ShakeAlert®
An Earthquake Early Warning System for the West CoastShakeAlert® is the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system. The purpose of ShakeAlert is to quickly detect significant earthquakes so alerts can reach people and critical infrastructure before shaking arrives, providing precious seconds to take protective action. ShakeAlert is part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Program and leverages that program’s existing Advanced National Seismic System stations. ShakeAlert is currently available in California, Oregon, and Washington.
The ShakeAlert system is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey, but the Oregon Hazards Lab has been a partner in building the ShakeAlert sensor and stakeholder network since 2014.
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- We install and maintain the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network stations in Oregon that feed into the ShakeAlert system.
- We engage and assist schools, utilities, hospitals, transportation systems, energy providers, and others in integrating ShakeAlert into their operations.
- We are a leading member of the Oregon ShakeAlert Committee — a coordinated group of stakeholders from around the state committed to the successful implementation of ShakeAlert.
Learning More About ShakeAlert
How can I receive an alert?
ShakeAlert became available in Oregon on March 11, 2021. Oregonians now have several ways to receive an alert:
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- Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system. Like AMBER alerts, these are automatic for all cell phones, but double check to ensure that your phone’s settings enable WEA alerts.
- Android Operating System alerts. These alerts are automatic for Android devices, but double check to ensure that your phone’s settings enable OS alerts.
- Push notification apps. MyShake (free download from Apple and Google Play stores) and QuakeAlertUSA (free download from Apple and Google Play stores) are available now, but others will become available over time. Look for apps that indicate “Powered by ShakeAlert.”
Learn more about the 2021 rollout by visiting the Oregon Office of Emergency Management’s rollout website.
What should I do if I receive an alert?
How does ShakeAlert work?
What can ShakeAlert do?
Earthquake early warning can provide people and critical infrastructure with seconds to tens of seconds of warning time before powerful shaking arrives. This could give enough time to slow trains and taxiing planes, to prevent cars from entering bridges and tunnels, to move away from dangerous machines or chemicals in work environments and to take cover under a desk, or to automatically shut down and isolate industrial systems. Taking such actions before shaking starts can reduce damage and casualties during an earthquake. It can also prevent cascading failures in the aftermath of an event. For example, isolating utilities before shaking starts can reduce the number of fire initiations.
What is the risk?
Earthquakes pose a national challenge. More than 143 million Americans live in areas of significant seismic risk across 39 states, but most of our nation’s earthquake risk is concentrated on the West Coast. In the next 50 years, the Pacific Northwest has a 10-14 percent chance that a powerful earthquake (M9+) and tsunami will impact the entire Pacific Northwest, and a 30 percent chance that a very large earthquake (M8-9) will impact Southern Oregon and northern California. In the same timeframe, there is an 84% chance of a deep within-slab earthquake (M6.5+) will occur in the Puget Sound and a 15% chance that a shallow crustal earthquake (>M6.5) will occur somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. ShakeAlert is an important tool to ensure everyone can live safely and thrive in earthquake country.
Schools, businesses, utilities, hospitals, and other entities interested in using earthquake early warning to trigger automated actions should contact Oregon’s ShakeAlert Coordinator Kelly Missett at kmissett@uoregon.edu.