April Is National Earthquake Awareness Month: Are You Prepared?

With the devastation of Japan’s earthquakes on everyone’s mind it is appropriate that April is National Earthquake Awareness month.  Let’s take a moment to make sure we are all prepared for our next quake.

What should you do when the earth starts moving?

• If you are inside a building, duck, cover, and hold. Duck under a heavy desk, table, bench, or against inside walls. Cover your head and neck with one hand.  Use the other hand to hold on to the table or desk above you and be prepared to move with it if the shaking causes it to move. Stay away from glass, particularly windows and glass doors. 
• If you are outside, move to an open area and away from buildings, streetlights, trees, utility wires and other objects that could fall.
• If you are in an automobile, stop and stay in it until the shaking ends. Avoid stopping near trees and power lines or on or under overpasses or bridges.

Stay informed:

• Register your cell phones with Alert San Diego (www.readysandiego.org) to receive reverse 911 calls during emergencies.
• Listen to 600 AM KOGO for official emergency information

Your recovery from the emergency may greatly depend on your level of preparedness before the emergency happens.  Take time now to prepare, visit www.heartlandfire.org, www.readysandiego.org or www.sdarc.org for preparedness tips.

Press release courtesy of Heartland Fire & Rescue.