Our area really needs to be earthquake ready!
The Great Washington ShakeOut is coming up next month On October 18 at 10:18 am. This is a great way to review safety measures with your family or business. Material is available by registering at: http://www.shakeout.org/washington/. I know the City of Mercer Island and the local school district are already signed up, but you can register as an individual, business or family.
How high is your risk? You can find your home on a map of this 2009 document put out by the City: http://www.mercergov.org/files/SeismicHazard2009.pdf. Did you know that from a quake over 1100 years ago, there were 2 sections of forest that slid into Lake Washington off of Mercer Island? These sunken forests were discovered when the lake was lowered in 1916. The timber was in good enough condition that it was logged after standing in the lake for over a 1000 years.
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For those who are looking at earthquake insurance, not all companies offer it and deductibles range from 5 to 20%. Policies also differ widely in addition to the deductible. Before offering coverage, insurance companies may check to see if homes have been earthquake retrofitted. This means that the house and foundation are bolted and there is cripple wall bracing. Newer homes are automatically built to this code. Please contact us for more information about earthquake insurance.
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