewalk," said Sen. Jim West, R- Spokane. Snyder moved for adjournment, West seconded and Lt. Gov. Brad Owen declared it done. They expected to do the same thing today, adjourning until Monday.

"As soon as we get back and functional we're going to try to keep as centralized as possible," said Republican House co-Speaker Clyde Ballard, R-East Wenatchee. "We have some great big decisions to make."

Gov. Gary Locke signed a declaration of emergency Thursday to help the state qualify for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA could provide federal funds for individuals needing low- interest loans to complete repairs and matching grants to help the state and local governments fix roads and buildings.

But Locke's emergency declaration required the official state seal that is traditionally administered by the secretary of state, but the nearly 60-pound seal was locked up in the Capitol. Finally, security officials allowed a staffer in to collect it, the first time the seal has been taken from the building since it opened in 1928, according an official from the Secretary of State's Office.

Locke hopes to have a temporary office set up at the Labor and Industries Building in Tumwater by early next week. For now, he is working at Camp Murray, the state's emergency center.

When he goes home, it's not to the governor's mansion, which was heavily damaged as well.

Locke said Thursday that a TV set fell within 3 feet of his son, Dillon, 2, who was not injured.

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