By: Gordon Williams, Northwest Region Volunteer

Consider the early morning earthquake that rattled the Seattle area earlier this month a wake-up call to remind you that the date and time for this year’s Great Washington Shakeout is 10:19 a.m. on October 19.

That’s the time when you prepare yourself to survive a quake by:

• Dropping: getting safely on the ground when the earth begins to shake.
• Covering: crawling under a table or desk to protect yourself from falling objects.
• Holding On: grabbing something solid to keep from being tossed about.

An estimated 1.2 million Washingtonians will take part in the drill. However, the ShakeOut is a global event and as many as 50 million people around the world will take part.

If you needed still more prodding to remind you to sharpen your drop, cover and holding-on skills, consider the recent warning in the journal Science Advances that Washington faces an even greater earthquake risk than previously thought.

What puts us at risk, according to the article, are the dozens of active faults that underlie the state. That includes the Seattle fault that runs through the city. A bit of slippage along any of these fault lines can set off an earthquake, and the quake risk increases exponentially when more than one fault line is involved.

According to Professor Bryan Black of the University of Arizona, “These faults can interact with one another and produce larger earthquakes in which the energies are combined or in a very rapid succession in a one-two punch scenario." His warning appears in Newsweek magazine.

There's no way to block a quake once it starts, the forces are just too great. You deal with the risk by using such events as the Great Shakeout to train yourself to survive a quake. You further protect yourself by taking advice from the American Red Cross about how to quake-proof your life and property.

You quake-proof your life by making sure your dwelling can survive the event, and that there is nothing where you live and work that can fall on you in a quake.

“Make sure your home is securely anchored to its foundation,” says the Red Cross in its Earthquake Safety Checklist. “Bolt and brace water heaters and gas appliances to wall studs.”

Tall cabinets and bookcases should be bolted to wall studs as well. In fact, if there are young kids in the house, they should already be bolted down to eliminate the risk of young hands pulling them over.

Heavy objects should be placed on lower shelves to keep them from falling on you. Never have anything hanging over your bed that might fall on you. Also, be sure overhead lighting fixtures are securely fastened, and install strong latches on cabinets to keep them from opening up and spilling their contents during a quake.

If you are inside when a quake hits, stay inside until the trembling stops and it is safe to go outside.

“If you must leave,” says the Red Cross, “use stairs rather than an elevator in case there are aftershocks, power outages or other damage.”

Inside or out, drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops. If there is nothing to use as cover, crawl into an interior room with no windows that might shatter and shower you with broken glass. Sit with your back pressed firmly against a wall. If you are in bed, stay there and cover your head with a pillow to protect you 
from falling objects. If you are in a car, pull over to a location away from buildings.

“Avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines if possible,” says the Red Cross.

Stay inside the car with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Once the quake ends, drive carefully because roads and bridges may have been damaged. If a power line falls on your car, stay inside and wait until responders come along and free you.

If you are near the water, know that the quake could be followed by a tsunami. Move as quickly as possible to higher ground or to a building that is tall and sturdy enough to withstand a rushing wall of water. Time is critical here since the tsunami could arrive within 10 or 15 minutes of the quake. It may not be possible to drive to safety because roads will be crowded. In some cases escape roads may have been destroyed.

As far as the Great Shakeout goes, that 10:19 a.m.
time is only a suggestion. Practice drop, cover and hold on whenever you get a chance. Do it with the family or your coworkers. The real point of the Shakeout is to remind you of the earthquake risk in Washington and to prepare you mentally for searching out quake risks and mitigating them. If you weren’t concerned about quakes before, the risk of bigger-than-expected quakes should grab your attention.