+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # Earthquakes                                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| An [earthquake]{.underline} is a sudden slipping or movement of a     |
| portion of the Earth's crust or [plates]{.underline}, caused by a     |
| sudden release of stresses. Earthquake epicenters are usually less    |
| than 25 miles below the Earth's surface and are accompanied and       |
| followed by a series of vibrations.                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The reason that earthquakes are such a risk is because shaking ground |
| can:                                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| -   Cause buildings to move off of their foundations or collapse.     |
|                                                                       |
| -   Damage utilities, structures, and roads.                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Cause fires and explosions.                                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   Cause structural instability, such as dam failures that can       |
|     trigger flash floods.                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Earthquakes can also trigger landslides and avalanches or tsunamis.   |
| After an earthquake, it is important to listen for emergency          |
| instructions.                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| Together, all of these types of damage threaten lives, property, and  |
| the environment.                                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The [greatest]{.underline} likelihood of a major earthquake is in:    |
|                                                                       |
| -   The Western United States, particularly along the San Andreas     |
|     Fault in California and up the Alaskan coast.                     |
|                                                                       |
| -   The New Madrid Fault Zone in Missouri.                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   A few pockets on the east coast.                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Some statistics about earthquakes include:                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   Fifteen percent of the population lives in the zones of potential |
|     major disaster.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   California's 17 million people face the highest risk, followed by |
|     the residents of Washington State.                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   Four million people are within the destructive reaches of the New |
|     Madrid Fault.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| -   Residents of Massachusetts, North Carolina, and South Carolina    |
|     are also at risk.                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # Earthquakes (Continued)                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Hundreds of tremors are felt each year, particularly in California.   |
| Major earthquakes are rare, however. Five major earthquakes have      |
| occurred in the last century in the United States. They occurred in:  |
|                                                                       |
| -   San Francisco, 1906 (2,000 lives lost).                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Alaska, 1964 (131 lives lost).                                    |
|                                                                       |
| -   San Fernando, California, 1971 (65 lives lost).                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   Loma Prieta (Northern California), 1989 (66 lives lost).          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Northridge (Southern California), 1994 (61 lives lost).           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| There is no seasonal or yearly cycle of earthquake occurrence;        |
| earthquakes can happen at any time. Major earthquakes appear to occur |
| in cycles of between 50 and 275 years. It is likely that an           |
| earthquake will hit California and perhaps other parts of the United  |
| States in the next decade or two.                                     |
|                                                                       |
| An earthquake may last for seconds or minutes, while aftershocks may  |
| occur for months after the main earthquake.                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Earthquakes are classified, based on the [Richter Scale]{.underline}, |
| as:                                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   Small: 5.0-5.9.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   Moderate: 6.0-6.9.                                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   Major: 7.0-7.9.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   Great: 8.0 or greater.                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Richter Scale has a logarithmic base, so each increment on the    |
| scale is multiplied by a factor of 10. For example, an earthquake of  |
| magnitude 8.6 would not be twice as violent as one of 4.3, but rather |
| would be 10,000 times worse.                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # Earthquakes (Continued)                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## Earthquake Safety                                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| It is recommended that you:                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Develop a home earthquake plan]{.underline} so that you know     |
|     what to do during and after an earthquake.                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Conduct earthquake drills]{.underline} with your family or       |
|     coworkers. Locate safe spots (e.g., under a sturdy table), and    |
|     identify danger zones (e.g., near windows).                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Develop a plan for reuniting all family members]{.underline}     |
|     after an earthquake occurs.                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Identify an out-of-state contact]{.underline} for family members |
|     to phone.                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Keep supplies on hand]{.underline}, including food and water for |
|     3 days, a flashlight with extra batteries, a portable radio, a    |
|     fire extinguisher, and tools.                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   [Store heavy and breakable objects on low shelves]{.underline}.   |
|     Weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products should be stored |
|     on bottom shelves or in closed cabinets with latches. Chemicals   |
|     will be less likely to create hazards if they are stored in       |
|     lower, confined locations.                                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Secure bookshelves, water heaters, and tall                      |
|     furniture]{.underline} to wall studs. Install latches on all      |
|     cabinets, and anchor overhead lighting fixtures. Secure items     |
|     that might fall, such as televisions.                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   Have a licensed professional [install flexible pipe]{.underline}  |
|     to avoid gas or water leaks.                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Move beds away from windows]{.underline}.                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Move or secure hanging objects]{.underline} over beds, couches,  |
|     and other places where people sit or lie.                         |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Keep shoes and a flashlight under the bed]{.underline}. Keeping  |
|     shoes under the bed ensures quick access to prevent cutting feet  |
|     on glass and reduces the risk that glass could fall into them.    |
|                                                                       |
| You should hire a structural engineer to evaluate your home. Ask      |
| questions about home repair and strenthening for exterior features,   |
| such as porches, decks, sliding doors, canopies, carports, and garage |
| doors.                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # Earthquakes (Continued)                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| To stay safe during an earthquake, you should:                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Drop, cover, and hold]{.underline}. Move only as far as          |
|     necessary to reach a safe place. Most persons injured in          |
|     earthquakes move more than five feet during the shaking.          |
|                                                                       |
| -   [If indoors, stay there]{.underline}. Many fatalities occur when  |
|     people run outside, only to be killed by falling debris from      |
|     collapsing walls. It is safer to stay indoors until the shaking   |
|     stops and it is safe to exit. When going outdoors, move quickly   |
|     away from the building to prevent injury from falling debris.     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   [If outdoors, find a spot away from buildings, trees,             |
|     streetlights and power lines, and overpasses]{.underline}. Drop   |
|     to the ground and stay there until the shaking stops. Injuries    |
|     can occur from falling trees, street lights and power lines, or   |
|     building debris.                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| -   [If in a vehicle, pull over at a clear location and               |
|     stop]{.underline}. Stay in the vehicle with seatbelt fastened     |
|     until the shaking stops.                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Provide the following tips based on the area in which you live:       |
|                                                                       |
| -   [If in a high-rise building]{.underline}, expect the fire alarms  |
|     and sprinklers to go off during an earthquake. Check for and      |
|     extinguish small fires. Do [not]{.underline} use the elevators.   |
|                                                                       |
| -   [If in a coastal area]{.underline}, move to higher ground.        |
|     Earthquakes often generate tsunamis.                              |
|                                                                       |
| -   [If in a mountainous area or near unstable slopes or              |
|     cliffs]{.underline}, be alert for falling rocks and other debris  |
|     that could be loosened by the earthquake. Also, watch for         |
|     landslides that could be triggered by the earthquake.             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| # Earthquakes (Continued)                                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| After you have taken care of yourself, you should:                    |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Look for and extinguish small fires]{.underline}. Fire is the    |
|     most common hazard following earthquakes. Extinguishing small     |
|     fires and eliminating fire hazards will minimize the risk of a    |
|     fire getting out of control.                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Clean up spills]{.underline}. By cleaning up medicines,          |
|     bleaches, flammables, and other spills, it is possible to prevent |
|     many small but potentially dangerous hazardous-materials          |
|     emergencies.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Inspect the home for damage]{.underline}. Aftershocks can cause  |
|     additional damage to unstable buildings. If there are major       |
|     cracks in the chimney or foundation or if the home or utilities   |
|     have been moved by the earthquake, get everyone out of the home.  |
|     Take photographs of the home and its contents to document         |
|     insurance claims.                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Help neighbors]{.underline} who may require assistance.          |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Tune to the Emergency Alert System (EAS)]{.underline} for        |
|     emergency information and instructions.                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   [Expect aftershocks]{.underline}. Aftershocks often occur         |
|     minutes, days, or weeks following an earthquake. When aftershocks |
|     occur, drop, cover, and hold.                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Earthquake Myths and Facts**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Use a doorway for protection during an earthquake.        |
| *Myth:** |                                                           |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | While doorways can provide adequate protection during     |
| *Fact:** | small earthquakes, doorways should not be used for        |
|          | protection because:                                       |
|          |                                                           |
|          | -   Not all doorways are built into the physical          |
|          |     structure of a building.                              |
|          |                                                           |
|          | -   Many doorways are too large for children or shorter   |
|          |     adults to use correctly for protection.               |
|          |                                                           |
|          | -   Even if they are part of the building's structure,    |
|          |     doorways can provide protection for only one person.  |
|          |                                                           |
|          | -   Earthquakes with moderate to extreme ground motion    |
|          |     can cause a person using a doorway to fall out of the |
|          |     doorway or become injured when attempting to get to   |
|          |     the doorway.                                          |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Animals can sense earthquakes and give advance warning.   |
| *Myth:** |                                                           |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Animals may be able to sense the first low-frequency      |
| *Fact:** | waves of an earthquake that occur deep within the Earth,  |
|          | but the damage-causing primary and secondary waves follow |
|          | just seconds behind. Animals do not make good earthquake  |
|          | warning devices.                                          |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Big earthquakes always happen in the early morning.       |
| *Myth:** |                                                           |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Although several recent earthquakes have occurred in the  |
| *Fact:** | early morning, others, including the 1990 Upland          |
|          | earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, occurred  |
|          | in the afternoon. It's easy to remember earthquakes that  |
|          | fit the morning pattern and forget those that don't.      |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Beachfront property in Arizona . . .                      |
| *Myth:** |                                                           |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | The motion of the plates is horizontal, not vertical.     |
| *Fact:** | California will not drop into the ocean, even following a |
|          | great earthquake.                                         |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | Good building codes mean safe buildings.                  |
| *Myth:** |                                                           |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| *        | The tragedy of Kobe, Japan, is a good reminder that the   |
| *Fact:** | best building codes in the world do nothing for buildings |
|          | that were built before the codes were enacted. Fixing     |
|          | problems in older buildings is the responsibility of the  |
|          | building's owner.                                         |
+----------+-----------------------------------------------------------+

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Earthquake Myths and Facts**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  ----------- -----------------------------------------------------------
  **Myth:**   Scientists can predict earthquakes.

  **Fact:**   No scientist or university has successfully predicted an
              earthquake's time within days, nor do they expect to be
              able to do so in the near future.
  ----------- -----------------------------------------------------------

**Source:** Southern California Earthquake Consortium, University of
Southern California.

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