Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (center) joined the Earthquake Country Alliance and other state leaders at the city’s Emergency Operations Center during the annual Great ShakeOut Day. (Photo Courtesy of the Office of Karen Bass)
California is the most earthquake-prone state in the United States after Alaska. There is no shortage of quakes that have devastated areas of our Golden State. Many may recall the 1994 Northridge quake that caused 57 deaths, thousands of injuries and $20 billion in damages. Overpasses collapsed with major damage to the 10, 14 and 118 freeways.
For years, seismologists have warned that there will be unprecedented levels of devastation to California, particularly along the San Andreas Fault, when “The Big One” hits. Experts have agreed that it’s not a matter of “if it will occur, but when.”
Geologists who have studied the fault suggest that The Big One could reach a magnitude of 7.8 or greater. For comparison, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the deadliest quake in United States history, registered at 7.9 magnitude, and it and the ensuing fire claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people and destroyed 80% of the city.
An earthquake of a similar or even greater magnitude along the San Andreas Fault could cause massive amounts of destruction to multiple cities, like Los Angeles, billions of dollars in damage and displace thousands of people.
LA officials reminded Angelenos to be prepared for such a disaster during the annual Great ShakeOut Day – observed on Oct. 16 in remembrance of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that resulted in 63 deaths. Safety drills were held in schools, workplaces and residents were encouraged to have a plan for their family at home.
“As LA and cities across the country – and the world – experience more frequent and severe weather events, we have to ensure we are prepared for every possible emergency – in LA and up the California coast, that means being earthquake-ready,” saidMayor Karen Bass in a visit to the city of LA’s Emergency Operations Center.
“This year’s ShakeOut Day, when Angelenos across the city participate in earthquake drills at work, school or home, is an important day to highlight actions we can all take to stay safe in the wake of an emergency.”
One of the first things you can do to prepare for an earthquake is to pack an emergency kit. You’ll want to plan to have enough water to last up to a week and for each member of your family, pets included, to have one gallon per day. You should also have up to a week’s worth of nonperishable food items, like granola bars, crackers, canned food and baby formula. Make sure you have access to plenty of tools, including wrenches, hammers, pliers, a shovel and gloves.
Other items to keep in mind include a battery-operated or hand-cranked radio, whistle, flashlight, batteries, duct tape, toilet paper, garbage bags, maps, blankets, sleeping bags, medication, clothes and copies of important documents.
It would also be beneficial to develop a plan with your neighbors on how to help each other in the first few hours after an emergency, as disasters can overwhelm the capacity of 9-1-1.
For business owners, the city provides an online workbook to help them prepare for emergencies. This planning tool informs you on how to secure your business premises, plan in-shelter locations and evacuation routes, train and form an emergency response team with your staff, assess insurance coverage and organize vital documents.
Angelenos are encouraged to sign up for the city’s Emergency Alert System so they can receive phone calls, emails or texts to stay informed when a disaster occurs. It’s also advised that they download the MyShake app on their phone, which is the official earthquake early warning application for the western U.S.
Depending on the earthquake’s location, the app can provide you with real-time alerts before shaking begins.
To sign up with LA’s Emergency Alert System, go to https://emergency.lacity.gov/notifyla. To download the business workbook, visit https://ready.lacity.gov/business-preparedness.
To learn more, check out https://ready.lacity.gov/.
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