Prepping in Seattle
Seattle sits on top of one major fault and near a much bigger one offshore. Add winter windstorms and summer heat in homes without AC, and the plan is all about lasting on your own.
- Earthquakes
- Windstorms
- Heat and smoke
Sign up today
The official Seattle alert and lookup tools. Each takes a few minutes and works even if you do nothing else on this page.
- AlertSeattleSign up for AlertSeattle
Text SEATTLE to 67283, or register online to add your home and work addresses.
- MyShake appGet MyShake
Free earthquake early warning from the ShakeAlert system. It can give you a few seconds to drop, cover and hold on before shaking arrives.
Links checked October 2026. Wireless Emergency Alerts reach most phones automatically; these add local detail.
What can go wrong in Seattle
- Cascadia earthquake
- The Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast can produce a magnitude 9 quake with several minutes of shaking.
- Seattle Fault
- A shallow fault runs under the city itself, including downtown.
- Windstorms and snow
- Winter storms bring down trees onto power lines and can leave neighborhoods without power for days.
- Heat waves
- Many homes have no air conditioning. The 2021 heat dome pushed Seattle to 108°F.
- Wildfire smoke
- Smoke from fires across the West can settle over Puget Sound for days at a time.
What that means for your plan
Washington's emergency managers run a campaign called 2 Weeks Ready, because a large Cascadia quake could damage roads and bridges across the region. Plan to get by on your own supplies for two weeks.
Seattle has many older unreinforced brick buildings, which are especially dangerous in shaking. If you live or work in one, know your fastest way out and stay away from exterior walls during a quake.
Summer means heat and smoke together. A fan or portable AC, a HEPA purifier and a power station to run them during an outage cover both.
Do these first, in this order
- Two weeks of water
The core of being 2 Weeks Ready. Add a filter for the long tail.
Water storage and filters guide - AlertSeattle and MyShake
Official alerts plus earthquake early warning, which covers Washington.
Radios and communication guide - Warmth without power
Sleeping bags and wool layers for winter windstorm outages.
Lighting and staying warm guide - First-aid kit and training
Help will be stretched thin after a big quake.
First aid and medical guide - HEPA purifier and N95s
Smoke season is now a yearly event.
Go-bags and evacuation guide - Power station
Runs a fan or purifier, phones and lights through an outage.
Power stations and generators guide
Questions
What does 2 Weeks Ready mean?
It's Washington's guidance to be able to live on your own supplies for two weeks after a disaster, because a major earthquake could cut roads and bridges across the region.
How do I sign up for AlertSeattle?
Text SEATTLE to 67283 or register online through seattle.gov/alerts. It's free.
Does Washington have earthquake early warning?
Yes. ShakeAlert covers Washington, with alerts through the MyShake app, Android phones and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
How ready is your Seattle home?
The quiz weights every item for earthquake country risks and shows your top gaps. About 3 minutes, no sign-up.