Before you talk insurance, you have to first ask yourself how dangerous your house is and how much risk you want to assume. If the house was built before 1985, it may need structural strengthening to withstand earthquake shaking successfully. If the house is older and has been earthquake retrofit, it may be able to withstand the seismic forces that are predicted to rattle our region. However, even the best house may fail if the earthquake opens a crack in the earth right under the building.

I live in a home built in 1975 that has been earthquake retrofit. We carry insurance because we are situated within a mile of the Seattle fault, which may unleash an enormous amount of energy when it slips. (Ask Paul, the seismologist.)

Other people I know live in older homes that are earthquake retrofit and figure their damage will not exceed the deductible and thus do not carry insurance. Earthquake insurance deductibles generally are between ten to twenty percent of the value of the home. I have even met a few with older homes who display a more carefree attitude and say "Let it fail! I will camp in the back yard until I can move out of the area after the event!"

In short, talk to your insurance agent. They will help you assess your risk and the costs and benefits associated with insurance protection. And finally, discuss this issue with anyone sharing the financial risk of your home with you.

My home's on the northwest slope of Queen Anne, built in the 1920's and it's a 3-story woodframe structure. I've had earthquake insurance for over 20 years.

I'm led to believe that homeowners' earthquake insurance is now nearly impossible to obtain. My policy is "grandfathered", as they say, and as long as I continue to renew it, I get to keep it.

I'm amazed by the comment herein that declares their policy's deductible is a mere $500. Mine in 100x that. My annual premium is about $850. So, I've spent a bit under $20G over the years on "peace of mind". Is it worth it? Well, I have remarkably few wrinkles on my face.

Ours has a $500 deductible--which was just about what it cost to replace the TV that did a faceplant off our entertainment center during the Nisqually quake in 2001. But if you think you stand a chance of having more damage than that--especially if you have an older house built before the building code really took earthquakes into account--you might find it worthwhile someday.

You'll want to consider a few factors, the most important being: your location, your budget and how you handle risk. While several insurers have dropped earthquake coverage over the past few years, you can still get it. Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has a rundown of things to consider: www.insurance.wa.gov/consumers/home/earthquake_insurance.shtml . You can also check out consumer tips from KOMO News, including links to brokers www.komonews.com/news/consumer/4376681.html.