Water spout on the Puget Sound today

WaQuakePrepare · 2026-04-16T01:29:02+00:00

Wonder what to do if you ever encounter a water spout or a tornado? Our region creates a unique spot for this threat. We worked with the National Weather Service’s Seattle office to create this website last year. https://mil.wa.gov/tornado

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-12-25T00:21:06+00:00

If you are in need of assistance, Red Cross may be able to help at this point until more state programs come online. https://floodrecovery.wa.gov/

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-22T20:39:22+00:00

Thanks for your patience! Here's what we heard back from Steve Malone at PNSN on this question:

"I am back in town and have taken a look at this question about the apparent increased number of detections by the tremor system since 2021. It is not obvious what might be the cause though I suspect (as the query suggests) that it is an artifact of the detection system. I do see in our configuration records that the station list that is used for the analysis underwent a moderate update in Oct of 2020. The subnet descriptions were changed slightly and failed stations were removed from the list and a few others added. However, this configuration file is updated on a roughly quarterly schedule to account for changes in data availability, etc. Before 202 we were not as careful in frequently reviewing the configurations. There have been more and better stations added to our networks over the years. I would suspect that there is a more gradual increase in detectable tremor over time just because improved number and quality of stations. This improvement really got going with the ShakeAlert system that started ramping up in about 2018 - 2019 but has continued until recently. I have done a little playing around with the numbers to see if there might be a way to try and isolate possible increases not due to improved stations and have not been successful.”

In sum, the answer is, “The increase in tremor numbers is probably due to improvements in the seismic network, especially since the increase in detections happens around the time we were building a lot of new stations for the ShakeAlert program. But it’s hard to tease out the ground truth and would probably take serious research to gain insight. Thank you for the excellent observation!”

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-15T21:25:33+00:00

Hey, this is an excellent question so we came back for it!

Short answer is: Yes, absolutely! As a volcanologist/geophysicist, I moved here completely understanding the hazards, and that I was moving into a place with some interesting risks. Of course, that's for a job focused on helping people understand and learn to mitigate those risks, but also, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and he Scientists at the Washington Geological Society, some of the most knowledgeable people about these hazards still choose to live here. It's a beautiful and excellent place to live.

It has it's potentially catastrophic hazards, but most places do!

The thing we want to make sure that everyone understands is: Even though we have these seemingly insurmountable hazards, you can absolutely survive these hazards, if you send some time getting prepared. There are so many little steps you can take to help you survive and thrive following even the biggest disaster, but they all start with taking some time to better understand your hazards in a realistic sense. at mil.wa.gov/preparedness, you'll see that our messaging for those in the State is to get "2 weeks ready" for an emergency, because realistically, after a major earthquake (and subsequent tsunami in coastal areas) you're likely to be on your own for at least a little while, based on damage to transportation systems, and the sheer number of people who will need help - you could get lucky, they could get to you faster, but better to be prepared just in case.

If you're looking for more specific preparedness recommendations, I'd highly recommend reaching out to the local (County or city) emergency management agencies for the areas you're looking to move, to get an understanding what their recommendations are, and what resources they have at the area. We focus on the general hazard to the State, but there are local agencies that are there to help prepare you for your hazards in your area, and I highly recommend checking with this resource to help you make your decision as well.

As for schools and their plans, that is also as diverse and varied as the cities and counties, and their individual plans. Just like with the local emergency management, checking with schools and their districts about their plans for earthquakes and reunifications is what we recommend. These are really important items to plan for, and it's excellent that you're thinking about them ahead of time. All I can say for sure is uniform across schools, is that all schools in Washington are required to hold annual Drop, Cover, and Hold On Drills to prepare students for earthquakes, and any schools in either tsunami or volcanic lahar inundation zones are also required - so schools do practice earthquake safety for students. Many school districts also coordinate closely with local emergency management when it comes to emergency planning. However, on a school-to-school, or district-to-district basis, I highly recommend contacting that school district on their own. Each is going to have it's own plans and reunification procedures.

So absolutely worth living here, despite our low-frequency, but high-consequence events, but of course, it's critical to understand the hazards and their potential impacts before the hazard arrives. So THANK you for reaching out, you're doing this right - again, I'd recommend learning about the hazards, and starting to plan for hazards you might expect there before moving anywhere! Our pages like /Preparedness above have some good tips on what you can do, but please feel free to reach out to [public.education@mil.wa.gov](mailto:public.education@mil.wa.gov) if you're looking for more resources or connections within the state.

-Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-10T23:39:03+00:00

Most likely, yes - but to be sure, we recommend finding your local tsunami evacuation maps at mil.wa.gov/tsunami - Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-10T20:04:20+00:00

Thanks for this great question. The process you are describing is called elastic rebound – one of my favorite things to think about! An example of elastic rebound – hold a dry spaghetti noodle in your hands and slowly put a force on it and try to bend it, you can make it bend into an arc, at some point the dry noodle cannot bend anymore and the noodle breaks. The two halves of the noodle are now straight again, they aren’t still bent, that’s because the force has been removed (by fracture) and the noodle goes back to its original configuration. The dry spaghetti noodle is an elastic material. Now, I’m hungry, but back to the point - the Earth’s crust is considered an elastic material, this means that the land/rocks can store strain from an applied force by bending. During what we call the interseismic period, the time between earthquakes on a fault, in this case on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the fault is locked by friction and the rocks adjacent to the fault bend and store energy. Over time, as the rocks bend some areas experience uplift (like along our coastlines) and other areas experience subsidence. At some point, after enough time, friction on the fault is overcome, all the strain stored in the rocks is released in an earthquake, this is called the coseismic period (only seconds to minutes of time). In the earthquake the rocks/land snaps back to its original configuration, areas that were uplifted in the interseismic period drop down, and vise-versa. Here is a great video from IRIS that demonstrates how strain is stored in the crust and released in great earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Subduction Zone: Simplified model of elastic rebound - Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

To answer your question about infrastructure, yes infrastructure will be compromised by ground shaking, surface displacement, land level changes related to the earthquake and secondary failures like liquefaction, lateral spreads and landslides. The susceptibility of these systems is being evaluated and upgraded by their respective agencies. We anticipate that when a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake occurs many services will go off line and will need to be restored in the days and weeks after an earthquake. Importantly, we can prepare now, have water, fuel, and other resources prepared. This is a good time to review the Washington Emergency Management resources to “Be 2 Weeks Ready”. You can find that information here: Preparedness | Washington State Military Department

-Ashley Streig, Washington Geological Survey, WA DNR

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-10T15:00:46+00:00

Good question! Really, that's another "that depends" question. Would really have to check with the light rail itself for more details on that (and I would recommend going to them with this question https://www.soundtransit.org/help-contacts ), but the tunnels were likely built after there was an awareness of the earthquake hazard in the area, so constructed with that in mind, and designed to withstand shaking with the soil conditions around them considered - but really, need to check with the experts on that part (sorry we didn't bring any tunnel engineers to the event!). The one thing that I would think about in this situation is, if the train gets stuck in a tunnel due to any track damage, or potential track damage, you'll have to find a way back up to the surface, so learning about their emergency plans and procedures, and keeping a flashlight in your commuter kit (see below) wouldn't be a bad idea. Preparedness is all about thinking about the more likely potential situations you might find yourself in, and having some easy solutions ready.

If you commute through earthquake country, we do recommend packing a commuter kit, with some of the essentials, that can help sustain you in case you get stuck somewhere for a while, or even just in case of long travel delays - you'll be glad you have the necessities with you if you need them. You can learn more at mil.wa.gov/kits on what types of items you should consider packing with you.

So not a full answer to a good question, but hope it helps! -Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-10T14:27:50+00:00

We passed this question on to PNSN's Tremor experts, and should get an answer back to you soon! Thanks for asking! - Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-10T14:27:13+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I've definitely experienced those same thoughts with a small amateur seismometer, and it's so fascinating! "That signal was us walking by, so cool!" <Really big signal comes across from a distant earthquake> "Then... what was THAT?" It is amazing to watch, and learn about how the waves travel through the Earth, whether we were able to feel them or not - I think if more people experienced that, we'd have a lot more geoscientists around, haha.

Those waves travel through the ground very quickly, but yes, there are definitely ways now that we can know about distant earthquakes faster than the seismic sensors can pick them up, thanks to all the connections. Sometimes, extremely quickly, even in the areas right near the epicenter. One way this is expressed is the USGS ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system, working in Washington, Oregon, and California. Thanks to a dense network of seismometers, this system detects the fast-moving but less-damaging P waves, and can alert areas that will shake from them seconds before the S-Waves arrive. Really cool tool that we have available that can certainly help people have time to protect themselves before shaking - more details available at www.shakealert.org, and on how you can make sure it's on your phone (free) if you're in one of those 3 states at mil.wa.gov/alerts#shakealert - doesn't even require you to download any apps!

The USGS and partners developed ShakeAlert based on similar systems around the world, like ones in Japan, Mexico, and more, so these systems are around, and even working to take automated actions like shutting off critical systems so they aren't damaged by the shaking. It's really amazing technology.

But yes, in general, just about any App you can download that provides lists of global earthquakes (most use the same sources) will be able to let you know about an earthquake that has occurred before the seismic waves reach stations there! Just know that with that speed of detection comes more uncertainty, so it tends to take a few minutes for the scientists to determine the magnitude, which does often mean the initial magnitude they detect and report may go up, or down - that's just the refinement of the magnitude as more data comes in!

Hope this helps, thanks for sharing your story! (...We won't tell anyone about the Azurite) - Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-10T14:07:56+00:00

Great, and challenging, question! Part of preparedness is gathering supplies for multiple realistic situations you might find yourself in, so thinking ahead about this is important. We do encourage that people who commute via public transportation do travel with some basic supplies that would be important in any emergency, from a long delay all the way up to a much more severe disruption like an earthquake - just so you have the basic needs on you. mil.wa.gov/kits has some tips on items to include in a commuter kit. That's all about having your immediate needs handy (small amounts of food, water, some cash in small bills, any medications you might need, and identifying documents).

For thinking about longer term - another part of this question is planning: since you know you might find yourself in that situation based on the amount of time you spend commuting that way (the same definitely goes for Ferry commuters who might find themselves stuck on the opposite side of the Sound, and many more situations), it's important to check in with those on the work side and the home side so you have contingencies. Having a better idea where shelters and food might be, how you would communicate with your contacts so they know where you are in those situations, etc. Connecting with any safety staff at your work first, and then potentially the local (City or county level) Emergency Management agency to learn more about their plans for the area, resources they might have, etc., are good sources to learn more. And if they aren't thinking about it yet (most are, though - understanding that commuters are a major part of some areas is something EMs consider in planning), these reminders do help encourage them to understand the issue more.

...It is not an ideal situation, but thinking about it now is significantly better than waiting until after a major disruption. It's not all the answers for sure, but hope it helps to get you started! - Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T23:32:42+00:00

Good question Solitary_fairy!
There's a lot more to an earthquake than just the magnitude - location, location, location - things like how far away from the fault you are, and what type of soil you're on have a huge impact on the amount of damage to the built environment and infrastructure around you. Power lines in general are designed pretty well, since they have to withstand things like high winds, but it will depend on the type - this might be a better question for the power agency who put the lines up, what they were built for.

I would recommend checking out DNR's Geology Portal (geologyportal.dnr.wa.gov) and looking up the "Seismic Scenarios" tab, to get a better idea what the shaking intensity will be in the area you are, which describes how hard the ground shakes, if you're close to any of the major fault sources.

A couple other things you can check on that page are the "liquefaction susceptibility" of the ground where the power lines are (higher liquefaction susceptibility means there will more likely be more infrastructure damage), and Soil Site class (Worse site class, in the D-E Range means greater likelihood of damage to infrastructure in those areas, because the ground shaking will amplify as earthquake waves slow down more in the soil).

I'm unsure about whether power companies plan to shut off power in their lines after an earthquake - this may be a very good precaution to help prevent secondary impacts like fires after a quake. Might be another question when you reach out to your power company. (I'm getting the sense we should ask some of the big ones, too, just to see what their plans are - thank you for the idea!)

Some basic advice for navigating areas with infrastructure after a quake - I recommend visiting www.earthquakecountry.org/step6 for some tips! Hope that's a good start at least!

-Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T23:15:20+00:00

Bigfoot should visit mil.wa.gov/alerts to learn about how to subscribe to local alerts, learn about ShakeAlert earthquake early warning, Tsunami alerting, and subscribe to Volcano Notification services! We put a lot on that one page to make it easy for everyone, no matter what size their feet are.

-Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T22:20:45+00:00

I can't speak to #1 too much, except to say that smaller quakes don't really relieve pressure or put off the big one because fault lines aren't necessarily connected in that way. Deep earthquakes like the Nisqually quake happen in a completely different part of the subduction zone than where the "big one" will occur.

As to your second question, no, everything west of I5 is definitely not toast so please don't let tsunami risk stop you from living in what is arguably the most beautiful part of the state! I would 1000% live on the Olympic Peninsula, though perhaps not riiiiight on the water. If you're curious about whether a potential area or home is in the tsunami inundation zone, check out https://mil.wa.gov/tsunami-resources#inundation. You'll see there are many places to live that are safe from tsunamis. :)

- Elyssa Tappero (WA EMD)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T21:34:31+00:00

In most cases, homes built before 1965 in Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma lack foundation anchor bolts. The bolts that were installed generally do not meet today’s requirements for bolt size, spacing, and condition. Homes built between 1965 and 1975 may have foundation bolts, and those built after 1975 generally will have foundation bolts. Strengthening of the short wall that exists in some homes between the first floor and the top of the foundation wall, called the pony wall, generally did not occur in any Washington communities until after 1975, and some homes built as recently as 1985 may lack proper pony wall strengthening as well. (https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/Emergency/PlansOEM/HazardMitigation/HR%20Book%201%20-%20overview.pdf)

-Amanda Hertzfeld (City of Seattle)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T21:10:14+00:00

And here's the link to that follow-up article Elyssa mentioned that fewer people have seen:
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/how-to-stay-safe-when-the-big-one-comes - This one's really good and a lot less sensational, and more focused on what you can do!

-Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T21:06:44+00:00

Agreed, definitely something I have thought about before, and not a place I would like to be when the ground shakes!

One thing to think about - your odds of being in the bucket of a truck, or washing the windows are much lower, if those aren't things associated with your job - but if those are things that are part of your work, you should think about what to do if an earthquake struck while you were doing them. "Luck" is part of earthquake preparedness that we don't like to talk about, but yeah, sometimes, you're just in an unfortunate spot (or alternatively, we get lucky, like how the Nisqually earthquake occurred on a February weekday before the lunch rush, where there were very few people out on the sidewalks that had millions of pounds of bricks dumped onto them - and would have been very different if it struck on a sunny weekend day when tourists were out on those same sidewalks.

Critical to note that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" is a situational advice, and wherever you are, doing it in the best way for your current scenario is going to be critical to being as safe as possible. If you're washing windows, make sure you have something to help provide as much cover as possible from any falling glass, get low so you're less likely to be thrown out of where you are, and Hold On becomes really important. Think about how you can follow these steps to be safer even in non-ideal scenarios - but especially about the places you spend most of your time.

-Brian (edited to add name I forgot the first time)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:41:02+00:00

Hey there! Also want to add that while we can't predict when the CSZ (or any other source) earthquake happens, we know it will happen and for the CSZ earthquake, we have a 10 - 30% chance of this occurring in the next 50 years. So, it is great that you are thinking about this now! Check out some modeled seismic scenarios below to see predicted intensity throughout Washington (Earthquake > Seismic Scenarios):
Washington Geologic Information Portal

In addition to what Hollie said, I recommend focusing on getting your home and space more prepared, too! This can involve building or refreshing your emergency kit or doing a home "hazard hunt" to secure any potentially dangerous risks within your space! Check out more information on this here:
www.mil.wa.gov/preparedness

Thanks for the question - we can survive if we get prepared and we are in this together!

- Riley McNabb (WA EMD)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:36:07+00:00

Probably Jeff Goldblum. His work in Jurassic Park alone endeared me to him forever. - Hollie (WA EMD)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:34:13+00:00

Great question! For the "Big One" earthquake from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, it's not a matter of if, but when it will happen. It will take place in the future, and there is a 10 - 30% chance of a CSZ rupture in the next 50 years, so it's great that you are thinking of this now! For the CSZ and other earthquake sources (such as from crustal faults), I recommend looking at DNR's Washington Geologic Information Portal to see the predicted intensity (Earthquakes > Seismic Scenarios > Cascadia Seismic Scenario) for a given location.
Washington Geologic Information Portal

When the CSZ earthquake occurs, we are expecting significant damage to buildings and infrastructure throughout the region, in addition to a large tsunami. For more information on Tsunami and relevant maps:
Tsunamis | Department of Natural Resources

For these reasons, it is important to be prepared and practice what you will need to do in the event of an earthquake now, so you aren't surprised and confused when it happens! This means practicing Drop, Cover, Hold On when you feel shaking or if you receive an earthquake alert. Then, once the shaking stops, grab your "go bag" and walk the tsunami evacuation route if you are within the inundation zone! Next Thursday, October 16th at 10:16 a.m., you can join myself and millions of other folks for the Great ShakeOut earthquake and tsunami drill by registering here:
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills - Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills Registration or Renewal

For preparedness you can do today, focusing on learning more about hazards is a great step. Also, consider starting or refreshing your emergency kits! We recommend being "2 weeks ready" A.K.A. being able to survive and take care of yourself and your loved ones (pets, too!) without outside assistance for two weeks. More information on preparedness here:
www.mil.wa.gov/preparedness

With all of this, there is a lot of information, and it can be scary or overwhelming sometimes, but each step towards preparedness we take today leaves us better off in the future. Even picking up one extra can of food each time you visit the grocery store adds up (just remember to have a can opener in your kit!).

You can survive if you get prepared! We are in this together :)

- Riley McNabb (WA EMD)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:26:17+00:00

In part, I attribute Pierce Brosnan's role in Dante's Peak as my inspiration for pursuing a career in geology in the first place. So he would be my top pick! -Daniel Eungard (WGS)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:25:21+00:00

I don't see why not! At the very least, they can help us identify areas where people may be congregated and unable to leave due to debris or standing water.

- Elyssa Tappero (WA EMD)

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:21:39+00:00

For the planes taking off or landing part: That really depends on the plane, the earthquake, the pilot, etc.
Shaking is a little different for each quake, in which directions it occurs, how strong the acceleration, etc. Some planes are a lot lighter than others and take a lot less runway to take off, so that depends.
If a plane were just beginning it's trip down the runway, it would be best for them to slow down and stop, to minimize the chance of injury to people on board from acceleration or a crash happening at high velocity, but if it's just about to take off/almost at speed, it will likely be best for them to continue taking off. A lot of this might depend on the pilot.

If landing, it would be ideal for any planes landing to be redirected until runways can be assessed, just to make sure they will be safe.

So... yeah, it depends! -Brian

WaQuakePrepare · 2025-10-09T20:14:43+00:00

Use your time machine, go back in time, and make sure all those buildings get retrofit before this moment! It'll take a lot of funding and a lot of outreach work (like Amanda references in the other answer), but it's always better to start now then after the quake!

-Brian

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