We're Pacific NW U.S. earthquake experts ready to talk about tsunamis, earthquake early warning and more

[u/WaQuakePrepare]

EDIT: We are pretty much done! Thanks everyone for the great questions. We have some folks that could check in later if we didn’t get to your question or if you discover us later today but the answers won’t be right away. Remember no matter where you are, we invite you to drop, cover and hold on at 10:20 am Thursday. Learn more at shakeout.org

Oct. 20 is the Great ShakeOut, where millions of people across the country practice earthquake safety and drop, cover and hold on under a sturdy object. Today, we have experts in Washington state and Oregon talking about ShakeOut, earthquakes and we can even touch on Pacific Northwest volcanoes. For instance, did you now it’s possible to now get a warning on your phone before an earthquake strikes? It’s called the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System.

We are a team with a variety of expertise particularly in the Pacific Northwest including: earthquakes (science/physics, monitoring, protective actions, preparedness), tsunamis (tsunami safety, hazards, modeling, preparedness, and recovery), structural engineering/building performance and emergency preparedness.

PROOF HERE. More proof here.

From Washington Emergency Management Division:

Brian Terbush

Elyssa Tappero

Mark Pierepiekarz, P.E., S.E.

Hollie Stark

Dante DiSabatino

From Pacific Northwest Seismic Network:

Bill Steele

Dr. Renate Hartog

Dr. Alex Hutko

From Washington Department of Natural Resources (Washington Geological Survey):

Corina Allen

Daniel Eungard

From Simpson Strong-Tie (Structural Products and Solutions including Earthquake Retrofits):

Emory Montague, S.E.

From Oregon Office of Emergency Management:

Althea Rizzo

[u/WaQuakePrepare]

Looks like we tried to answer this one and the internet ate it, so attempt #2! In addition to preparing like everyone else, island residents (and visitors!) need to bear in mind that a disaster could leave you either isolated even more than normal (bridges down, ferries inoperable, etc) or trapped on the mainland. With some islands having few grocery stores and other vital amenities, you need to be ready to go without for a prolonged period of time or have a plan in place to let responders know if you absolutely need to get off-island (say for medical care). If you travel off-island for work, make sure the go-bag in your car is particularly robust - you may be relying on it for longer than you intended! Lastly, have a plan for anyone stuck behind on the island if you can't get back. Who will feed your pets? Who can check on your house? Etc.

- Elyssa

[u/zitandspit99 → u/WaQuakePrepare]

And finally, on top of all of that, you’ll want firearms. The vast majority of residents here are not and will not be prepared for the quake. When they start running out of food and water on day 3 of the disaster and FEMA hasn’t even arrived yet like in Hurricane Katrina, your food and water is going to start looking mighty tempting to them.

As my father in law from the Balkans said, hard times can turn a decent man bad real quick.