WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Did the nearby 4.5 magnitude earthquake on March 3 get your attention?
Many throughout our region felt the trembler. Others were jolted awake at 5:02am by their MyShake™ app’s strident message: “Earthquake detected! Drop, cover and hold on!”
Fortunately, no damage was reported following that earthquake. But it was a great reminder that we should be prepared.
At some point, the Big One is coming. But there may also be smaller, damage-causing earthquakes in our foreseeable future. Any earthquake with a magnitude of the recent one or above has the potential to cause damage.
How much damage? As the U.S. Geological Survey notes, “it isn’t that simple.” The effects depend on circumstances ranging from magnitude to location, population density, age of structures and so on. Whatever the damage, we’re likeliest to recover if we’ve prepared in advance.
Am I ready? Here’s how to know:
- Do you know what the most likely hazards are where you live, work or spend time?
- Liquefaction could occur in some areas throughout Whatcom County
- Nearby roads and bridges could become unstable and unsafe
- Utility lines could rupture
- A tsunami or flooding could follow
- Did you sign up for alert and warnings? Recommended options include
- Do you know what to do when you get an alert or feel shaking?
- Drop, cover and hold on
- If there is no cover, stay away from glass windows or objects that could fall
- If you’re driving, pull over and set the emergency brake, stay inside the vehicle
- If you’re near a shoreline, move quickly to high ground
- Before anything happens, create a Go Bag and build a plan to be Two Weeks Ready
How can we be sure we need to prepare for an earthquake? Because they’re happening all the time already. In Washington state, we experience more than 1,000 a year. Over the past 125 years, 20 of those earthquakes have caused damage. Odds are there’s at least one more of those in our future. That’s worth your attention.
Amy Cloud is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management. She was born and raised locally, leaving for Whitman College and work in Seattle, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. She returned to work as Supervising News Producer and reporter for KVOS-TV’s NewsView before switching to communications for WWU, PeaceHealth and the City of Bellingham. She also co-chairs the Community PIO Group and is a member of the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues.
