A recent survey in California shows that the weakest link in California eathquake preparedness is citizen preparedness.
“The recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti are unwelcome reminders of the devastating impact earthquakes can have on people and communities,” said Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen of the California Emergency Management Agency. “It calls attention to the need for Californians to do even more to prepare for the big one. This study confirms that Californians need constant reminders and a steady stream of earthquake preparedness information to motive people to act. We continue to urge Californians to prepare now.”
One of the puroses of this emergency preparedness blog is to lend an additional voice to the "steady stream of preparedness information" that most us us seem to need to encourage us to be fully prepared for whatever hazards we may face where we live. Californians are actually among the very most prepared people in the country because of their high awareness of the risks they face.
The unfortunate fact is that many people across the country have not taken even the smallest steps to be prepared for an emergency or disaster. No place on earth is immune to sudden emergency or disaster. This means that all of us need to be prepared.
In many areas of the country, people are not even aware of very serious risks that exist in their location. A good example of this is the relatively low awareness and understanding of those who live in the Midwest of the potential for a devastating central USA earthquake. Preparation for the "big one" should not be an activity limited to the west coast.
An earthquake was felt in the Chicago area, where I live, just this past month. It was realatively small, but none the less a reminder that we do have earthquakes in this area, and because of the proximity of the New Madrid fault, we have the potential for a "big one". Recently I reinforced storage shelves in my home and outfitted them so that the contents cannot fall onto the floor in a earthquake. This is a small step, but one that may limit the damage should we experience a larger earthquake.
So, once again, we encourage all people everywhere to take even a small step towards greater emergency preparparedness. The first, and often easiest, step is to purchase or assemble an emergency kit that provides you with at least three days worth of basic emergency supplies.
Every disaster we experience in the world reminds us that no government can meet the immediate needs of all of its citizens after a major disaster. We have to be prepared to meet our own needs for the first 72 hours or beyond. The 10 basic emergency needs are: water, food, emergency first aid, breathing protection, shelter, warmth, light, emergency tools, communication, hygiene and sanitation.
If you live in an area of high risk for a catastrophic earthquake (a "big one") you may wish to have an emergency earthquake kit that is designed to withstand crushing from the falling debris that is common in such disasters.
Wherever you live in the United States, don't forget to have a well-supplied car emergency kit in your vehicle in case an emergency or distaster happens when you are on-the-go or you have to quickly evacuate. In the California earthquake survey, the lack of emergency supplies in private vehicles was discovered to be one of the key weaknesses in citizen preparation.
Every Life Secure
