The Big Quake is Yet to Come

A little while ago there was a news conference on the state of things in Los Angeles since the earthquake.  There doesn’t seem to have been much damage, but councilman Greig Smith, known by other council members as “Mr. Earthquake,” had some strong words for us in Southern California.  I asked Rob to type them up for me since he is a faster typist than I am and thanks to TiVo and its pause feature I can share this with you now:

News Conference of Los Angeles City Council

July 29, 2008, 2:00 p.m.

Council Member Greig Smith (“Mr. Earthquake”):

Thank you Councilman Greuel, and I want to thank you on the very succinct statement on the status of the city of Los Angeles right now.  I think it is important to remind people that what we experienced today is a reminder of what’s yet to come.

According to the experts at USGS, at Cal Tech, at the USC Earthquake Center the big one is yet to come.  What we experienced in 1994 was not the big earthquake.  It was a bad earthquake, but not the big one.  Today’s reminder is that the big quake is yet to come.

It’s going to be a 7.9 to 8.1 on the San Andreas Fault in the next decade.  That will bring significant damage throughout the region.

In 1994 our police and fire departments were able to call upon mutual aid from other cities.  We will not have mutual aid if that quake hits as predicted.  We will be on our own as a city and as individuals and everybody must be prepared in their home.

You must have water; you must have canned foods; you must have a flashlight with batteries and a transistor radio to keep informed of what’s going on because you may be on your own for up to three or four days this time.  So please be prepared.

Southern California is going to practice the first large earthquake drill in American history in November.  It’s called The Great Shakeout.  Five counties: Los Angeles County, Ventura, I believe San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange, are all going to participate in earthquake drills in November.  We are also hosting an international conference of experts in November here in Los Angeles to really focus on earthquakes.  If people are interested in information about that they can go to www.shakeout.org for information about how to be prepared in your homes and what is coming in November.

But this has been just a reminder of things to come.  We are going to have one of the largest earthquakes in modern American history in this region in the next decade.  People need to prepare.

I’m very proud of what we have in Los Angeles.  I want to reiterate what Ms. Greuel said.  Our police and fire departments are the best prepared in America.  They drill constantly for these emergencies and I am very confident they will do what they can.  But what we are expecting coming some time this decade far exceeds our ability as a city, or any city in America, to respond so people need to prepare.

Thank you very much.

This also seems like a great time to remind you about the awesome e-books available at Totally Ready:

“Mother Hubbard:What She’s Doing Now: A Simple Approach to Food Storage in the 21st Century”

The all-inclusive guide to food storage in the 21st century.  Includes an interactive inventory and a food storage calculator (Microsoft Excel). Offers practical advice and insights from expert author, and founder of TotallyReady.com Carolyn Nicolaysen.  Her invaluable wisdom will help guide your family as you strive to prepare for the expected—and unexpected—bumps in the road of life.

 “That Won’t Happen To Me” Volume 1

This eighty-one page PDF includes two dozen articles to help you and your family be Totally Ready for whatever comes.