SEATTLE — Dangerous and damaging earthquakes are inevitable in Washington, but preparing for them could save your life.
The only problem? We don’t know when those earthquakes could hit.
That’s why experts say the preparation has to start now.
“You just don’t know when you’re gonna need it, but when you do need it, you need it right now,” said Harold Tobin, Director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
With only seconds to prepare, you could be anywhere when an earthquake hits. That’s why experts urge you to create multiple earthquake kits so that you’ll have supplies ready when disaster hits.
The recommendations? Pack two weeks’ worth of supplies to keep at home. Check out this checklist and consider including the following supplies:
- Non-perishable food and water (one gallon per person, per day)
- A battery-powered radio
- Flashlight
- Batteries
- Portable chargers
- First-aid kit
- Whistle
- Dust maks
- Garbage bags
- Plastic ties and tools (including a wrench or pliers to shut off utilities and a can opener for food)
- Local maps (internet services and communication channels can drop after a major earthquake)
- Prescription medications
- Soap and sanitizer
- Supplies for your infant or pet
- Contact lenses
“They don’t have to be elaborate,” Tobin said. They don’t have to be complicated. We don’t have to go into survivalist mode. We just need to have some things that will smooth life over a little bit for a few days.”
If you camp often, you may already have many of these supplies on hand. Preparing an earthquake kit will also help you have supplies ready for another disaster.
As you prepare, you may also want to consider adding earthquake insurance to protect your home.
“You could be looking at a total loss as far as your home structure is concerned, and a lot of the things in it,” said Aaron VanTuyl, Communications Manager for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
Homeowners insurance typically does not include earthquake insurance.
“Typically earthquake coverage needs to be its own thing,” VanTuyl said.
“Do you think people realize that?” asked KIRO 7′s Madeline Ottilie.
“Probably not,” VanTuyl said. “Insurance is very complicated.”
Costs for earthquake insurance vary, but VanTuyl says it’s typically equivalent to about half of what you pay for homeowners insurance premiums.
“The deductible can be high,” he said. “A lot of times with earthquake insurance, you’re looking at about a 20% deductible. So if you’ve got a maximum coverage limit of $100,000, the insurance company won’t start paying until you’ve chipped in $20,000.”
You may never need it, especially if the damage is too small to warrant filing a claim.
“But if you don’t have it and you do need it, you really need it,” VanTuyl said.
“It’s a gamble,” offered Ottilie.
“It is a gamble,” VanTuyl confirmed. “Everybody needs to kind of evaluate their own situation and determine if it’s worth it.”
VanTuyl said the Office of the Insurance Commissioner estimates just under 10% of Washington residents have opted for earthquake insurance.
“For a market for earthquake insurance as large as Washington, that seems a little low,” he said.
It’s something to consider now — before the inevitable next serious earthquake hits.
“We live in a really beautiful state,” Tobin said. “We’re surrounded by mountains and by the ocean and everything. Part of that beauty actually comes from the plate tectonics, the fact that the earth is in motion and doing these things. The earthquakes are an unfortunate part of that. But I want to reassure people, we will come through earthquakes.”
Tobin said residents don’t need to be overly afraid of earthquakes, just prepared for them.
If you find yourself in the middle of an earthquake: freeze and don’t panic. If you’re indoors, move underneath something that can protect you from falling objects. If you’re outside, step away from buildings and into open space.
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