WA is seeing a string of earthquakes. Here’s how experts say you should stay prepared

BELLINGHAM – A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit Orcas Island early on the morning of Monday. It was the biggest quake that Washington has seen since 2020, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

It’s the latest in a string of tremors to hit the Pacific Northwest. It was the fourth earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher to hit the state since Feb. 18, according to USGS, in addition to a 4.8 magnitude quake that hit southern British Columbia.

With Washington’s location along the Cascadia Subduction Zone and several active fault lines in the state, more than 1,000 earthquakes occur in the state each year, according to the Washington Emergency Management Division, although most are fairly weak. The last major earthquake to hit the state was a 6.8 magnitude quake that hit Nisqually in February 2001.

With their unpredictable nature, you might think there’s little you can do to prepare for an earthquake. Here are some tips to help you be ready in case one hits.

How to prepare for earthquake in Washington

According to Monty Burich, an emergency management and public affairs volunteer with the northwest region of the American Red Cross, the most important step to prepare for an earthquake is to take action.

“This is going to sound kind of funny, the very first thing is start by doing something,” Burich said in an interview.

Burich said that people often use the low odds of a severe earthquake hitting any one area or person as an excuse to not prepare.

“It’s amazing how many conversations I have with individuals that they know the earthquake risk is out there, but have yet to do anything,” Burich said. “And some of it comes from what we call in the disaster world the ‘bulletproof mentality.’ It’s like, ‘It probably isn’t going to happen to me,’ and changing that is often a big hurdle for many. So if they can get past that, then the rest of it becomes pretty easy.”

Some concrete steps you can take to prepare that Burich recommends include familiarizing yourself with your surroundings, and picturing what would happen in the event of an earthquake.

“Could you be affected by landslides? Is flooding a potential threading area … be aware of power substations nearby that could potentially start fires,” Burich said.

You can also prepare your home for an earthquake by moving heavy objects to low places, clearing objects from staircases and above beds, and fastening heavy items that are hanging on a wall, according to Washington’s Emergency Management Division. Here are some other things you can do to prepare your home for an earthquake, according to the EMD:

• Make sure the beds in your home aren’t under a window.

• Use closed links to secure lights and ceiling fans.

• Have a fire extinguisher on hand.

• Secure vases and fragile items with putty or Velcro.

• Keep shoes, gloves, and a flashlight underneath the beds in your home.

• Make sure refrigerator wheels have stoppers.

• Make sure household chemicals are stored near the floor.

EMD also recommends participating in the Great Washington ShakeOut, an annual statewide earthquake drill initiative that occurs in October, and setting up your cellphone for earthquake alerts with the ShakeAlert earthquake warning system.

According to Ted Buehner, a meteorologist and public information officer at Emergency Management Group Washington, the ShakeOut can help people learn about earthquake preparedness in a fun and engaging way.

According to information provided by Buehner to McClatchy, in 2024 more than 1.3 million people in Washington registered and participated in the ShakeOut. That includes schools, businesses, faith-based organizations, and people at home.

What’s in earthquake emergency kit?

Like with any natural disaster, an earthquake can leave people stuck in their homes or require evacuation. As a result, Burich recommends having separate emergency kits ready in each place you could be when a disaster hits. He added that putting together a kit all at once can be daunting and expensive, so he recommends buying one additional item to put in your kit each time you’re at the grocery store or pharmacy.

“You want to have a go kit that you can grab and go quickly, which is usually a backpack with some critical items in it,” Burich said. “You definitely want a home kit.”

A home kit should include food, water, clothing, portable light source and, if possible, heating. Burich also recommended that people keep a kit with snacks and warm clothes in their cars, and a small bag of supplies in their desks at work. Burich added that one of the most common mistakes people make in preparing an emergency kit is leaving necessary medications. Additionally, Burich said that people often don’t leave enough gas in their car to evacuate, should they need to.

What do you do in earthquake?

Even if you are prepared, what should you do when an earthquake actually hits? According to Burich, the standard “drop, cover and hold” method will do, but what you do immediately after an earthquake is also crucial.

“The correct way to deal with an earthquake is to drop cover and hold on to whatever you’re underneath, because the types of earthquakes here will generally move stuff around, and you kind of want to move with your protection,” Burich said.

After that, Burich recommends waiting before leaving your cover, to make sure that nothing else will fall as a result of the earthquake.

“If you need to leave your home after an event, you wait about a minute,” Burich said. “And the reason why we say a minute is that gives enough time to have things settle and tip over and do what they’re going to do. So that way you’re not coming out from your cover and walking into another hazard.”

Washington state earthquake hazards

Western Washington tends to have a higher risk of earthquakes than the eastern part of the state, since the state’s Pacific coast is closer to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The Cascadia fault line extends over 620 miles through the Puget Sound region, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

“There are several fault lines that pass under Seattle, and of course, then we have the Cascadia Subduction Zone out along the coast. So what’s interesting is that we always talk about ‘the big one,’ a 9.0, coming off of the coast. But we also can’t forget that our Seattle fault line could be even more devastating at a lesser magnitude. It could be a 7.0 and it could do significant damage just because of where it’s located,” Burich said.

In addition to its location, there are a few things about Washington’s geologic and artificial landscape features that make it more susceptible to damage from earthquakes.

“While it may not be unique to us, we do have a challenging topography, so we have a lot of hills, which means that we have a lot of bridges and things of that nature,” Burich said. “In a pretty significant earthquake, we saw it in February 2001, when we have a big earthquake like that, the bridges typically are either shut down until they’re inspected, or maybe they’re damaged.”

Additionally, the state’s hills, mountains and coastline mean there are several secondary disasters that could occur in the event of an earthquake, including large waves, landslides and avalanches.

While much of the discussion about earthquake preparedness revolves around the “big one,” even a small earthquake could set off a landslide, according to Burich. As a result, people should pay attention to potential signs of landslide hazards, including soil that looks saturated or unstable.

“There potentially could be water undermining all of that soil on that hillside, and eventually, given a large amount of snow, a large amount of rain, or even a small earthquake, that all could come sliding down the hill at a pretty rapid pace,” Burich said.

Additionally, a minor earthquake could cause structural damage, especially to older houses, as houses in Washington built in the first part of the 20th century often don’t have foundation anchor bolts.

“Even though a minor one doesn’t seem that big, it really depends on the depth. If it’s a very shallow earthquake, maybe it’s only a five or something, that still could shake a lot of homes off their foundation,” Burich said. “Because you’ve got to remember, a lot of the homes here are (from) 1910, 1920 and many of them are not bolted down to their foundations, so they could easily slide off.”

Burich recommends taking pictures of your home, including the foundation and roof, so you can check for damage after even a small earthquake.