Are You Prepared? For an Emergency? For an Earthquake?

Emergency Managers are not Invulnerable • We are at as much risk as the general public. • Our families are also at risk. • Contrary to some beliefs, some disasters are

unpredictable, or give little to no warning time. • Every household must be responsible to take action for

their well being and preparation. •  Information for being “prepared” is plentiful and easy to

find, whether at the local, state or federal levels. • Help may be hampered or delayed by the disaster, so

your survival after the event, is in direct correlation with the amount of planning and practice performed.

Earthquake safety plans • At home • At work • At school • Outdoors • Recommendations • Arguably, earthquakes are more manageable in terms of

mitigation steps to be taken and prepared for.

Everyday safety plans •  General preparedness •  Safety plan •  Safety kit •  Evacuation plan

Family Emergency Preparedness • Stay at home spouse evaluated by P. Gutierrez • At work spouse evaluated by A. Bromley • At school children evaluated by D. Bosen • Official Recommendations by R. Kelley Scenario: •  Family lives in Fort Worthy of Saving, TX •  Landscape is flat, plains land with small rolling hills. • Earthquake hits in the middle of the week at 10:30 AM,

and is a magnitude 5.0, with moderate to severe damage that may not allow the family to return to their home.

Earthquake Safety at Home • How will I stay safe if I feel an earthquake?

• Will things fall on me? •  Should I hide? Where?

• How will I know when the quake is over? • Do I need to shut anything off? Gas, water, power.

• How will I communicate with my family? • Spouse at work – Kids at school

•  Have an alternate contact. •  Pick someone away from the area we all can call. •  Know the school district policies for emergencies.

•  Do I need to call 911 first?

Earthquake Safety at Work • What if I am at work when there is an earthquake?

•  Should I evacuate? •  Where should I go?

• Are emergency plans in place for my family? •  Store enough emergency supplies for 3 days. •  Prepare a list of emergency contacts. •  Discuss a home evacuation plan. •  Indicate the location of your families outdoor meeting place. •  Practice emergency evacuations.

Earthquake Safety at School

• Children at School • Stay calm • Stay in school •  “Duck, Cover, and Hold”

•  Under a desk. •  Near interior wall. •  Near a heavy piece of stable

furniture that won’t tip over. Earthquake Preparedness: What Every Childcare Provider Should Know. FEMA 240. Publication form teachers and for presentation to children.

Earthquake Safety Outdoors •  What do I do if I am outdoors when I feel shaking?

•  Stay outside. •  Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.

•  The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls.

•  Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury.

•  Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects

•  Example: •  Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake

occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls.

Federal and State Recommendations • What should I do before an earthquake?

•  Build an emergency kit •  Make a family communications plan. •  Hold earthquake drills with your family members: Drop, cover and

hold on. •  If you are a parent, or guardian of an elderly or disabled adult,

make sure schools and daycare providers have emergency response plans.

•  Ask how they will communicate with families during a crisis. •  Ask if they store adequate food, water and other basic supplies. •  Find out if they are prepared to "shelter-in-place" if need be, and

where they plan to go if they must get away. •  Visit Ready Kids for more information.

Federal and State Recommendations • What should I do after an earthquake?

•  When the shaking stops, look around to make sure it is safe to move. Then exit the building.

•  Expect aftershocks. •  Use the telephone only for emergency calls. •  Go to a designated public shelter if your home had been damaged

and is no longer safe. Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345).

Earthquake myths • Buildings always collapse in earthquakes (wrong-

especially in developed nations, and flat "pancake" collapse is rare anywhere);

• Collapsed buildings always crush furniture (wrong- people DO survive under furniture or other shelters);

• You can move to a safe place during strong shaking (wrong- strong shaking can make moving very difficult and dangerous);

• You should stand in a doorway during an earthquake (wrong- you are safer under a table, a doorway is no stronger than other parts of a house).

•  The “Triangle of Life” is the best place to hide (wrong- professional responders find no evidence for this).

Additional Resources • Avoiding Earthquake Damage: A Checklist for

Homeowners. Safety tips for before, during and after an earthquake.

• How to Guides to Protect Your Property or Business from Earthquakes. Available online at http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3260

•  http://www.ready.gov/earthquakes •  http://www.ready.gov/family-communications •  http://www.ready.gov/escape-routes •  http://shakeout.org/ •  http://www.daretoprepare.org/