Emergency Planners Work on Playbooks for the Deadly Big One

As military helicopters ferry search and rescue teams over the Pacific Northwest, below them are scenes of devastation from a giant earthquake that could strike the region at any time

A rescue team takes a ride in an Army National Guard transport vehicle in the Brown's Ferry community October 11, 2015 near Georgetown, South Carolina. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

PORTLAND, Ore.—As military helicopters ferry search and rescue teams over the Pacific Northwest, below them are scenes of devastation from a giant earthquake that could strike the region at any time.

Tsunami waters surge through coastal communities. Buildings, bridges and roads lie in ruins. Fires burn out of control. Survivors are stranded on rooftops, cling to floating debris or are trapped inside wrecked buildings.

Seismologists say a full rupture of a 650-mile-long offshore fault running from Northern California to British Columbia and an ensuing tsunami could come in our lifetimes, and emergency management officials are busy preparing for the worst.

Federal, state and military officials have been working together to draft plans to be followed when the “Big One” happens.

In this June 19, 2015, photo provided by the Washington State Army National Guard, Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Kassa, left, and Maj. David Stilli, both of the Air National Guard's 194th Wing. 2nd Lt. Hans Zeiger/Washington State Army National Guard via AP