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Unsecured brickwork crashed to the ground over Molalla High School's exits in 1993. No one was hurt because the quake occurred about 5 a.m. during spring break.

(Steven Nehl/The Oregonian/1993)

Oregon is giving $153.6 million in grant funds to 100 schools and 47 emergency services to help lessen the devastation an earthquake, expected sometime in the next 50 years, is predicted to cause.

Oregon's largest school district, Portland Public Schools, snared $4.5 million. Lewis Elementary got $1.5 million and Grant High School got two $1.5 million grants, one for its gym and the other for its auditorium.

Tigard High, two Tigard elementary schools, two North Clackamas elementary schools and a David Douglas middle school are among the buildings that will get significant seismic retrofits to improve survivability for schoolchildren in a quake.

Oregon's Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program started in 2009 and is administered by the state's economic development agency, Business Oregon. The state sells bonds and will repay the debt over decades. This budget cycle, the agency had $205 million to hand out.

Until 30 years ago, the Pacific Northwest was not thought to be at risk for earthquakes, but scientists then determined that the region resides on a fault line that is expected to experience a major earthquake. The death toll is predicated to be high, since the infrastructure isn't designed to withstand such a disaster.

As policymakers realized seismic safety would require rebuilding more or less everything, Oregon decided to create a grant program that specifically kept schools and emergency response centers in mind.

"It's still not enough. Hundreds of schools still need to be upgraded," said Senate President Peter Courtney in a statement. "We can't lose our momentum. We have to make up for lost time. The 'Really Big One' is coming. It's overdue. The Legislature needs to make another significant investment in the safety of Oregon's school children before this session is over. We have to make our schools safe."

Beginning this summer, Portland's Grant High will be rebuilt with money from a bond passed in 2012. Had the grant money not come through, bond money would have been used, Portland Public Schools Chief of School Modernization Jerry Vincent said.

"This helps a lot with an already strained budget due to the construction bid climate in Portland," said Vincent, who noted the Portland district got all three grants it applied for, which he said was great news for the Portland community.

Tigard-Tualatin also got three grants: $470,932 for Bridgeport Elementary, $329,921 for Templeton Elementary and $585,439 for Tigard High School.

North Clackamas won two $1.5 million grants for two elementary schools, Sunnyside and Whitcomb.

David Douglas School District snagged a $1.5 million grant for Alice Ott Middle School and Corbett, a district with 1,200 students in east Multnomah County, won $1.3 million for its gym.

— Bethany Barnes

Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany: bbarnes@oregonian.com