The “big one”, it’s in the back of nearly every Seattleites mind. If you’re unsure of what we’re talking about, we’re referencing the magnitude 9 earthquake that is set to hit Seattle at an unknown date. While scary, the MyShake app is now available in Washington state and it’s here to give you at least a bit of a warning and hopefully some peace of mind.
In 2015, The New Yorker published an article titled “The Really Big One”, which detailed the widespread destruction of what a magnitude 9 earthquake would do to Seattle. The idea of seeing Seattle razed sent people into a panic and had many wondering if there was a way to predict this earthquake or provide adequate warning.
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Today! – options for #ShakeAlert-powered alert delivery expands in Washington! The @MyShakeApp provides coverage in CA, OR, & WA. The @USGS ShakeAlert team, @waEMD, @Cal_OES & @BerkeleySeismo add a third way to get #EEW phone alerts in WA – now @MyShakeApp, @Android & @fema WEA https://t.co/UZ2rebXbgO
— USGS ShakeAlert (@USGS_ShakeAlert) January 26, 2022
Now, a free app called MyShake is available for Washingtonians with both iOS and Android devices. According to GeekWire, the app was “designed by seismologists and engineers at the University of California, Berkeley … and is meant to provide seconds of warning to users after an earthquake is detected and before shaking happens.” Further, it is able to “deliver alerts within five seconds or less of the USGS reporting an earthquake detection.”
So if earthquakes are on your mind, downloading MyShake might not be such a bad idea. And if you need even further peace of mind, you can read what the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network had to say about the big one.
