San Clemente takes part in Southern California’s ShakeOut to prepare for the big one
As the earthquake that struck the Sichuan Province in central China played out on American media in May, it was easy to say, “It won’t happen to me.” The death toll started in the thousands after the 7.9 quake, and the official figure soared to almost 70,000, according to reports. While the amount of casualties can largely be attributed to poor structure standards, there’s no question Californians can learn from this and other catastrophes.
And that’s just what the organizers of The Great Southern California ShakeOut intend with their earthquake drill Thursday, November 13 and follow-up events, including After Shock—an online simulation of individual and social impacts of an earthquake—and the Get Ready Rally in Los Angeles. The idea is to get Southern Californians talking about their plans in the event of 7.8 earthquake originating from the southern part of the San Andreas Fault, which in total stretches 800 miles from Northern California to San Bernardino and can be up to 10 miles deep. It’s responsible for the 1812 earthquake that left 40 American Indians dead at the San Juan Capistrano Mission, the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 that killed 57 and injured about 9,000 and many more.
San Clemente city officials, the public libraries and the Capistrano Unified School District are participating in the drill, which organizers say is the largest in the nation’s history. “We want them to focus on something interesting and positive to help them and their families be safer—something they can be involved in, something not to be passive but to be active,” said Ines Pearce, spokesperson from Earthquake Country Alliance, one of many organizations behind the event.
The series of events for the ShakeOut starts at 10 a.m. on Thursday with an earthquake drill. It’s a unified effort to prepare an emergency plan, “drop” to the ground, take “cover” by getting under a sturdy desk or table, “hold on” to it until the shaking stops and execute said emergency plan. “Every year, the government has exercises to help train first responders, but the missing piece is the residents and how they are prepared,” said Pearce. “[Hurricane] Katrina showed us that the government can’t take it all on by itself. We’re all in this together.”
For the past several months, organizers—also including Golden Guardian, Office of Emergency Services, Southern California Earthquake Center and the Art Center College of Design—have publicized the drill, recruiting families, schools, businesses and cities, among many others. To date, Pearce reported that 5.1 million Southern Californians have registered to participate on the ShakeOut Web site.
That means when the drill starts at 10 a.m., students at Truman Benedict Elementary School and others will “drop cover and hold on” when the event begins. Administrators at the school sent an e-mail to parents notifying them of the drill, which will include simulated injuries, building problems and even search and rescue. “Ask your child about what they have learned at the end of the day,” says the e-mail. “We hope to have our school prepared and safe if this should actually happen someday.”
At 10:02 a.m., the next step is After Shock (www.aftershock.net). It’s an online component that simulates what the proceeding three weeks would look like. Users will receive daily missions to get them thinking about how they would respond to the repercussions of an earthquake.
The simulation is based on the ShakeOut Scenario, a study conducted by 300 experts to identify the physical, social and economic consequences of a major earthquake in Southern California. The scenario assumes a 7.8 earthquake that causes 1,800 deaths and $213 billion in economic losses. San Clemente city Emergency Planning Officer Jen Tucker points out that an earthquake caused by the San Andreas Fault cannot trigger a tsunami, something that can be related to earthquakes. “An earthquake that would cause a tsunami would have to be offshore,” said Tucker, who notes that San Clemente is designated as a TsunamiReady city.
Dr. Lucile Jones of the United States Geological Survey was the lead scientist on the ShakeOut Scenario and said it’s a matter of using good science to assess the impacts of an earthquake and then making that information accessible and usable to residences and businesses. The goal, she noted, was to get people talking about it and, ultimately, to care. “If we do [a drill] all together, about the same earthquake, it’s more realistic and becomes more part of our public conscientiousness,” said Jones, who’s been with USGS since 1983.
The big question for Jones: Is California prepared? “In many ways [we are], especially things like emergency management has been thought out,” she said. “Our building codes have done a lot to reduce risk to lives but is the minimum to provide life safety.” The economic risk, with the low levels of earthquake damage insurance, she said, is more than a life risk. With the help of economists, the scenario aims to help people understand that aspect.
To wrap up the ShakeOut, the public is invited to the Get Ready Rally at the Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles (next to the Staples Center) from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 14. The rally will have speakers, food and entertainment. “We’re not trying to scare people,” said Pearce. “We’re trying to inform them and stimulate their thoughts about what they’re comfortable with.”
—Additional reporting by Lacey Nadeau
Register Your Number for AlertOC
At the end of October, the city of San Clemente rolled out AlertOC, also known as Reverse 9-1-1, which is a mass notification system. It allows the city to record, send and track voice and text messages through a single phone call during emergencies. It’s important to go to the city’s Web site, www.san-clemente.org, or www.AlertOC.com to register cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses. On the city’s site, click on the AlertOC link. The city already has record of landlines at residences and businesses.
How to Be Prepared for an Earthquake
Jen Tucker, the city’s emergency planning officer, recommended a visit to www.readyoc.org for an emergency plan and how to build a supply kit. The site also talks about being involved in the community and at work to get ready for an emergency like an earthquake by having a neighborhood and workplace plan. This is the objective of ShakeOut. Here are the details:
Create a Plan
Pick two places to meet: Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire or outside your neighborhood in case you can’t return home. Everyone must know the address and phone number.
• Ask an out-of-state friend to be your family contact. After a disaster, it’s often easier to call long distance. Other family members should call this person and tell them where they are. Everyone must know your contact’s phone number.
• Discuss what to do in an evacuation. Plan how to take care of your pets.
• Write down all of these contact numbers and information on the family emergency contact card, including special medical conditions.
• Post emergency telephone numbers by phones (fire, police, ambulance, etc.).
• Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1 or your local emergency medical services number for emergency help.
• Show each family member how and when to turn off the water, gas and electricity at the main switches.
• Check if you have adequate insurance coverage.
• Teach each family member how to use the fire extinguisher (ABC type), and show them where it’s kept.
• Install smoke detectors on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
• Conduct a home hazard hunt.
• Stock emergency supplies and assemble a disaster supplies kit.
• Take a Red Cross first aid and CPR class.
• Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two ways out of each room.
• Find the safe spots in your home for each type of disaster.
Make a Kit
Keep the items that you would most likely need during an emergency in an easy-to-carry container: water, non-perishable food, first aid supplies, battery operated radio and batteries, flashlight and batteries, medications (two-week supply of prescriptions), clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, sanitation and personal hygiene, important family documents, cash and change, specialty items for babies, pets and important medical needs.
Vol. 3, Issue 46, November 13-19, 2008
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