Tag: earthquakes

San Francisco Remembers 1906 Earthquake

Apr 18, 2017 2:40 pm

At 5:12 a.m. this morning, sirens echoed throughout the streets of San Francisco to mark the anniversary of the deadliest disaster in California history. A 7.9-magnitude earthquake, dubbed the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, crumpled infrastructures and caused massive fires in the Bay Area.

Shaking could be felt from the North Coast in Eureka to the Salinas Valley and to the south of San Francisco. The main shock lasted approximately 42 seconds, with a preceding strong foreshock shaking about 20-25 seconds.

Nearly 3,000 deaths at minimum were estimated as a result of the earthquake, though that total is still unconfirmed today. The earthquake itself was crippling, but subsequent fires accounted for more than 90 percent of the damage.

The majority of those deaths occurred in San Francisco, although neighboring cities such as Santa Rosa and San Jose … continue reading »

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Add Emergency Preparedness to New Year’s Resolutions for 2017

Jan 5, 2017 10:34 am

With the calendar flipping to 2017, those pesky New Year’s Resolutions once again become a priority. Whether it’s making plans to regularly attend the gym, eat healthier or other timely concessions, there may be one resolution that is often overlooked.

The importance of being prepared for emergencies or natural disasters is always paramount.

Living in California provides unmatched accommodations and beauty, but it’s also prone to the constant threat of disasters, such as earthquakes, flooding and wildfires.

To assist in your New Year’s Resolutions, here are some emergency preparedness tips for these five specific disasters:

 

Floods

This Month in Cal OES History: 1964 Tsunami

Mar 18, 2016 7:00 am

The most powerful earthquake in United States history was recorded 52 years ago this month. At 5:36 p.m. local time, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake occurred in the Prince William Sound region in Alaska on March 27, 1964.

In all, 139 people were believed to have died as a result of the earthquake. Fifteen died from the earthquake alone, while 106 died in Alaska, 13 died in California and five died in Oregon all related to tsunamis.

In addition to a tectonic tsunami, about 20 smaller and local tsunamis occurred. Smaller tsunamis were created by submarine and subaerial landslides, and tsunami waves were measured in over 20 countries including Peru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Japan and Antarctica.

The earthquake rupture started approximately 15 miles beneath the surface, with its epicenter about 6 miles east of the mouth of … continue reading »

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5 steps to prepare your organization before the big one hits

Nov 10, 2015 10:56 am

1. Know your community’s (or organization’s) vulnerabilities. An awareness of critical infrastructure and high risk locations will guide your initial size-up priorities.

2. Have a plan. Every organization needs in-depth emergency plans and continuity plans. But have you distilled those plans down to simple one- or two-page checklists for critical response positions? Do you have job aids prepared to assist employees who are forced to assume unfamiliar roles?

3. Know how the disaster management system works. Too often in disaster responses, critical resource requests are delayed because they were simply misrouted. Understanding the hierarchical system of fulfilling requests under SEMS and NIMS will improve your chances of getting what you need when you need it.

4. Know your counterparts. Don’t wait until disaster strikes to meet neighboring emergency managers. Those existing relationships will improve working … continue reading »

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