A magnitude 3.5 earthquake shook some parts of East King County on Wednesday evening, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
The shaking began around 7:10 p.m. and was centered near Fall City, in unincorporated King County outside of Carnation. Residents reported feeling the earthquake, which was about 9 miles under the Earth’s surface, from surrounding areas 35 miles away.
The U.S. Geological Survey quickly received reports from areas including Granite Falls, Monroe, Bothell, Sultan, Woodinville, North Bend, Sammamish, Issaquah and Renton.
Small earthquakes are not uncommon in the area, as can be seen in the Snoqualmie Police Department’s somewhat blasé message to residents.
“Yep, that was an earthquake. You’ll be ok,” the police department said in a tweet. “Please don’t call 911 unless it is an emergency. Post on Twitter and Facebook instead.”
But emergency-management officials used the quake as a reminder to Washington residents to prepare for larger ones. The Puget Sound region is one of the most hazardous areas in the country for earthquakes, and the region is largely unprepared.
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