San Francisco has started using an unusual tactic to convince building owners to shore up their structures to better withstand earthquake shaking – Shame! The city will slap large signs — in multiple languages, with red letters and a drawing of a destroyed building —…
That little earthquake (6.0) in Napa turns out to be helping scientists learn a lot more about that region of California and earthquakes in general. Scientists may be one step closer to understanding how the rumored “Big One” will hit California thanks to new data…
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Napa County and surrounding areas may have caused $4 billion in damage and losses, according to Kinetic Analysis Corporation, a risk assessment firm. The quake, the biggest in the Bay Area in 25 years, buckled roads, shattered wine bottles, and…
The Ready Campaign established four universal building blocks of emergency preparedness: Be informed, Make a Plan, Build a Kit, and Get Involved. America’s PrepareAthon! builds on this foundation by encouraging millions of Americans to focus on a simple, specific activity that will increase preparedness. America’s…
San Francisco and its southern neighbors depend on the San Francisco Water Supply - an ancient water system - for its daily water. Known as Hetch Hetchy – it is the name of a valley, a reservoir and a water system. Back in 1923,…
In the third annual workplace safety survey, Staples (the office supply company) determined of those surveyed only half of employees believe their workplaces are prepared for a severe emergency. The survey found that only half of employees believe their workplaces are prepared for a severe…
This is a plus from the recent string of earthquakes in the Los Angeles area. The LA City Council has instructed building officials to find apartment buildings vulnerable to collapse in a major quake. L.A.'s survey would focus on the thousands of wood-frame buildings similar…
The 20th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake was this January...that 6.7 earthquake killed 57 people, toppled freeways and buildings and seriously damaged housing in the area. The 20 years of earthquake calm has created an overall lack of readiness amongst California residents – thankfully that…
I thought the opening line on the story from the Christian Science Monitor said it best, “Rarely since a Catholic inquisition in Rome condemned Galileo to spend the remainder of his days under house arrest for the heresy of teaching that the Earth revolves around…
The first Great Southern California ShakeOut was held November 2008 and was reported to be the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history involving 5.3 million participants. This drill took place in homes, businesses, schools, places of worship and communities across California. In 2009 it expanded…