SEATTLE — Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Children and adults had the chance to experience what a magnitude 8.0 earthquake would feel like if it were to happen in Seattle.
"The Big Shaker" is an earthquake simulator that's part of Ready America's effort to educate people about the dangers of earthquakes and prepare them in the event that it happens so they can protect themselves.
“We’ve been training people in earthquake safety for the past twelve years, through our Big Shaker earthquake simulator, it’s putting people through what an actual simulated earthquake will feel like, so getting people trained and knowing what to expect," said Trevyn Reese, who works with Ready America and walks people through the simulator.
The Big Shaker was at Seattle World School on Wednesday. School-age children, as well as adults, got to sit in the simulator and experience it as it begins to shake and rock back-and-forth.
Reese also explained to each participant the "drop, cover, and hold on" technique.
“It’s really important that we get started preparing these kids at a young age that way they know what to expect," said Reese. "Because especially up here in Seattle, the risk for an earthquake is extremely great, and we really want to make sure that they know what to do from the start.”
Ready America and The Big Shaker were hosted by the Seattle Office of Emergency Management.
Children also had the chance to practice giving CPR and learned what items should go in a disaster kit.
Ready America opened its Seattle office in 2014 to expand its operations to the Pacific Northwest.
The Great ShakeOut is another program that practices earthquake preparedness. Millions of people around the world will practice how to drop, cover, and hold on at 10:17 a.m. on October 17. People can register for the 2019 Great Washington ShakeOut here.
Join KING 5’s Disaster Preparedness Facebook group and learn how you and your community can get ready for when disaster strikes.