We have all watched in horror at the news out of Japan following their massive earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis.
The images of toppled buildings, destroyed roads and rails, fires, and thousands of now homeless people, some standing in the snow, will remain in our minds forever. As we watch, most of us are probably confronted with the realization that an event like this has happened in our area before and could happen again.
The earthquake in Japan measured a magnitude of 9.0, the fourth largest quake on record since 1900. At the time this was written, 496 aftershocks had been recorded. This quake is similar in size to the Cascadia subduction zone quake that occurred off our own coast in January 1700. Though the Cascadia quake occurred more than 300 years ago, we can expect that another similar event will occur in the future.
Of equal, or even greater, concern is the threat of a large earthquake along the Seattle fault, which runs directly underneath the city of Seattle. Either event would cause massive destruction and disruption in our area and would require that residents be prepared to take care of themselves for a significant length of time.
Just as we are seeing in Japan, a country that is considered one of the most prepared in the world, response and cleanup activities take a very long time in such a large event.
Most people fear large-scale disasters. While that is a perfectly logical reaction, there are many steps that individuals can take to prepare themselves and their families, helping ensure everyone’s safety and survival after a disaster of any kind.
Not only does preparedness help keep you safe, it helps lessen the fear of an unknown disaster, since you can take concrete steps to get ready right now.
Some people accuse disaster preparedness experts of trying to scare people into preparedness activities. In fact, the opposite is true. Experts want you to be prepared in order to reduce fear and to help ensure your survival after a disaster.
Things you can do
While there are many things you can do to prepare for disaster, there are some basic, low-cost activities you can do right now:
• Make a disaster plan for your family, or review the one you already have
• Build a disaster kit for your home, car, work, school, and pets. Start small, with containers and supplies you can find easily at second-hand stores or dollar stores. Pick up an extra can of food every time you shop and add it to your kit.
• Establish an out-of-state contact and make sure your whole family has that person’s contact information with them all of the time.
• Check to see if your employer has disaster plans in place and see what your role is there in a disaster.
• Review the disaster plans of your children’s schools so you know what to expect if something happens.
• Sign up for free emergency phone, text, and e-mail alerts (available on the City of Auburn website)
• Attend a disaster preparedness class. The City of Auburn is offering a free “Disaster Preparedness on a Limited Budget” class on April 9 and again on April 12. Other classes can be scheduled for groups or neighborhoods. The American Red Cross also offers free disaster preparedness training.
• Attend disaster preparedness training. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is offered by the City in April. You can also take first aid and CPR classes from Valley Regional Fire Authority, the American Red Cross, or other providers. Don’t forget to learn pet first aid too!
The City of Auburn Office of Emergency Management recommends that everyone be prepared to take care of themselves for a minimum of 72 hours after a disaster, but encourages people to be prepared for at least seven days of limited services.
You can find information about emergency preparedness, including upcoming classes and disaster kit recommendations, on our website at www.auburnwa.gov/disaster. If you have questions, feel free to contact us at emergencyprep@auburnwa.gov or by calling 253-876-1925.
Sarah K. Miller is the emergency preparedness manager for the City of Auburn.
