After Northern California Temblors, How Ready is Pasadena for a Major Quake?

In the wake of recent significant earthquakes over recent weeks in Northern California, Pasadena’s top emergency response official said a number of actions are underway locally to better prepare the city for what is considered an inevitability.

“It’s not a matter of if, but when we will have an earthquake,” said Lisa Derderian, Pasadena’s spokesperson and Emergency Management Coordinator. “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.”

Two earthquakes in Humboldt County — one on Dec. 20 and one on New Year’s Day — left two dead and 12 injured. 57,000 lost utilities and critical infrastructure was damaged.

In Pasadena, the city’s seismic retrofitting efforts for soft story apartment buildings is progressing.

“To date, several buildings have completed the retrofit to the City’s technical standards allowing better protection to occupants in these multi-family apartments and condominiums,” Derderian said. “In addition to the retrofitting of multi-family soft story buildings, the City has been working with the State of California, Office of Emergency Services to address the seismic strengthening of older single-family homes on raised foundations.”

Pasadena residents are eligible for the state’s “Brace-Bolt” program where homeowners can apply for a reimbursement grant of up to $3,000 to seismically strengthen the foundation of their single-family home. Homeowners could further prepare their homes for seismic activity by ensuring that their tank water heater is secured and strapped, and by installing a seismic gas shut-off valve for their natural gas service.

Apart from structurally preparing buildings in Pasadena for earthquake impact, Derderian said people should constantly be reminded that a strong quake could strike anytime and they should prepare themselves and loved ones.

Derderian coordinates with the Pasadena Fire Dept. for the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). She said Pasadena has an all-hazards emergency operations plan that is updated every three years.

“We are in the midst of finalizing it and should have it ready by the first quarter of [this] year. Our Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is updated every five years and reviewed by the state and federal emergency leaders,” she added.

For 2023, the City intends to prepare its employees to be able to respond to all types of major incidents and provide the proper training so they’ll know their respective roles and responsibilities day-to-day and when they’re asked to represent their department in the Emergency Operations Center.

Derderian said the City is also using several earthquake apps and early warning systems and is exploring other systems for use in the future.

“Our fire department trains for large earthquakes often in coordination with other urban search and rescue teams throughout the state,” she said. “We have a very highly trained and specialized group who are leaders in creating disaster scenarios so they can perform drills to always enhance response and recovery efforts.”

Based on past events, strong earthquakes have been proven to have negatively impacted electricity and water systems especially in populated zones in California. To prepare Pasadena for such impacts, the City has outlined a citywide plan it describes as having very robust systems in place, and that it assures redundancy in case utilities or water are impacted.

Derderian said the City has also forged agreements with other jurisdictions to consider mutual aid, other resources and personnel from other counties and throughout the state.

Pasadena has also mandated plans and exercises that are performed and reviewed on an annual basis, if not more frequently, Derderian said.