Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup

07/24/2025

CREW is pleased to announce the publication of the Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building Survey Workflow Guidebook: crew.org/urm-survey-guide/

Creating an inventory of buildings that are prone to serious damage during an earthquake is a first step toward reducing risk. An inventory can help communities and building owners understand their risk; show local jurisdictions what to prioritize and where to focus mitigation resources; and provide crucial information for emergency response and recovery planning.

CREW worked with state and local partners to prepare the new guide, which will help local jurisdictions in any state plan and implement surveys of unreinforced masonry buildings in their communities.

The workflow outlined in the guidebook allows the survey to be carried out by trained volunteers, which makes conducting a survey both feasible and affordable for small jurisdictions.

The Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building Survey Workflow Guidebook was produced by CREW using funds provided by an FY24 grant from FEMA National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

A practical guide to help communities identify and inventory buildings that are prone to severe damage in an earthquake.

12/16/2024

Now available from FEMA: The Homeowner’s Guide to Prepare Financially for Earthquakes and the Renters Guide to Prepare Financially for Earthquakes.

These easy-to-use guides help people both consider how an earthquake could impact them, and identify steps they can take today to plan for their recovery.

What’s inside?
Guidance and resources, including tips on how to think about and manage personal finances and insurance.
Strategies for creating a plan and putting the plan into action.

The input-ready digital format of the guides allows users to insert their own information and customize their plans.

The new publications are available from the Building Science Library at FEMA.gov — https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/publications?name=%22Guide+to+Prepare+Financially+for+Earthquakes%22&field_keywords_target_id=All&field_document_type_target_id=All&field_audience_target_id=All

Thank you to the partners who contributed to creating these resources: FEMA Region 9 Earthquake Program Manager, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), CREW.org, UPHelp.org, III.org, CAinsurance.gov

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11/21/2024

New! FEMA recently published the Earthquake Mitigation Planning Guide for Communities.

Despite their relative infrequency, earthquakes cause major damage and loss of life when they do strike. With FEMA's new Earthquake Mitigation Planning Guide for Communities, you can plan for and create strategies to reduce earthquake risks.

Studies show that hazard mitigation planning and taking action to reduce risk can greatly reduce the physical, financial, and emotional losses caused by disasters like earthquakes. On average, earthquake hazard mitigation saves at least $3 for each $1 spent.

The new guide can help you:
Understand earthquake hazards. – Learn about seismic risks and cascading hazards.
Prioritize assets. – Focus on what matters the most to your community.
Strategize and fund. – Create strategies for mitigation and funding to go from planning to action.

10/22/2024

We are working with the City of Tacoma Government and their Planning Tacoma team, Washington Emergency Management Division and the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation in developing a guide book for other jurisdictions in performing their own URM inventories.

Unreinforced Masonry Building Survey Underway Posted on Jul 11, 2023 By Web Update Washington’s Emergency Management Division (EMD), along with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) and the Downtown Everett Association, recently teamed up with local volunt...

10/21/2024

International ShakeOut Day was October 17—over 58.2 million participants registered to take part.

Participating in the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is an excellent step toward building greater resilience. Keep up the momentum by sharing preparedness information with your network and encouraging everyone to take at least one more resilience-building action this month, such as doing a home hazard hunt, securing their space, developing a business continuity plan, organizing disaster kits, and asking an insurance agent about their earthquake insurance options.

For ideas and information, check out:

Earthquake Country Seven Steps: https://www.earthquakecountry.org/sevensteps/
Insure Against Earthquakes: https://www.insureagainstearthquakes.org, plus the education & outreach toolbox: https://www.educate.insureagainstearthquakes.org/
Earthquake Safety at Home (FEMA-530 PDF):https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/fema_earthquakes_fema-p-530-earthquake-safety-at-home-march-2020.pdf
Protect Your Business webpage: https://crew.org/what-you-can-do/protecting-your-business/
Ready to Recover podcasts: podcasts.crew.org

10/17/2024

Did you just participate in ShakeOut moments ago? Another great time is at home tonight with your loved ones having dinner, watching TV or playing in the backyard.

International ShakeOut Day is also an ideal springboard for sharing preparedness information with your network and encouraging everyone to take a few steps today toward securing their space, organizing disaster kits, and minimizing post-disaster financial hardship. For ideas and information, check out:

EarthquakeCountry.org/sevensteps/
InsureAgainstEarthquakes.org
Earthquake Safety at Home (FEMA-530 PDF)
Ready to Recover podcasts: podcasts.crew.org

09/19/2024

CREW’s latest Ready to Recover podcasts—episodes 8, 9, and 10—feature tools that people can use to discover the earthquake hazard where they live, insights into what makes a house vulnerable to earthquakes, and tips on what can be done to make a home safer and more resilient. Read the announcement: https://crew.org/updates/

Listen to the podcasts: The podcast recordings – along with transcripts, speakers’ bios, and show notes – are available on the Ready to Recover site (podcasts.crew.org) and through these podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music (just search for "Ready to Recover CREW").

06/28/2024

June 28 is National Insurance Awareness Day
Insurance is an important tool for disaster recovery. Take advantage of National Insurance Awareness Day to launch an outreach campaign or send a message to your network encouraging financial preparedness for earthquakes and other disasters. You’ll find free messaging graphics and content in the Insure Against Earthquakes toolbox: https://lnkd.in/gBsC_m4S

02/15/2024

“Nearly 75% of the United States Could Experience a Damaging Earthquake”

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently published a new color-coded map of all 50 states showing where damaging earthquakes are most likely to occur. The map was created using a comprehensively updated USGS National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM). “The update includes more faults, better-characterized land surfaces, and computational advancements in modeling that provide the most detailed view ever of the earthquake risks we face,” said Mark Petersen, the USGS geophysicist and lead author of the study that produced the map.

Read the USGS announcement and view the map: https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/new-usgs-map-shows-where-damaging-earthquakes-are-most-likely-occur-us

Learn about the scientific assessment behind the map: https://doi.org/10.1177/87552930231215428

USGS scientists and our partners recently revealed the latest National Seismic Hazard Model, showing that nearly 75% of the United States could experience a damaging earthquake, emphasizing seismic hazards span a significant part of the country.

01/26/2024

Listen to our 7th episode in the Ready To Recover series – Disaster Recovery Challenges and Solutions for Small Businesses.
This episode takes a closer look at small businesses: A community’s recovery after an earthquake or other disaster hinges a lot on the recovery of small businesses, which provide goods, services and employment, and often have a social role as well. Yet small businesses—especially in low- and moderate-income communities—are really vulnerable to the damage and economic disruption that disasters cause. Here to discuss these challenges and potential solutions are Carolyn Kousky, Benjamin Collier, Tina Poole Johnson, and Claire Kramer Mills. - https://lnkd.in/g-ftW4mY

11/03/2023

World Tsunami Awareness Day 2023: Fighting Inequality for a Resilient Future

The theme of this year’s World Tsunami Awareness Day (November 5) focuses attention not only on preparing coastal communities for tsunami, but also on the need to fight the inequalities that leave some people more exposed and vulnerable to the hazard and less able to recover from a disaster.

Learn more about this year’s World Tsunami Awareness Day — United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction: https://tsunamiday.undrr.org
Explore tsunami preparedness in the US and find outreach resources — The Tsunami Zone: https://www.tsunamizone.org
Listen to episode 6 of the Ready to Recover podcast series — Disaster Recovery Challenges Faced by Financially Vulnerable People & Communities: https://readytorecover.org/r2re6/

Home WELCOME TO THE TSUNAMIZONE! ESPAÑOL FRANÇAIS Everyone, everywhere should know how to be prepared for tsunamis and what to do to be safe. This is true for people who live or work near the ocean, but also for anyone who may visit someday. Are you in the Zone? TsunamiZone.org provides suggestion...

10/24/2023

Ready-to-Recover Podcasts Look at What Happens After Disaster Strikes

Wondering what to do now that this year’s International ShakeOut earthquake drill is done? Take a moment to explore and share the episodes in the Ready to Recover podcast series! In each podcast, guest experts discuss how recovery works after a damaging earthquake or other disaster—including what people may experience when they seek to finance repairs and get back on their feet. Learn more at podcasts.crew.org or look for Ready to Recover podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Google Podcasts.