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April 2023 - Earthquake Preparedness

Monday, April 10, 2023

Did you know that Oregon has an earthquake early warning system that can tell you when an earthquake has occurred and provide seconds of warning? The United States Geological Survey has created ShakeAlert which provides an alert on your phone, giving you time to prepare yourself, your loved ones, and the area around you before the shaking starts. ShakeAlert is available in the states of Washington, Oregon, and California and there are multiple ways to ensure that your phone receives the alerts.

There is no reliable way to predict earthquakes but now the technology exists to identify when one has occurred and provides up to 60 seconds of warning of an earthquake greater than 4.5 magnitude. This already has a positive impact on public safety, since fire departments can reposition their fire trucks or open their garage doors, hospitals can pause critical surgeries, utility systems can shut off pipes and close valves, elevators can stop at the nearest floor, and more.

For clinical healthcare settings, having warning of an earthquake will allow for staff to proactive actions for themselves and patients by DROPPING to the floor , COVERING themselves under a desk, table, or a piece of furniture that can protect your head and body, and HOLDING on until the shaking stops. It can also give time to have emergency medical supplies be pre-placed around the clinic and shutting off of utilities.

How do you receive ShakeAlert on your phone?

From the USGS website: How Do I sign up for the Shake Alert Earthquake Early Warning System
There are several ways to get ShakeAlert-powered alerts on your cell phone. (Note: The USGS does not directly or indirectly endorse any product or service provided, or to be provided, by these alert delivery providers.)

    The MyShakeTM app was developed by the UC Berkeley and is sponsored by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. MyShake is available for free in the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores – more information is available here. MyShake is currently operating in California, Oregon, and Washington.

      The QuakeAlertUSA app is a product of Early Warning Labs, LLC in collaboration with state and federal government agencies and academia. QuakeAlertUSA is available for free on the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores and is currently operating in California and Oregon. More information on QuakeAlertUSA.
      Google provides a ShakeAlert-powered earthquake alert feature that is integrated into the Android Operating System. This service is available in California, Oregon, and Washington on cell phones using the Android operating system. See this video on how to activate it on Android phones from Washington State Emergency Management

        ShakeReadySD is the ShakeAlert-powered Earthquake Early Warning component of the San Diego County Emergency app. ShakeReadySD only delivers alerts to phones in California. SD Emergency can be downloaded for free on the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores.

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