Washington tests ShakeAlert warnings with mixed results

Washington took a big step Thursday toward a long-discussed earthquake early warning system by sending test alerts to mobile phones, but many people didn’t receive the messages.

“This is why we test, so we have an idea of what we need to work on, what improvements we need to make,” said Maximilian Dixon, who heads geologic hazards for the state emergency management division.

The ShakeAlert test via wireless emergency alert (WEA) was only available in King, Pierce and Thurston counties, and required people to opt-in.

Next week, state officials will get survey results from people who clicked on a link within the alert. For a few minutes around the time of the 11 a.m. test, the website crashed.

The results will report who got the test message, what kind of phone they used, their carrier, and how quickly the message arrived.

Until then, anecdotal results are coming in.

Among KIRO 7 journalists who opted to receive the alerts, nine phones received the messages; 11 did not.

Dixon said in California tests, about 30% of participants did not receive alerts for a variety of reasons.

Unlike this week’s Amber Alert, an earthquake warning message needs to be immediate.

“We want it roughly, ideally, within 10 seconds or so,” Dixon said, adding that he received a warning about 20 seconds after it was sent.

The system detects initial seismic waves and warns people to drop, cover and hold on before the ground shakes.

In May, Washington will be the last West Coast state to launch ShakeAlert to the public. It will remain in the test phase.

All the sensors likely will not be installed until 2025.

Cox Media Group