Note: This is day 11 of National Preparedness Month. Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NPM or #NPM12 hash tag.
This month, as part of NPM12, I’ll be rerunning some updated preparedness essays (like this one) , along with some new ones.
# 6548
The Great California Shakeout drill, which began in 2008, has now generated 15 spinoffs around the world, and most of those drills are scheduled for the month of October.
(click image to visit Shakeout.org)
Millions of residents, from the United States and Canada, to New Zealand, Italy, and Japan, will take part in this yearly Drop, Cover, & Hold On drill. A video, demonstrating the technique is available on the California Shakeout Youtube Channel.
If you live in any of these regions, I would encourage you to participate in, and support, these annual disaster drills.
As you can see by the map below, much of United States is seismically active – with Alaska, Hawaii, the west coast, and the Midwest seeing the most – and strongest, quakes.
USGS map
Last year, in Estimating The Economic Impact Of A San Andreas Quake, we looked at a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that endeavored to gauge the crippling impact that a highly feasible (and long overdue) 7.8 magnitude Southern California earthquake would have on jobs and local businesses.
A quake of this magnitude, they estimate, could affect 430,000 businesses and 4.5 million workers and deliver a devastating – and prolonged – blow to the local economy.
While huge death tolls are considered unlikely in this scenario, the untimely demise of thousands of unprepared businesses is all but assured.
One of the most vulnerable areas to earthquakes (and tsunamis) in North America is the Pacific Northwest, where just over 311 years ago an earthquake and tsunami – likely on par with this year’s disastrous quake in Japan - struck the coastline.
You’ll find a greater description of this event, along with videos and simulations showing what a similar event today would produce, in my essay Just A Matter Of Time.
Since we can’t prevent earthquakes, or predict them, the only recourse is to prepare for them . . . as individuals, businesses, and communities.
For a comprehensive guide on how you can prepare for `the big one’ (even if you live someplace other than Los Angeles), I would recommend you download, read, and implement the advice provided by the The L. A. County Emergency Survival Guide.
Everyone should have a disaster plan. Everyone should have a good first aid kit, a `bug-out bag’, and sufficient emergency supplies to last a bare minimum of 72 hours.
For more on disaster preparedness, I would invite you to visit:
