The Great Washington ShakeOut is the largest annual earthquake and tsunami drill, and Washington Emergency Management Division’s (WA EMD’s) largest annual outreach campaign. We want to make sure you have all the tools you need to make this event the most effective opportunity for you, your organization, and your stakeholders to take action and mitigate against and prepare for these low-frequency high-consequence events. WA EMD’s Geohazards and Outreach team will share what the campaign will look like this year, some ideas for how to add to your drill, ShakeOut success stories, social science, and where to find additional materials to make outreach as simple, efficient, and effective as possible, so that even the busiest of emergency managers will be able to benefit from this opportunity.
Brian Terbush is the Earthquake/Volcano program Coordinator for the Washington Emergency Management Division (WA EMD). In this role, he works to share information and resources to help individuals, families, and organizations prepare for and mitigate the impacts of these geologic hazards. This includes work with partners all around the state and beyond, facilitating workgroups, supporting exercises, assisting with mitigation projects, promoting the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System, and organizing significant outreach campaigns, like May is Volcano Awareness Month, and the Great Washington ShakeOut. Brian earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from Hartwick College, and a Master’s Degree in Geophysics from Boise State University, with a focus on volcano acoustics. This will be Brian’s 8th year coordinating the Great Washington ShakeOut Drill.
Hollie Stark spent the better part of a decade in Southern Utah as a journalist and mixed media personality. She found her way into emergency management during the pandemic where she worked for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency in External Affairs. While there she worked on several emergency preparedness initiatives including Volcano Awareness Month, Tsunami Awareness Month, Hurricane season, and the Great Hawaii ShakeOut. She also worked on several legislative packages to help advance emergency management policies in Hawaii. Hollie’s love of preparedness and outreach led her to the Washington Emergency Management Division where she is part of an incredible team of geohazards and preparedness specialists. Hollie recently began serving as a member of the Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference committee and looks forward to sharing her passion and enthusiasm for combining storytelling with emergency preparedness outreach.