Submitted by the San Juan County Department of Emergency Management.

While earthquakes in the islands are rare, San Juan County is smack in the middle of some of the highest-risk quake country anywhere. Being prepared for the eventual catastrophic earthquake is a basic responsibility of every resident, business and organization.

A great way to start is by participating in the Great WA ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17. Signing up and participating is super easy and only takes a few moments. Families, individuals, businesses, schools, nonprofits, you name it, everyone should get on board. Learn more at: www.shakeout.org/washington/.

The drill is a great chance to practice drop, cover, hold-on, check your home or workspace for obvious hazards and talk through meeting place plans with your family and coworkers.

Participating isn’t complicated, doesn’t take much effort and is a great step toward helping the islands get ready for the quake we know will happen.

Want to learn more about emergency preparedness and get specific info about quakes, tsunamis and other local hazards? Go here: https://www.islandsready.org/earthquaketsunami or contact the San Juan County/Town of Friday Harbor Department of Emergency Management at 360-370-7612 or prepare@islandsready.org.