More than 8 million people will take part in an earthquake drill Thursday in California, long known as a hotspot of seismic activity throughout the ages by scientists and residents alike. Here in Imperial County, more than 37,000 people — the bulk of which will be students — will drop, cover and hold as part of the Great California ShakeOut.
While the earthquake drill may bring for some residents a brief moment of diversion in an otherwise ordinary day, the ShakeOut’s intended message should not be ignored: earthquake preparedness can mean the difference between life or death.
Considering that the area was the site of a major earthquake less than two years ago, those who choose to dismiss such real and imagined scenarios do so at their own peril. Sadly, they may be putting other’s lives at stake, too. Lest we forget, a study recently released by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography reported that the southern San Andreas Fault – hidden beneath the Salton Sea – is long overdue for a large magnitude earthquake of 7.0 or greater.
The September blackout that left a large swath of the Southwest border region without power also should have served to remind residents of the importance of emergency preparedness. While the area had its power restored in a relatively short time compared to other affected areas, it could have been a lot worse. And judging from the long lines of vehicles that formed at nearby gas stations and the frantic rush for ice that occurred after the outage, it’s apparent some of us aren’t as fully prepared as we would like to think.
Hence the need for the ShakeOut, which aims to have California residents develop and practice an emergency safety plan. Knowing what to do before, during and after a major earthquake can save lives, not just your own.
So now is the time to develop and practice a safety plan for the household and workplace. As the local Red Cross likes to point out, people should spend the same amount of time planning for a major emergency as they do planning for a major party.
While the earthquake drill may bring for some residents a brief moment of diversion in an otherwise ordinary day, the ShakeOut’s intended message should not be ignored: earthquake preparedness can mean the difference between life or death.
Considering that the area was the site of a major earthquake less than two years ago, those who choose to dismiss such real and imagined scenarios do so at their own peril. Sadly, they may be putting other’s lives at stake, too. Lest we forget, a study recently released by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography reported that the southern San Andreas Fault – hidden beneath the Salton Sea – is long overdue for a large magnitude earthquake of 7.0 or greater.
The September blackout that left a large swath of the Southwest border region without power also should have served to remind residents of the importance of emergency preparedness. While the area had its power restored in a relatively short time compared to other affected areas, it could have been a lot worse. And judging from the long lines of vehicles that formed at nearby gas stations and the frantic rush for ice that occurred after the outage, it’s apparent some of us aren’t as fully prepared as we would like to think.
Hence the need for the ShakeOut, which aims to have California residents develop and practice an emergency safety plan. Knowing what to do before, during and after a major earthquake can save lives, not just your own.
So now is the time to develop and practice a safety plan for the household and workplace. As the local Red Cross likes to point out, people should spend the same amount of time planning for a major emergency as they do planning for a major party.
