Oregon earthquake notification ‘Shake Alert’ system to launch Thursday

(Update: Adding video, comments from 'Shake Alert' team)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- On March 11, 2011, the 9.0-magnitude Tohoku earthquake and tsunami devastated areas of Japan, killing over 15,000 people. 

On that massive temblor's 10th anniversary, the ShakeAlert earthquake system will go live in Oregon, giving thousands of cellphone users a few precious seconds to better prepare, should a major quake strike.

Jenny Crayne, a junior inclusion and engagement specialist at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, said Wednesday this system is meant to help prepare for all sizes of earthquakes. 

"Oregonians should be prepared for both 'the Big One' that we've all heard about and stayed up late at night fretting about, but also smaller earthquakes,” Crayne said. 

ShakeAlert is a notification system designed to alert you when an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude on the Richter scale or karger is happening, or about to happen in your area.

The ShakeAlert notification should go directly to your cellphone.

The instructions to check if it’s set up for Apple and Android phones are as follows:

Apple iPhones:

• Tap “Settings" > “Notifications"
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen.
• Under “Government Alerts" tap “Emergency Alerts" and “Public Safety Alerts" to turn them on or off.
• If emergency alerts are turned on, the circle will be on the right-hand side of the switch. No further action is needed.
• If emergency alerts are turned off, the circle will be on the left-hand side of the switch. You will need to tap the switch to put it in the “on" position.

Android Phones (the exact location of the options to turn on Emergency Alerts may vary):

• We recommend that you use the search function in “Settings" to find “Emergency Alerts" or “public safety messages."
• If you can't find “Emergency Alerts" by searching “settings" it may be within your Messaging app, instead.
• Make sure all alerts are turned on (i.e. “Extreme threats", “Severe threats", and “Public safety messages"). If alerts are turned on, the circle will be on the right-hand side of the switch. No further action is needed.
• If alerts are turned off, the circle will be on the left-hand side of the switch. You will need to tap the switch to put it in the “on" position
• Please refer to your mobile phone carrier and/or mobile phone manufacturer's website for additional information.
• In 2020, Google released an earthquake alert feature that is powered by ShakeAlert. This service is only available on wireless devices using the Android operating system.

During an alert, you should hear the emergency sound and see a white  notification pop up.

It could come with no warning, a few seconds or up to 10 seconds of warning time, depending on your location.

The ShakeAlert app is also available to download, and it includes the intensity of the earthquake and a countdown until the event occurs at your location.

Althea Rizzo, geological hazards awareness program coordinator at the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, recommends Oregonians download the app as well. 

"The more channels you have to receive the alert, the more likely it is you will receive it from one of the three different ways of getting it,” Rizzo said. “So we want to make sure the public turns on as many channels as possible."

The new notification system should help authorities turn on warning sirens, slow down trains, turn off water valves and allow hospital generators to be turned on.

ShakeAlert advises that if you feel a shake or get an alert: Drop, cover and hold on.