Earthquake information sources

The Association of Bay Area Governments has a lot of info (earthquake hazards maps and information, including estimate of levels of disruption to transportation systems - look up your neighborhood, and your route to work or school) at:

http://quake.abag.ca.gov/

You can find detailed maps (with zoom in capability) of potential road closures, risk of liqufaction and flooding (including if a local dam fails during a quake), such as this map of potential Bay Area road closures after a San Andreas fault 7.2 quake,

Especially useful

--On Shaky Ground-- Ground shaking hazard maps for Bay Area cities,

--Preparing for Traffic-- maps and safety tips for driving in traffic after disasters

-- Hazmat Incidents and Dam Failure-- click on the links that take you to dam failure and see if your home could be flooded after a quake

The PG&E guide with lots of pictures, on how and when to turn off your gas is at:

http://www.pge.com/en/mybusiness/edusafety/gaselectric/turngasoff/index.page

You might want to print a copy of it.

The City of San Leandro has extensive material. Go to

http://www.sanleandro.org/

and search for earthquake

Take a quiz to find out if you home can stand up in a quake.

Download a booklet that answers these questions:

Can homes really be made stronger?

Do I need a building permit from the city or county? How much do permits cost?

How do I find an experienced contractor?

Do I sometimes need an engineer?

Can I do any of this strengthening work myself?

How much will this cost me?

How can I get the money to pay for this?

And find a dozen more links at:

http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/fixit/

Los Angeles Fire Department has a really good website at:

http://lafd.org/eqbook.pdf

with these sections:

Earthquake Tips, Family and Home Planning,

Home and Office First Aid Kits, Useful Supplies and Equipment,

Family Earthquake Plan, Safe Drinking Water,

Portable Auto Survival Kit, Fire Extinguishers,

Emergency Lighting, Emergency Food Supplies and Cooking,

Shutting Off Utilities, Securing Heavy Furnishings,

Securing Your Hot Water Heater, Helping Children Cope with Disaster,

Adult Coping with Disaster, Emergency Communications

USGS earthquake info link http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/faq/

topics at the USGS site:

Dictionary of Earthquake Terms; Current Earthquake Information;

Common Myths about Earthquakes (including the triangle of life, animals predicting quakes, posistion of the moon and planets);

Earthquakes, Faults, Plate Tectonics, Earth Structure;

Measuring Earthquakes; Seismographs;

Earthquake Effects & Experiences;

Probabilities, Seismic Hazard & Earthquake Engineering;

Earthquake Prediction (with links to a dozen scientific studies);

Historic Earthquakes and Earthquake Statistics;

Nuclear Explosions and Seismology;

Regionally-specific Earthquake Information; Earthquake Preparedness

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Did You Feel It? is a website where you can look to see if that really was an earthquake you felt, and where you can report one. You select from regions: California, Alaska, Hawaii, Western Mountain, Pacific Northwest, Northeast, Central US, Puerto Rico & US Territories, and Other countries.

The site says: "This is a U.S. Geological Survey project to collect information about ground shaking following significant earthquakes. You can help us by filling out a questionnaire for each earthquake you feel. A Community Internet Intensity Map will be made and updated every few minutes following a major earthquake. At first only a few ZIP codes will have intensities assigned, but over time others will be assigned as data comes in. Check back often and watch the maps change!"

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/

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The American Red Cross and the CDC created a website on terrorist incidents:

"The possibility of terrorist incidents in the United States concerns many people. To help, the American Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have teamed up to answer common questions and provide guidance on steps you can take now to protect you and your loved ones."

http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/terrorism

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Also, here on my website:

Earthquake and pets advice

Helping Children Cope With Disaster

Disaster Supplies

Store water for after an earthquake

Babysitter Consent and Contact Form

earthquake home hazards survey

A family (and babysitters, caregivers, overnight guests) disaster plan is at:

Disaster planning

Overwhelmed by the amount of things to do to prepare for a disaster?

Try: Fast, easy, cheap earthquake preparedness for the first to do.

Call 1-800-480-2520 to get a copy of 'Are you ready? A guide to citizen preparedness' with some of the above information and technological and man-made hazards including national security emergencies.

Video - available on the Santa Clara County Library system - and legal to copy for your own personal use.

An Ounce Of Prevention: Strengthening Your Wood Frame House For Earthquake Safety,

by the Bay Area Regional Earthquake Preparedness Project

library # V.C.693.852 Ounce

The phone number listed on the video to get information mailed to you from the Calif. Office of Emergency Services has changed - it is now (510) 286-0873. They'll send you a big packet of home and/or business preparedness tips.

Video Earthquake: Home Safe Home, by the Owner-Builder Center library # V.C. 693.852 Earthquake

An earthquake early warning alarm system could give people seconds to ten of seconds warning of a major quake. Transit trains could be stopped, fire and ambulance services alerted, and warnings could be sent to home computers and cell phones in the region. Traffic lights xcould all be nmade to turn red, stopping traffic before a bridge or a busy intersection. Nuclear power plants could stop operations and refineries could islolate tanks and vulnerable pipelines. People could duck, cover and hold on instead of being knocked off their feet.

Yes, there could be false alarms, but practice at getting under a desk is worthwhile.

Japan has a working system. http://elarms.org/