Alaska earthquake triggers warning to be prepared for ‘The Big One’

SEATTLE - When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Alaska coast early Wednesday morning, it rattled residents right out of bed and running for higher ground after triggering a tsunami warning. 

While the warning was later called off, experts say the news of the earthquake should trigger a reminder for everyone in the Pacific Northwest that the “big one” is coming.

“It is not a matter of if, but when,” warned Sophia Lopez, the emergency management program manager for public education and outreach in King County.

“When you hear about an earthquake and you think about it, do one thing, at least one thing to better prepare your home and your family for the eventual earthquake we’ll be experiencing,” said Bill Steele from Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

Bellevue resident Paul Thomsen is more prepared than most. At his home, he has at least two weeks worth of nonperishable meals and water, a generator, car batteries with inverters to plug in most power needs, first-aid kits and more. His Jeep is also equipped with similar needs for an emergency.

Thomsen said his interest in preparedness started two decades ago when he became a mountaineer and needed to be ready for the worst out in nature.

Then he started wondering how he could apply that same ‘be prepared’ mentality at home. But his stockpile didn’t happen overnight.

“Just over time, incrementally improved things so that today I think I truly am ready,” Thomsen said. “Hopefully it’s 20 years from now before something serious happens, but it could be this afternoon, you just don’t know.”

Experts know there are some barriers to having the same level of preparedness as Thomsen. That’s why they say even grabbing a little extra at the grocery store or using Wednesday’s earthquakes as a reminder to make an emergency plan will help you be better prepared than you were yesterday.

Lopez said having food and water or a water filter on hand is a first step. The message is to start small and incrementally you’ll be better prepared for when disaster strikes. 

“Two weeks is what we say, but honestly, grab what you can to make it through,” she said.

Steele and Lopez both said living through COVID-19 is also forcing people to think more about emergency planning.

“I hope it makes us better prepared because we’re beginning to understand what it means to shelter in place,” Steele said. 

Even though the predicted 9.0-magnitude earthquake will be far worse, interrupting access to stores, roads and utilities, the difficulties experienced at the start of the stay-home order did spark new conversations, especially as people swiped needed supplies from store shelves, leaving them bare for days. 

“I know some folks like to shrug it off, like, ‘Earthquakes don’t happen all the time,’” Lopez said. “You’re right, they don’t happen all the time. But they do happen and when the ‘big one’ happens it will be bad, so let’s be ready.”

Aside from starting to assemble a food-and-water stockpile, an emergency kit and always keeping two weeks of medication stocked, Lopez said a critical part of preparedness is thinking about who depends on you, be it family members, pets or a neighbor. When disaster strikes, an effective emergency plan will lay out how to make sure those loved ones can get care in case you aren’t able to reach them.