Ready for the ‘Big One’? Shakeout Earthquake Drill Is a Reminder as We Wait for the Inevitable

Among the con’s to living in sunny southern California where the weather is ideal and life is good is the fact that we live right above a large scale seismic fault that can cause catastrophe in a moments notice.

Today a number of institutions city-wide are going practice how to drop, cover and hold at 10:20 a.m. as a part of the Great California Shakeout Drill that encourages disaster preparedness as we await the arrival of an inevitable large scale earthquake that scientists expecting to occur in the region any time now.

“It’s not a matter of if, but when we have an earthquake. It’s going to happen and unfortunately people get complacent. The more you practice and train the better off you’ll be when the situation occurs,” said Pasadena Fire Department Spokeswoman and Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Coordinator Lisa Derderian.

The annual Shakeout drill that promotes the drop, cover and hold tactic is nothing new for residents that have lived here for a long duration of time. The greater message behind this initiative is to get people active in understanding that taking the time to prepare for a high magnitude earthquake is urgent and necessary.

“When incidents like the swarm of small quakes we just had in the Salton Sea or even large earthquakes in other countries happen people here tend to start paying more attention and become prepared at the last minute which is something we should try and avoid,” said Derderian who referred to the recent events reported by the U.S. Geological Survey where nearly 200 small earthquakes that struck the Salton Sea in a one day period in late September.

Caltech scientists recenty discovered unexpectedly deep earthquakes on the Newport-Inglewood fault in Long Beach which prompts us to rethink current ideas about how deep can earthquakes propagate.

This is important because the deeper an earthquake grows, the bigger its magnitude is, according to Jean-Paul Ampuero of the Caltech Seismology Laboratory.

“The Shake Out scenario is based on our best available science and engineering. It provides a concrete picture of the effects of the ‘Big One’. Understanding the danger we face helps us prepare better. It also helps us debunk common myths and refocus on the real hazards,” said Ampuero.

Many people mention the idea of the region being overdue for a large scale quake and scientists agree with this notion.

According to Ampuero, Geological analysis shows that the San Andreas fault can generate big earthquakes every 150 years or so with the last earthquake on its central portion having occurred in 1857.

“That is why we say we are overdue for a Big One in southern California,” said Ampuero.

Several institutions city-wide will participate in the Shakeout drill including over 2,000 city employees, businesses, PUSD and private schools, according to Derderian.

“PUSD continues to make greater investments in safe schools with increased preparation and training for all levels of staff on campuses year-round. The Shakeout is an opportunity to test systems and strengthen the safety infrastructure of our schools. It is also an opportunity for families to test their own emergency preparedness plans,” said PUSD Superintendent Brian McDonald.

Campuses like Pasadena Christian School take this drill very seriously.

“We do this because we know living in southern California that the probability of major earthquake is very real. We take it much more serious than any other security measure that we do with the school. Children all bring in their own emergency earthquake kits and the school is also well supplied and able to take care of the children for a number of days,” said Pasadena Christian School Admissions Director Betty St. Peter.

Every staff member has a specific role and parents are assigned to designated areas where they can pick up their children. The faculty are presented with different disaster scenarios throughout the drill to encourage thorough practice in carrying out proper measures of safety.

“The Shakeout is a great opportunity for us to go one step further form our regular earthquake and fire drills that we do. Our teachers have to think on their feet in very real life situations that we present them with,” said St. Peter.

Being prepared is only one part of the equation, according to Derderian.

“It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors whether that’s in a work environment, schools or home. We are really trying to reinforce all of these concepts during the Shake Out,” said Derderian.

To learn more about how you can become educated about disaster preparedness, visit:

http://ww5.cityofpasadena.net/fire/disaster-preparedness/ and http://www.shakeout.org/