Great Washington Shakeout! at 10:19a on 10/19

As a reminder, Thursday will be the Great Washington Shakeout! along the coast and throughout the state.

At 10:19 a.m. on Oct. 19, you’re invited to drop, cover and hold on wherever you are – whether it’s at work, home or school. 

At about the same time, more than 120 Washington tsunami sirens along the inner and outer coast will be tested using the real wailing sound of a tsunami warning, not the Westminster Chimes that are typically used during the monthly tests. 

NOAA Weather Radios will also sound an alarm.

“Earthquakes can happen anywhere, so everyone should know how to protect themselves when an earthquake occurs. Coastal earthquakes can be followed by tsunamis – which is why the Great Washington ShakeOut includes a tsunami drill.”

For the second time, a test will go out to those who have downloaded the FREE MyShake Earthquake Early Warning App on their phones. The test alert will sound the tone it will use to warn of an earthquake and will display a message indicating that this is a “test.”

This will only occur if you have downloaded the latest software of the app to your phone. There will NOT be a test using Android’s built-in earthquake alerts or the Wireless Emergency Alert system.

On Wednesday, October 18, the day before the Great ShakeOut, Pacific County Emergency Management will be sending out a countywide reverse 911 message to test the Hyper-Reach system Pacific County uses to disseminate emergency messages. 

This message will inform people about the Great ShakeOut and provide a reminder that the AHAB Sirens will be activated.

Washington’s network of All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) sirens will be tested around 10:19 a.m. on October 19 using the wailing sound of a tsunami warning, not the Westminster Chimes that are used during the monthly tests. 

The wailing sound will be followed by this message in English and Spanish:

“This is a test of the siren alert system. If you are in a low coastal area, test your evacuation route. If this had been a real emergency, you should follow evacuation routes, move to higher ground inland, now. Do not delay. Do not return until directed to do so. Tune into your local media sources for further instructions. This was only a test.”

More than 1.2 million Washington residents have registered to participate in the earthquake and tsunami drill so far, including nearly 12,000 pre-registered within Grays Harbor and over 2,000 in Pacific County. Registration isn’t required but officials say that it helps them with understanding how effective their outreach is. 

Residents or businesses can register at https://www.shakeout.org/washington/.

Locate a local school, business or agency participating using this searchable database.