Because of the recent M4.4 earthquake in Berkeley, CA and the anxious questions I’ve received from students, friends, and family alike, I decided to do a post on preparing for an earthquake. In this post, I document my efforts to create earthquake preparedness kits for my family so you can do the same for yours. Some of the preparedness information and links are specific for California, but there are links at the end of the post relating to earthquake preparedness in general.
So, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS, usgs.gov), the earthquake occurred 2 kilometers southeast of Berkeley, CA, on the Hayward Fault and measured M4.4 (Mw). Mw is moment magnitude, a measure of earthquake size based on seismic moment, and, unlike Richter magnitude, is applicable to all sizes of earthquakes, including the largest ones. Seismic moment incorporates the area of fault rupture, the distance the fault moved, and the force required. More explanation can be found here: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=seismic%20moment
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I will be posting about earthquakes in general and the San Francisco Bay Area earthquakes specifically in a later post, but an excellent explanation of the recent Berkeley, CA earthquake can be found on Dr. Jason R. Patton’s blog here: http://earthjay.com/?p=6815
Earthquake Preparedness
Before I discuss what you can personally do to prepare for earthquakes, I need to point out that California, and the San Francisco Bay Area in particular has some of the strictest building codes in the world. That said, however, earthquake damage has complex causes, financial barriers, and earthquake frequencies and magnitudes are not predictable. I will likely cover this topic in another post. For further information, visit the California Building Standards Commission web site: http://www.bsc.ca.gov and this recent article in the Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-earthquake-database-los-angeles-20170920-htmlstory.html
Things You Can Do To Prepare
There are some things you can do as an individual beyond preparing earthquake kits to help prevent damage within your home from earthquake shaking and secure your family’s safety. Briefly, these include securing bookshelves, cabinets, and having an emergency plan. I’ll likely also cover this in another post (when I get around to securing mine and my mom’s house) More information can be found here: https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step1/ and here: https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step2/
Earthquake Preparedness Kits
Many organizations and web sites provide lists of items to include in earthquake preparedness kit. For the kit I put together, I used the lists on the American Red Cross web site: http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/be-red-cross-ready/get-a-kit and this pdf list from The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, www.fema.gov): https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1390846764394-dc08e309debe561d866b05ac84daf1ee/checklist_2014.pdf
Another option is to purchase a basic emergency kit (like this one from the Red Cross: https://www.redcrossstore.org/item/321406) and add to it using the lists and your personal needs.
The FEMA list is much more manageable, especially if you have never made an earthquake preparedness kit before, so I recommend using it as a guide. I used the list on the Red Cross web site to add to this basic kit.
Both lists include a first aid kit or set of items to create a first aid kit. A good, general purpose first aid kit is important to have, anyway: at least one in your home and one in your car. Because I decided to create a number of earthquake kits for myself, my mom, my sister and her husband, I purchased a first aid kit from a discount grocery store, around $9, but they usually cost anywhere between $9 and $15 and above. I am using this kit as a basis to create all the other first aid kits. But you can purchase the first aid kits and incorporate it into your earthquake preparedness kits. Anything you need personally can always be added to the kits. The Red Cross also sells excellent first aid kits at their online store: https://www.redcrossstore.org/category/id/2
I gathered everything except the water and food and any personal supplies because that will vary. Also, I still need to get a battery/hand crank radio. What I have right now is a good start and pictured below. Importantly, you should check, use, and replace perishable items like water, food, medications and batteries on a yearly basis.
I hope some of you found this helpful. Emergency kits can be kept in your home and your car. They can be adapted to suit the hazards and potential emergencies in your area using the information on the FEMA (if you live in the United States) and Red Cross web sites as well as your national/regional/local government department of emergency services. If you live in California, the California Office of Emergency Services has a helpful web site: http://www.caloes.ca.gov
My next adventure in emergency preparedness will be to attempt to secure objects and furniture inside my mom’s house using the suggestions found here: https://www.earthquakecountry.org/step1/ and other sites.
Please stay tuned! And stay safe!
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