Here in Washington state, we’re thinking of the people who have lost loved ones and have been impacted by the recent terrible earthquake in Japan.

We encourage everyone here in King County to help support response and recovery efforts for the people and communities affected, especially since more quakes may lie ahead.

The disaster is also a forceful reminder for all of us to take a few basic steps to prepare now for a major earthquake, given the risks we face living near the Cascadia subduction zone.

Survivor Tales: Aftershocks

We originally published this comic in 2010 that tells the story of a real survivor of another major earthquake in Japan. They share advice on how to be ready to survive an earthquake, based on their own experience. These tips are pretty simple and could make a huge difference on how we make it through!

See a sample here, and click below to view or download the whole comic:

Visit our emergency preparedness comic books web page for translations in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese, as well as preparedness comics for flooding and other disasters.

For more information on how to be prepared in an emergency, visit our Self-preparedness guidelines web page. Click on the globe icon at the top right of the page next to ‘English’ for translated information.

Survivor Tales: Aftershocks comic by David Lasky and Meredith Li-Vollmer.

Originally published January 2, 2024.