Ted Taylor is fondly dubbed “Captain Catastrophe” because of his persistent calls for local emergency preparedness.

But the Skagit County Fire District 13 captain and emergency management coordinator might more accurately be called a realist.

That is especially true this week after the magnitude 4.3 earthquake centered south of Port Townsend that struck Sunday night and was felt in La Conner households and other locales throughout Western Washington.

Numerous La Conner area residents reported that the quake rattled furniture, some likening it to a strong gust of wind hitting their homes.

“I fe...