Earthquakes: What to know and how to be prepared

Tennis will be at all five Pacific County Timberland libraries this April and May to help people understand the unique forces that are at play beneath our area and how to be more prepared. Mark your calendar for the program most convenient for you. The programs are free of charge.

· April 12 (Saturday), 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Ilwaco Timberland Library, (360) 642-3908

· April 24 (Thursday), 6-7:30 p.m., Raymond Timberland Library, (360) 942-2408

· April 29 (Tuesday), 6-7:30 p.m., Naselle Timberland Library, (360) 484-3877

· May 17 (Saturday), 1-2:30 p.m., Ocean Park Timberland Library, (360) 665-4184

· May 31 (Saturday), 1-2:30 p.m., South Bend Timberland Library, (360) 875-5532

In each presentation, Tennis will cover three main points: 1. We live in a geologically-active region where magnitude 9 earthquakes happen every several hundred years; 2. An earthquake of this magnitude will create a tsunami; and 3. These are challenges that we can address. Each section will have hands-on demonstrations of the subject matter and activities to help participants create a plan.

According to Tennis, geologists have discovered that our region has had a 9.0 or greater earthquake every 300 to 1000 years. The last megathrust earthquake* in our region occurred on January 29, 1700. In 2012, a 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan killed about 20,000 people. In 2004, ten times that number were killed in the 9.1 earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra. Why were there so fewer deaths in Japan? Because they were prepared, wrote Tennis in an email to the libraries.

“There is no reason to fear living in coastal Washington; knowing what to expect during an earthquake and tsunami can help us be more resilient when they occur. Although a 9.0 earthquake may not happen here in our lifetimes, destructive earthquakes all over the globe are a wake-up call that being prepared can save lives,” Tennis wrote.

Tennis is a naturalist, writer and educator who enjoys translating scientific data and personal experience into accessible and enjoyable content for the public. She has a lifelong interest in geology, particularly with earthquakes and their effect on the environment.

For more information, contact one of the libraries or visit www.TRL.org.