OEM release – SALEM, Ore. – March 30, 2021 – ShakeAlert®, an earthquake detection tool operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, is now enabled in Oregon. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) recently presented a free public webinar to explain what ShakeAlert is, how it works, why it is important, how to enable it, and what to do when an alert is received. A video recording of the public webinar is now available to view on the OEM website and on the OEM YouTube channel. The video is presented with closed captioning in Spanish and English with translation options available for additional languages. ShakeAlert uses science and technology to detect significant earthquakes quickly and sends a real time alert to people via their cell phone before shaking arrives at their location. These important alerts come automatically on most cell phones, making a distinctive sound and displaying a text message that reads, “Earthquake detected! Drop, cover, hold on. Protect yourself.” This message is also available in Spanish for phones set to receive alerts in that language. Some mobile phones with text-to-voice capability may read out the message text. No sign up is required to receive ShakeAlert notifications, and the only action needed is to enable emergency alerts through a cell phone’s settings. For instructions on where to find these settings, visit ORShakeAlert.us. ShakeAlert does not predict when or where an earthquake will occur or how long it will last. It detects earthquakes that have already begun, offering seconds of advance warning that allow people and systems to take actions to protect life and property from destructive shaking. The system can also be used to trigger automated actions such as closing a gas valve or slowing a train, actions that can prevent infrastructure failures in the aftermath of an earthquake. Learn more at ORShakeAlert.us.
