Grays Harbor County Emergency Management

10/15/2026

Today is the day!!! We are less than 20 minutes away from the Great Shake Out!!

Let's do a quick rundown of what that means for all you awesome Grays Harbor County residents and visitors:

1. At 10:15 AM TODAY, the Washington Great Shake Out drill begins! This is a great time to practice DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON!

2. The AHAB Tsunami Sirens will activate with the ACTUAL wailing sound! Those of us that live and work near the coast are used to hearing the Westminster Chimes but today is the actual wailing sound that we would hear in a tsunami warning.

3. Many schools in Grays Harbor are participating in the Great Shake Out. Those schools that are in the tsunami inundation zone, will be practicing their tsunami evacuation routes as well. So please drive safely and watch for extra pedestrians if you are out and about during the exercise.

4. Know your evacuation routes, have a plan and practice those today!

10/14/2026

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE… GREAT SHAKEOUT!

Tomorrow’s the big day, Grays Harbor County! The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is TOMORROW, Thursday, October 15, at 10:15 AM!

A FEW FRIENDLY REMINDERS:

AHAB Tsunami Sirens: The sirens will sound their wail tone as part of the test. THIS IS ONLY A TEST — no action is needed.

Grays Harbor County Emergency Alerts: Grays Harbor County Emergency Management tested the Grays Harbor County Emergency Alerts system this afternoon. Not signed up yet? Visit https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action or text GraysHarborAlerts to 672-83.
*Important: If you sign up for the Grays Harbor County Emergency Alerts using the text code, you may receive alerts for incidents occurring outside your immediate area. For location-specific alerts, sign up online and provide your address.

A little practice today can make a BIG difference tomorrow. So, set that alarm, gather your household or coworkers, and get ready to DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON!

*DROP to your hands and knees.
*COVER your head and neck and get under a sturdy table or desk if possible.
*HOLD ON until the shaking stops!

This service helps 9-1-1 protect your family by providing more information to first responders. You should sign up too, it is free!

10/09/2026

UPDATE: The NTWC has issued an update. There is NO TSUNAMI DANGER for the US West Coast. The magnitude has been revised to 7.6 from the USGS.

A large earthquake has occurred near Panama. At this time the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) is evaluating the tsunami risk for the US Pacific Coast. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.

10/08/2026

🌎 GREAT SHAKEOUT IS ONE WEEK AWAY! 🌎

📅 Thursday, October 15, 2026
⏰ 10:15 AM

Are you ready to Drop, Cover & Hold On? The Great ShakeOut is just one week away! This is a great opportunity for individuals, families, schools, businesses, and organizations to practice what to do when an earthquake occurs.

🚨 IMPORTANT TESTING REMINDERS

📢 AHAB Tsunami Sirens
The AHAB (All-Hazard Alert Broadcast) sirens will test the actual wail sound during the Great ShakeOut.
THIS IS ONLY A TEST — NO ACTION IS NEEDED.

📱 Grays Harbor County Emergency Alerts
Grays Harbor County Emergency Management will test the Grays Harbor County Emergency Alerts system on Wednesday afternoon, leading up to the Great ShakeOut.

👉 Make sure you are registered to receive emergency alerts:
https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action?pa=graysharbor or TEXT GraysHarborAlerts to 672-83
(Important: if you sign up using the text code, you may receive alerts for incidents occurring outside your immediate area. For location-specific alerts, sign up online and provide your address)

📲 MyShake App
If you have the MyShake app, it will also be tested during the Great ShakeOut. The MyShake app is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play.

📊 HELP WASHINGTON REACH ITS GOAL!

Washington State has a goal of 1.7 million people registered to participate in the Great ShakeOut. Currently, 1.4 million Washingtonians have signed up. If you plan to participate, and would like to help reach this goal don't forget to register at:
👉 https://www.shakeout.org/register/index.php?start=washington

🌊🌲 Be prepared. Practice today. Know what to do when an earthquake happens.

DROP. COVER. HOLD ON.

10/05/2026

🔥 Burn Restrictions Lifted -- Grays Harbor County 🔥

The burn restriction for Grays Harbor County has been lifted effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, October 2, 2026. Please continue to use caution with all outdoor burning and follow applicable burning regulations.

See the news release from the GHC Office of the County Fire Marshal below for additional information.

10/03/2026

Grays Harbor County Emergency Management was on site for the Westport Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Structure ground breaking this morning in Westport, Washington!

For many years, Grays Harbor County Emergency Management has worked with Westport’s Tsunami Safety Committee and we are proud of all the hard work and dedication to make this public safety dream a reality.

City of Westport, WA
Washington Emergency Management Division

09/29/2026

🌎 Did you feel the shaking?

We are aware of an earthquake that occurred around 2:05 this afternoon, approximately 11.74 miles SSW of Bremerton. Shaking may have been felt in the eastern portion of the county.

If you experienced shaking, please consider reporting it to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/tellus

09/25/2026

🌬️ WIND ADVISORY FOR GRAYS HARBOR & SURROUNDING AREAS ⚠️

The National Weather Service has issued 2 Wind Advisories for today, Friday, September 25

🌊 Grays Harbor County Coast

When: 6 AM–5 PM today

Winds: Northwest 20–35 mph

Gusts: Up to 50 mph

🌲 Middle Chehalis River Valley, Willapa and Black Hills including the cities of Montesano, Elma, and McCleary

When: 10 AM–5 PM today

Winds: West 15–30 mph

Gusts: Up to 45 mph

💨 What to expect:
Gusty winds may blow around unsecured outdoor objects. Tree limbs could come down, and a few power outages are possible.

🚗 Drivers: Use extra caution, especially if driving a high-profile vehicle.

09/21/2026

🔥 BURN RESTRICTION UPDATE 🔥

Please see the NEWS RELEASE from the Office of the County Fire Marshal regarding burn restrictions that have been lessened, effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, September 18, 2026.

09/14/2026

***PUBLIC NOTICE***

There will be an increase presence of patrol activity at the Cosmopolis boat launch today as we continue to look for Jeffrey Damasiewicz who went missing while kayaking near Preacher Slough on 7/14/26.

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office is being assisted by Grays Harbor County Emergency Management, the Thurston County dive team, the King County dive team, and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Please avoid the area while we continue to search for Mr. Damasiewicz.