Earthquake Anniversary Awareness

We may see sentences with Earthquake and Awareness together, but it’s not often the word Anniversary enters the picture. 8 pm tonight, Wednesday, January 12 tune into Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) to watch *Deadliest Earthquakes. This show follows a team of US Geologists as they visit Haiti in the immediate aftermath of their horrendous 7.0 earthquake and is being shown on their one year anniversary.

Next month is the one year anniversary of Chile’s February 27 devastating 8.8 earthquake. A little closer to home, January 26 is the 311th anniversary of the Cascadia earthquake and February 28 is the 10 year anniversary of our own area’s Nisqually, WA earthquake. Many of us remember the shaking of buildings and nerves in our own area. What does that remind us? We also live in earthquake country and have the potential for large disasters here, right in our own back yard.

Please learn what you can do to better prepare yourself and the ones you care about by taking actions to increase your chances of survival.

• Sign up for CRESA Alerts to link your home address with your wireless and email


• Create a simple emergency family contact plan (Out of Area Contacts) to reconnect with the ones your love


• Prepare emergency kits for your home, car, work and school or daycare


• Utilities - Know how to and when to shut off utilities during an earthquake


• Learn CPR and First Aid and/or other advanced preparedness class


• Take important steps to make your home more stable against earthquakes, including:
  Securing water heaters in older homes, wall hangings, tall furniture, secure kitchen and cabinets, garage and storage safety and structural mitigation.
  

*Deadliest Earthquakes will also be repeated on January 17 at 1 am for you night owls or TV recording enthusiasts.

How bad will the next flood be? That could be up to you.

Eric Holdeman’s blog had a timely “Quote of the Week” this last weekend: “Floods are acts of God, but flood damages are acts of man”. This is only partly true, since removing water-absorbing surfaces from river basins and adding roads and buildings to floodplains can add to flood waters. But it’s absolutely true that the decisions that we make about where we live, work, and develop will be the determining factor in how our community is impacted by the next flood. We can choose not to develop in a flood-prone area. Yes, riverfront properties are the sites for many dream homes but what’s the long term price homeowners will pay? For folks who already live in a flood-prone area you can ensure that your living space is up at a safe elevation. You can also build structures that are made out of durable and water resistant materials so that they flood safely. The Washington State Department of Ecology wrote an excellent guide, Living With the River, which has more essential information that can help you make smart choices to reduce flood risks.

Do you know what the flooding risk is where you live, work, and travel? If you live near a waterway (usually within a quarter of a mile) you might be at risk of flooding. I’ve met a few people who live along the Lewis River who know exactly at what river level their home starts to take on water. Local knowledge is a great source of information. Clark County GIS (Geographic Information Systems) also has maps that can show you the location of floodplains (while you’re there, you may also want to take a look at landslide and earthquake risks in your area!).

You also need to determine how you’ll protect your home and your family from the next flood event. How will you be notified of flood threats? The most reliable source is a NOAA Weather Radio. Other sources are available here. If you need them, where will you get sandbags? Home improvement stores and other local vendors often carry sandbags. During flood events, we’ll let you know where to pick up sandbags through this blog or through news releases. If your home can take on water in floods, you should also consider having sandbags that are ready to go. More information about responding to floods is available on this Washington State Emergency Management Division website.