ShakeAlert can warn Oregonians when an earthquake is starting

(FEBRUARY 22, 2021) Many people in Oregon wonder when the next earthquake will happen and how large it will be. Although the U.S. Geological Survey cannot predict where and when future earthquakes will occur, the government office has helped to create a system that can provide warning that an earthquake is happening and shaking is imminent.  

The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system is a network of sensors. The sensors collect and share real-time information about earthquakes. The information includes the magnitude, location, and expected shaking from earthquakes on the West Coast. The warning system delivers alerts via cell phones and the internet. 

The U.S. Geological Survey says ShakeAlert can save lives and reduce injuries by giving people time to take protective actions. This includes actions such as moving away from hazardous areas and making sure to drop, cover, and hold on. Government and business partners can also initiate automatic protective actions, such as stopping trains to prevent derailments and closing water valves to protect infrastructure.  

“Oregon is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the continental United States, and over the years, we have had many earthquakes, large and small,” said Althea Rizzo. She works for Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management. “Warning resources such as ShakeAlert can help to mitigate loss of lives, severe injury and devastating damage to infrastructure."

This service will begin in Oregon on March 11, 2021. Oregon will be the second state to "go live." California began its service October 17, 2019. Washington state will join Oregon and California in May 2021. When finished, the system will have 1,675 earthquake detection stations in the three states.

The start date for Oregon is the same as the 10th anniversary of the Great Tohoku earthquake in Japan. 20,000 people died in that quake. It was the strongest in Japan’s history. The quake caused a tsunami that produced waves up to 132 feet high and caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.  The tsunami wave traveled across the Pacific and reached Oregon with waves of 6.5 feet. This caused debris to wash up on the Oregon coastline. It took three years and 40,000 volunteers to clean up more than 446,000 pounds of debris on the Oregon Coast..