Local Emergency Expert Mark Legassie Answers Our Earthquake Preparedness Questions

Recent earthquakes around New Zealand and Japan remind us here in California that we too are in line for a high magnitude quake. In fact, according to the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF),  California has a 99.7% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake during the next 30 years. There's never been a better time than right now to start preparing.

To help you do so, we spoke to CERT team member and Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council's public safety chair Mark Legassie, who responded to our earthquake queries and provided some helpful tips and links. 

If I'm in my home at the time of an earthquake; what do I do? Where do I go in my house? Does this depend on where my house is located (seaside, hillside, etc)?

Most injuries result from people being hit by falling objects and shattered glass, rather than from collapsed buildings.  It's very normal to want to run out of the house, but experts warn to instead stay inside and DROP, COVER AND HOLD.   Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training also teaches us to stay away from windows, and if possible crawl under a solid piece of furniture (such as a dining room table or office desk).  If in bed, stay in bed and cover your head with a pillow.  Also, a common myth is that the safest place is under a door frame.  It's actually more dangerous and not recommended because the hinged door can slam into you and cause injury.

 So what's most dangerous room in the house?  In general, it’s the kitchen.  The reason is due to 1) large appliances that can tip over or slide across the floor, and 2) multiple objects falling out of cupboards.  

 You may now be wondering where is the safest room in your home?  Trick question -- answer is technically any room with a solid desk or table to provide cover from falling debris.  However, without adequate cover the best place is a hallway since it generally has no furniture or large objects to topple on you.  

 The above recommendations apply regardless of where your home is located.    Additional steps may be recommended after the shaking stops, including evacuating and moving to higher ground if near the ocean.

 How long after an earthquake is it safe to leave my home and if I live in Highland Park or Mount Washington, where should I go?

If indoors, stay there until the shaking stops.  Injury occurs when people run outside and get hit by collapsing walls and falling glass.  Once the shaking stops and you want to go outdoors, move quickly away from the building to prevent injury from falling objects.  According to Community Emergency Response Team training, there is a 20% change of the same-sized or larger quake in the 2 hours following an earthquake.

The first thing CERT training recommends after making sure your family and neighbors are safe is to listen to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on your portable battery-powered radio.  EAS is a national public warning system that requires radio and TV broadcasters to provide a capability for authorities to deliver important emergency information to the public.  It is here you can learn where shelters may be set up and information on any services available. 

Where to go after a quake depends on the severity.  Assuming it's a catastrophic disaster, Highland Park residents whose homes are damaged, or those residents who are  too scared to remain inside, can quickly congregate in local open areas on high ground. Some spots include the Highland Park Recreation Center or Occidental College.  Other options are local parks and school athletic fields. Residents should stay away from liquefaction and landslide zones located along both sides of the entire Arroyo Seco parkway.  This historic road is unfortunately built on an ancient riverbed, which can act like quicksand during shaking.    To find out where these danger zones are located for your area, visit full-color California Geological Survey street maps at http://gmw.consrv.ca.gov/shmp/html/pdf_maps_so.html (click on the Los Angeles quadrangle).

A sample seismic hazard zone map of the Highland Park, Hermon and Monterey Hills areas extracted from the LA quadrangle map is included in the box to the right.

Residents of other communities along the Arroyo Seco, including Mt. Washington, Hermon, Monterey Hills, and Sycamore Grove are lucky enough to have a documented Emergency Response Plan for their community, thanks to the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council (ASNC).  Their Public Safety Committee developed this (available at www.asnc.us).   This plan was developed with help from LAFD and Earthquake Solutions of Monrovia (www.earthquakesolutions.com).and spells out the following meeting areas established by the ASNC for residents after a disaster:  

·      Hermon – athletic field at Via Marisol & Lomitas

·      Sycamore Grove – park on Figueroa (Ramona Hall)

·      Mt. Washington – park on Figueroa (Ramona Hall)

·      Montecito Heights – Recreation Center on Homer St.

·      Monterey Hills – athletic field at Via Marisol & Lomitas

I want to put together and earthquake preparedness kit; what should it include?

A kit should leave you self sufficient with food, water and supplies for a minimum of one week, and ideally up to one month.  The recommended contents are listed below, but those residents that would rather purchase pre-made kits can find good ones at the American Red Cross store.   A very good one is their Adult, 3-day Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit for $69.95 -- the 3-day supply of food and water has a 5-year shelf life!  I purchased three of them (for the home, car and work) to ensure I am never without an emergency kit.

Basic contents of an emergency supply kit are provided by www.ready.gov:

 Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• One gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

 Additional Items To Consider Adding to a Supply Kit

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

How should I secure my home after an earthquake?

To secure your home after an earthquake, here are steps recommended by the CERT program:

* If dark, do not light a candle (due to potential gas leaks).  Instead, use a flashlight.

* Turn off the gas by turning the main shut-off valve 90 degrees.  

* Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire is the most common hazard following earthquakes. 

* Clean up spills. By cleaning up medicines, bleaches, flammables, and other spills, you can prevent many small but potentially dangerous hazardous materials emergencies.

* Inspect your home for damage. Aftershocks can cause additional damage to unstable buildings. If there are major cracks in the chimney or foundation, or if the home and utilities have been moved by the earthquake, get everyone out immediately. 

* Take photographs of the home and its contents to document the damage.

If an earthquake occurs while I'm driving, what do I do? What if my vehicle is on a bridge or under a bridge or overpass?

If in a vehicle, drivers should pull over at a clear location free of hazards and stop.  CERT training tells us to stay in the vehicle with seatbelt fastened until the shaking subsides.  Turn on the radio to get information regarding the quake and any damage to roadways that may have occurred.  If under a bridge, move the car from underneath before stopping the car if possible.  

How will I be able to communicate with family members or public safety offices after an earthquake if regular communication lines are down?

Before disaster strikes it's very important to develop a simple family communication plan.  Since it will be easier to dial out of state after a disaster, residents should ask an out-of-state friend or relative to be the family contact.  If separated all family members should call the memorized emergency number and communicate their status to this one family contact.  As part of preparation efforts,  tell all your other friends and relatives to call this one contact for status instead of calling you directly, which will free up phone lines.

 To contact public safety officers after a disaster, non-cellular mobile communication devices such as two-way radios will be the most effective method for transmitting and receiving information.   The City of Los Angeles has developed a disaster communication plan to connect local neighborhoods to needed emergency services through the use of CERT volunteers using FRS and ham-radio communication protocols taught through free drills.  The next CERT communication drill will be on March 26th starting at 10:00 a.m. in Boyle Heights (meet at Gymnasium, 2230 Norfolk St) on the northeast corner of Hazard Park.

How will our specific location in California, i.e. Northeast Los Angeles, impact how we are affected by an earthquake?

Of course the largest potential impact comes from the San Andreas fault only 70 miles away. This fault is capable of a 7.8 magnitude quake lasting several minutes.   However, most people don't realize that we have two active faults right here in Northeast L.A. (York Boulevard and Raymond Hill), which are each capable of  magnitude 6.0 quakes or greater.   For even greater granularity, seismic hazard maps at the street level have been generated by the California Geological Survey showing high-risk liquefaction and landslide areas within Northeast LA.  They are available here. In general, living on hilltops such as Mt. Washington or Monterey Hills is safer than low-lying areas near the Arroyo Seco parkway, where erosion, loose soil and ancient gravel river beds can lead to greater damages from shaking.

How can I help others in my community in the event of an earthquake?

All LA residents 18 or over are highly encouraged to take CERT's 17.5 hour training course, offered free by the LAFD and taught by experienced firefighters.  Citizens learn to:

• Manage utilities and put out small fires.
• Treat the three medical killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock.
• Provide basic medical aid.
• Search for and rescue victims safely.
• Organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.
• Collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts.

The current CERT class schedule is available at www.cert-la.com (click on "Current CERT Training"). You can search to find a class in your Battalion or Council District, or classes that begin on a certain weekday. To register for a class, call the contact person to verify the date, time and location of the class.

What's something people never think about in preparing for earthquakes, but they should?

Probably the biggest thing people forget is to pick two different places to meet for emergencies.  The first should be a location right outside your home in case of localized problems such as a fire.  The second location should be outside your neighborhood in case you can't return home.  

The other major item easily overlooked is developing a communication plan as described above, using an out-of-state relative or friend as a single contact point. I chose my sister Julie in Maine as the emergency contact -- other siblings have been told to contact her to obtain the latest status on my well-being.

How do I protect my pet following an earthquake?

Start by developing a pet emergency supply kit, which includes water, food and medical supplies, as well as any prescriptions, collar, leash, pet litter, brush, and comfort toys.  A complete list can be found at http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/.  Also if you must evacuate, take your pets with you. If you are going to a public shelter, it is important to understand that animals may not be allowed inside. Luckily pet organizations such as Noah's Wish have agreements with the authorities to set up temporary animal shelters right outside of emergency shelters.   Finally, lists of pet-friendly hotels and campgrounds are available at here and here.
 

As kids, we all learned the fire safety mantra "stop, drop and roll." Is there an equivalent earthquake "stop, drop and roll?"

For earthquakes the catch phrase is 'DROP, COVER, AND HOLD." 1) DROP down on your knees, 2) COVER your head and body, and 3) HOLD on to the object you're under.

Anything else?

One of the best videos clearly summarizing what to do during an earthquake was generated for the annual Great California Shakeout .  Watch it  here.