QUICK ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE NOW TO PREPARE FOR AN EARTHQUAKE:

• Attach your hot water heater to a wall with a strap. Straps specifically designed for this purpose are commonly available and simple to install.
• Refrigerators, dressers, bureaus, bookcases, shelves, and televisions, among other large items that could tumble and cause injury, should also be secured. Many of these products come with brackets, but straps will be required to fasten them to the wall.
• Place tiny things and photographs on the wall and secure them. Museum putty can be used to keep images in place while they are being hung.
• When it comes to hanging images on the wall, use two wires and one nail per picture/painting. On the photo, one wire runs from one corner to the other. Wrap both the second and first wires around the nail. When the shaking begins, pictures will leap from their nails but will not fall to the ground, potentially shattering more glass.

• If there is anything heavy hanging over your bed, it should be moved. While you're about it, have a check around for any other possibly harmful or dangerous falling things that can be lowered.

• Keep items such as flashlights and batteries, basic first aid supplies, prescriptions, toiletries, and iodine for water purification on hand. Better still, keep water in a container. There's also food. It should be canned food or food that can be stored for an extended period of time. It should also be food that you enjoy and will consume. It's also a good idea to keep pet food on hand. Remember to bring medications, other items you use on a daily basis, and cash (credit cards and ATMs will not operate if the power goes out).

• Extra batteries, phone chargers, and a battery-powered radio should all be kept on hand.

• Install bolts if your house isn't already attached to the ground. If you rent, make a request to your landlord.

• If you don't have enough space to store supplies, gather them with neighbors or friends and store them in a central location where you can readily get them. Over time, items can be collected. The Red Cross offers a good list that is divided into weeks so that you can buy things in stages.

You have additional options. Here are some useful links:

Emergency Management, City of Seattle: seattle.gov/emergency-management/hazards/earthquake.

kingcounty.gov/depts/emergency-management/hazards/earthquake.aspx

The "Disaster Danny" movies produced by King County can be found at kingcounty.gov/depts/emergency-management/hazards/earthquake.aspx.

In addition, King County Emergency Management runs a webpage at hazardready.org/seattle/en in collaboration with Seattle's Office of Emergency Management and the University of Montana.

People should be "two weeks ready" with supplies, according to King County Emergency Management. Another website, makeitthrough.org, focuses on public preparedness.

King County urges residents, schools, and businesses to take part in the annual Great Shakeout drill, which will take place on Oct. 21 at 10:21 a.m. People can use this time to "drop, cover, and hang on" and practice what they would do if an earthquake struck in real life. Shakeout.org/Washington has more information.

AlertSeattle: Visit alert.seattle.gov to sign up for emergency alerts.

Alert King County: Visit kingcounty.gov/depts/emergency-management/alert-king-county.aspx for emergency notifications.

ShakeAlert: ShakeAlert.org is an earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States.

Visit st.news/earthquake for more information.