How to Stay Safe During an Earthquake and Shut Off Your Gas Main

Earthquakes are major natural disasters that can cause considerable damage if unprepared. It is important to understand the appropriate safety precautions for earthquake preparedness, especially for those living near Shoreline. These include creating an emergency kit and knowing how to shut off your earthquake and seismic gas shut-off valves.

Here are some tips on staying safe during an earthquake:

Creating an Emergency Kit

The first step in preparing for an earthquake is having an emergency kit. This should include items like food, water, a flashlight with extra batteries, any necessary medications, a first aid kit, and other items that you may need in an emergency.

It’s also important to have copies of all essential documents like birth certificates, insurance policies, and other personal items in case they get damaged or lost due to the earthquake. Every household should have a designated safe place where everyone can go until the shaking stops. Once the shaking subsides, it is then safe to evacuate the area if needed.

Shutting off Your Gas Main

In addition to having an emergency kit ready, it is also necessary to know how to shut off your gas main in case of a natural disaster like an earthquake. Shutting off your gas main will depend on whether you have manual or automatic valves installed in your home or business. If you have manual valves installed (often referred to as “gate valves”), these must be turned by hand using either a flathead screwdriver or an adjustable wrench.

To turn them off completely, turn the valve clockwise until it stops turning; this ensures that no more gas will flow into your home or business from the main line outside your property. If you have installed automatic valves (often called “ball valves”), they can be turned off remotely from inside your home or business by pressing a button or switch near the valve.

Earthquakes can cause significant destruction if you are not adequately prepared beforehand. Taking steps such as creating an emergency kit and learning how to shut off your earthquake and seismic gas shut-off valves can help ensure that you stay safe during a disastrous event. Contact Evergreen Seismic today and take the correct precautionary measures before disaster strikes! You can significantly reduce earthquake risks near Shoreline and protect yourself and your family members from harm’s way! Get in touch today to learn more about our seismic services!

Matt did a fantastic job on the earthquake retrofit for our home. Our garage had never been so clean as it was after he was done with his work. Matt had the utmost professionalism through every step of the project. The contract clearly explained everything he was going to do, and he completed every step exactly as described. He thoroughly answered each of my questions during his initial visit in a way where he not only answered the question I asked, but gave background information to educate me on the topic of seismic retrofit. It's great to have the peace of mind that not only is my home now better able to withstand the "big one" that will eventually come to the PNW, but also that the work was done by a great company.

Matthew Offerman

Matt is knowledgeable and competent, and he communicates clearly before and during the job. He made sure that we knew what our options were, and that we understood them. Matt is a friendly, likable person and obviously cares about doing a professional job. He wants his customers to be happy. It was soon clear that we could count on Matt and his team to show up on time and also to clean the site each day before they left. They worked all day each day until the project was finished. I would certainly recommend Evergreen Seismic to anyone who wishes to retrofit their home. I have confidence now that my 1901 home is in much better shape to withstand a significant earthquake without coming off the foundation.

Catherine Wesley

Matt came out to see if our house needs a retrofit and I was absolutely blown away by his honesty, knowledge and professionalism. He advised against retrofitting our house due to the newer age of the home but did provide me with a tonne of useful information that I did not come across during my research and while speaking with other retrofit companies.

Ana Lenskiy

I was extremely pleased with the seismic retrofitting job Matt and his team completed for me. The entire experience was seamless. Matt was extremely informative during the bidding process and everything was completed on time and to a high standard. The work site was cleaned everyday and work plans and schedules were clearly communicated. It's obvious that Matt and his team really care about performing quality work. To echo another review, if I could hire them for all my home renovations, I would.

Sarah Weil

They did a wonderful job on the seismic retrofitting. Our 1926 house is noticeably more stable. The workers were very pleasant to have in our home, and they cleaned up shockingly well when they were done. If we could hire them for the rest of our home improvement job we would.

Allyson Lanter

It’s a matter of time, experts say, before the Northwest shudders under another massive tectonic plate earthquake or the Puget Sound region succumbs to a big quake from one of its faults. Wood frame homes generally survive the earth shaking. But there’s a risk of them sliding off the foundation. Split-level homes also may crumble along the pony wall, sometimes called a cripple wall, that supports the upper level. Quake risks were not that well known when my home was built in Bothell in 1975. In the summer of 2022, Evergreen Seismic upgraded the house with a retrofit. This included installing anchor bolts and hold-downs into the foundation and bracing the walls in places with ¾-inch CDX plywood. Owner Matt Robinson and his crew worked in a tight crawlspace. They also removed some outside siding to brace the pony wall, upgrading the insulation before replacing the siding. Matt handled all the required engineering plans, permits and inspections. Matt showed he is skilled in retrofitting. He communicated clearly about scope of the work and scheduling. The site was cleaned after each day and neatly finished at the conclusion. The retrofit improved the safety of my home. I have documentation that I believe adds to its value. Of various people we’ve had in our home from time to time for repairs or remodeling, Matt Robinson is one of the best. I recommend Evergreen Seismic for its quality of work and service. Doug in Bothell

Doug Esser

I loved Evergreen Seismic so much that I hardly know where to start this review. I got three bids to retrofit our 1962 home, which has a finished walkout basement and required structural engineering. All three companies were very professional and gave me comparable recommendations. Here’s why I’m so happy that I went with Matt: Quality and attention to detail: Notably, a respected competitor described Matt as “the best retrofitter I know.” During the bid process, Matt answered my extensive questions with sound, thorough information. On site, he was happy to show me the in-progress guts of the work, explaining the rationale and placement of all the hardware, additional framing, and shear panels. He also pointed out places where people sometimes cut corners and educated me on how to recognize correct, up-to-code work. Matt and Nick used high-quality materials, high-quality tools, and every element they added to our home was carefully and precisely placed. Their work passed all inspections without a hitch. Matt even paid thoughtful attention to aesthetic details, like staggering their cuts into our siding for a pleasing end result, and purchasing a color of caulk that would blend into our paint. In all matters of quality, Matt ran a tight ship. I feel safe and secure in our home, having witnessed his expertise and skill. Professionalism: Others have said it, and I’ll say it again: Matt is the consummate professional. He was easy to communicate with and responded quickly. He set clear expectations for any minor distress the siding of the house might incur during the project. He cheerfully dealt with tight spaces and a maddening tangle of defunct cables attached to the side of the house. He and Nick kept a tidy jobsite, cleaning up beautifully at the end of each day and truly leaving the interior cleaner than they found it at the end of the job. They appeared to even be packing out tiny pieces of trash like paper towels from washing their hands, rather than using the trash cans I placed out for them. Matt had to cut an old landline cable that we hadn’t planned to use, and he pointed it out right away and offered to pay to have it reconnected - a high-integrity move. Finally, he spoke very highly of his competitors without exception, which says a lot. Kindness and care: Matt is just a wonderful human to be around. He’s easygoing, straightforward, considerate, thoughtful, warm, and generous with his time. When I met Matt in the fall, I was experiencing a period of high anxiety, and I came to him with a long list of bothersome questions as I was deciding who to hire. Even though he was busy, he went far out of his way to write detailed answers, send me safety data sheets, and chat on the phone with me multiple times. Some of my questions and worries were probably ridiculous, but he treated them as if they were completely reasonable and even welcome. He never made me feel like an annoyance, and his willingness to meet me where I was at, with so much empathy and humanity, meant a lot. Oh - and he and Nick treated my five-year-old as a person worthy of as much attention and respect as an adult, which is rare! With all of that put together, we were so happy we went with Matt and honestly feel kind of bummed that we probably won’t ever get to hire him for anything else. A few final details: Matt’s bid was in the middle of the three we received, but it was within $40 of its closest neighbor, so basically identical. Contracts and payment were all quick and easy. And for anyone exercising extra caution during the pandemic, Evergreen Seismic was extremely covid-conscious. The team was fully-vaccinated and wore high-quality masks for the entire duration of the job. I don’t even know what their faces look like. Even though they were working outdoors in the fresh air with no one else around, they always had a mask around their neck to be pulled up within a moment’s notice when I popped over to greet them. A+!

Jen Sharber Matsuda

Evergreen Seismic recently completed an earthquake retrofit on our home. We chose the company in part because of great online reviews and we were not disappointed. Matt clearly explained the entire process and patiently responded to all of our questions. The work went smoothly and efficiently, was completed ahead of schedule, and the daily cleanup was amazing. Most importantly (for us anyway), the person who sold us on the job (Matt) was also part of the working crew. I wholeheartedly recommend Evergreen Seismic for earthquake retrofitting. From start to finish, this was by far the smoothest construction job we have experienced during the twenty years that we have lived in our home.

Ruth Anderson

We used Evergreen Seismic to do an earthquake retrofit on our 1979 build home in Kent, WA based upon great customer reviews. We were not disappointed! Matt and his crew were very professional and showed up as promised. We were promptly informed when on one occasion they were a bit late due to traffic congestion. The work was performed to our satisfaction. The daily cleanup was impeccable. Matt was able to answer all questions that the inspector asked to his satisfaction. The Company actually went over and above what the structural analysis indicated was needed (additional bracing was installed). The majority of the retrofit was done on the exterior of the house in pouring rain! However, to our amazement, this did not in any way slow down the crew! A truly professional Company. We can recommend Evergreen Seismic without any hesitation.

Subir Lahiri