This past weekend over a million people in northern California received a “wake up call” (literally) on how important emergency preparedness really is. As the rest of us logged on to the internet and turned on the T.V, in the hours to follow, we were reminded of why this great state has been labeled “earthquake country.” A 6.0 magnitude earthquake ruptured near Napa, CA; a historic city known for its gorgeous scenery and fine wine, at 3:20am Sunday morning. Although there have been no reported fatalities caused by this natural disaster, hospitals treated over 150 injured and the initial estimates of damage exceed 1 billion dollars. Nearly 100 residences and businesses are deemed uninhabitable and many of these home and business owners had not purchased earthquake insurance. Wineries and other businesses alike have reported losing significant amounts of product that will not only need to be cleaned up and recovered from physically but financially as well. The following link delivers a pretty good aerial perspective of the damage shot by a drone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQhYbfIz0n4
For more information about the earthquake please see the following article:
http://www.kcra.com/news/usgs-60-earthquake-shakes-northern-california/27703718#!bJZLfN
The occurrence of this earthquake is, without a doubt, a catastrophe that couldn’t have been prevented or predicted. But now that it’s happened and us Californian’s have been “re-awakened” to the risks of living here there should be no excuse to taking, at minimum, those basic preparedness steps recommended by experts. Unfortunately however, statistics prove that the majority of people considering earthquake preparedness today (two days following the 6.0 quake) will take little to no steps preparing for the next occurrence. Over the next several weeks and months as news headlines change and social media finds new interest the reality of our risk here in California will, once again, fade in to the backdrop just as it always has before. So, we want to strongly encourage you to avoid becoming a “Seismic Statistic.” The risks are real and there are real strategies you can take to mitigate these risks for you and your family. The longer you wait to follow through on these good intentions the less likely you will be to ever do so. It’s just a reality of the busy culture we live in. Please visit the following links to get started:
http://www.readyoc.org/
http://www.ready.gov/
If you’ve already taken the basic personal preparedness steps then now is the time to increase your supplies, review your plans, explore purchasing earthquake insurance, or speak with your loved ones about the importance of preparedness. Having earthquakes as our primary major disaster risk in California acts as a double-edged sword in that while a devastating earthquake occurs very infrequently, compared to tornados in the Midwest or hurricanes in the southeast, they tend to make us forget that they ever existed to begin with. Their consequences are grave and we should approach our preparedness efforts with this in mind.
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