It’s been over a year since The New Yorker’s epic article summarizing what could happen to Seattle if (when) The Big One ever hits. Since then there’s been a lot of talk about retrofitting buildings around the city and moving quickly to up preparedness with...questionable results.
The city is at least hoping citizens will pay attention to this.
Today, head over to Westlake Park and you might get the chance to see what an 8.5 magnitude earthquake would feel like. The Big Shaker is a 6,500-pound trailer that is designed to look like a living room and show you what happens to everything there when The Big One hits.
If you can’t make it down, you can get the gist from this video of a previous stop.
You have to get a ticket to ride The Big Shaker and they’ll be letting people do so through 2:00 p.m.
Along with the Big Shaker, several City departments and vendors will be on hand to show people how to build an emergency kit, make a disaster plan, get involved in neighborhood and community preparedness, and practice shutting off utilities.
· Public invited to experience the ‘Big Shaker’ at earthquake event on Oct. 11 [SPR]
· ‘Big Shaker’ simulator to jar earthquake awareness at Westlake Park [ST]
· Did The New Yorker's Earthquake Article Scare the Crap Out of You or What? [CS]