Are Washington Schools Prepared for Unexpected Earthquakes?

With all the recent seismic activity reported in Washington, are you concerned if the big one hits?

Would students be safe in their school buildings?

Current seismic codes require public buildings to be built strong enough to withstand an earthquake. According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the School Seismic Safety Project (SSSP) is a statewide effort to assess seismic vulnerability at public K-12 schools in the state.

According to a report from the Washington State Standard, many public schools in the state are at risk for suffering damage in a major earthquake.

In the past school year, more than 378,000 students attended schools with buildings constructed before the adoption of modern seismic codes and that have no risk evaluations or retrofits, according to data from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction obtained through a public records request. The majority of seismic risk data collected by school districts and the state is not shared with the public.

Earthquakes Occur in Washington Nearly Every Day

Most are too small to be felt or cause any damage. However, recently, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was reported in Northern Washington.

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The International Great ShakeOut Day is Thursday, October 17th

At 10:17 am, you can join millions of people participating in the event. Most people will practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On, as if there was a major earthquake happening. The goal of the ShakeOut is to educate people on what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.