It's All About Being Prepared!

Did you know or realize that in a major disaster, it might be several days before vital services are restored. California, and several other states are exposed to a wide variety of hazards, both natural and man-made. Earthquakes, fires, severe storms, power outages, and acts of terrorism are just some of the potential emergencies we may encounter.

Imagine that you have no electricity, no gas, no water and no telephone service. Imagine that all the businesses are closed and you are without any kind of emergency services. What will you do until help arrives? To help you plan visit 72hours.org This webside will help you in being prepared for a disaster.

Visit the Disaster Preparedness website from the State of California - Be Prepared

Also visit Ready.gov for more great information.

Also consider joining a Community Emergency Response Team,(CERT)in your area.

To find a nearby CERT programm in your area visit: CERT Council for a list of other CERT programs.

If you would like to organize your family, workplace, mobile home community or group to be better prepared in the event of a possible disaster - please click here for the Office of Emergency Services planning website - the Office of Emergency Services

From the American Red Cross Being Prepared

A Recent Article Says "Be Prepared"...

Posted: June 22, 2006

Study: SoCal Overdue For Killer Quake
Pressure Building On San Andreas Fault From San Diego To LA

(LA JOLLA, Calif.)- New earthquake research confirms the southern end of the San Andreas fault near Los Angeles is overdue for a Big One.

The lower section of the fault has not produced a major earthquake in more than three centuries. The new study, which analyzed 20 years of data and is considered one of the most detailed analyses yet, found that stress has been building up since then, and that the fault could rupture at any moment.

"The southern section of the fault is fully loaded for the next big event," said geophysicist Yuri Fialko of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla.

Predicting exactly when that might happen, however, is beyond scientists' ability.

"Exactly when the triggering will happen and when the earthquake will occur we cannot tell," Fialto said. "It could be tomorrow or it could be 10 years or more from now."

The analysis was published in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Experts have estimated that a quake on the southern San Andreas of magnitude-7.6 or greater could kill thousands of people in the densely populated greater Los Angeles area and cause tens of billions of dollars in damage.

It was the 800-mile San Andreas fault, which runs down California like a scar, that caused the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that led to about 3,000 deaths.

But scientists know very little about the 100-mile dormant southern segment, which slices through Southern California from San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles, to the Salton Sea east of San Diego in Imperial County.

The section last popped in 1690, producing an estimated 7.7-magnitude quake, but caused little injury or damage because hardly anyone lived there at the time.

Using satellite radar and global positioning data, Fialko measured the movement of the southern San Andreas between 1985 and 2005. Small movements along a fault can relieve strain. Calculating those subtle motions allows scientists to figure out how much strain is building up.

Fialko found that the southern end of the fault has shown little movement and that significant strain is building up. The fault's slip rate, or average annual movement, was measured to be about an inch a year -- similar to previous estimates.

Surprisingly, Fialko found the two sides of the southern San Andreas behaved differently, with one side showing more flexibility than the other. This could help scientists understand potential earthquake risks, he said.

Ken Hudnut, a U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist in Pasadena, who had no role in the study, said the latest research reaffirms the need to study the mysterious southern San Andreas more closely.

In the fall, Hudnut will head a $240,000 project that would conduct tests on the southern segment to get a better idea of the threat it poses.

2006/NBCSandiego.com