Researchers Create Video Game for Earthquake Preparedness

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(TNS) – The Big One is coming. Would you know what to do if an earthquake hit the Pacific Northwest?

A new video game, released before International ShakeOut Day on Thursday, can help get you ready for an earthquake or other natural disaster.

Concerned that people in the Pacific Northwest are underprepared for earthquakes, a team of researchers at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon brainstormed an alternative form of media to target young adults, who they found are often excluded from messaging campaigns.

Cascadia 9.0 is designed to make earthquake preparation more enjoyable. The game’s name comes from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 600-mile fault off the Pacific coastline, which has the potential to produce a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.

Inside the game, the player navigates urgent situations while traveling through a demolished city to find their dog, Tsu, who got loose after a massive earthquake. Along the way, the player must address the lack of clean drinking water, aftershocks and gas leaks.

Initial results have shown gaming participants felt more confident about coping with some key earthquake-related challenges, such as finding and purifying water and having good sanitation. Cascadia 9.0 is available at Cascadia9game.org.

In recognition of International ShakeOut Day on Thursday, which is designed to raise awareness for earthquake preparedness, officials across Washington are sharing resources to help people make a plan for natural disasters.

Hilary Franz, Washington’s commissioner of public lands, provided some tips to prepare for an earthquake.

Looking for something more light-hearted? Washington’s Emergency Management Division (EMD) created a parody to Smash Mouth’s “All Star” with tips to be safe during an earthquake. “Hey now. Gotta drop down. Take some cover. Hold on. Stay down in your safe place until the shaking is gone,” their song goes.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the EMD will answer questions in a live forum on Reddit. You can find out more information by visiting this link. And at 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, Washington’s ShakeOut team will host an earthquake drill. You can join here.

To learn more about ShakeOut and to register, visit shakeout.org/washington.