Drop, cover and hold on – the annual Great Washington ShakeOut is happening Thursday, October 19.
At 10:19 a.m., hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians will join in on earthquake drills at home, schools, businesses, and work. The annual event happens every third Thursday of October and helps prepare people for what to do when an earthquake or tsunami hits.
At about the same time, more than 120 state tsunami sirens along the inner and outer coast will be tested using the official sound of a tsunami warning, not the Westminster Chimes that are typically used during monthly tests.
That includes here in Clallam, where the county-wide All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) sirens will be tested at 10:19 a.m. using the actual siren wail sound.
And NOAA Weather Radios will also sound an alarm.
Also during the Great Washington ShakeOut, a test will go out to those who downloaded the free MyShake Earthquake Early Warning App on their phones, which is free. The alert system can provide a few seconds of warning before an actual earthquake hits.
More than a million Washington residents have registered for Thursday’s event.