Did You Feel That?

The ground is moving right now below our feet at a staggering rate. The San Andreas Fault moves at a rate of 2 inches per year with the North American plate moving south-east and the Pacific plate moving north-west, about as fast as your finger nail grows a year. It is not a matter of if the big one hits, it’s when the big one hits. Are you prepared? On Monday Jan. 25, the Disaster Council of Redlands met for a presentation by Kathleen Springer of the United States Geological Survey covering the inevitability of an earthquake in our region. Presented in a stimulating visual medium, Springer covered not only the magnitude of the next quake but the fallout as well. Gloria Durgin, a resident of Redlands who has lived in the area for 20 years said, “The manner of the presentation was good. In that it gave you a real visual idea of the magnitude of the earthquake.” Springer’s mission has been to provide comprehensible data to inform the public about the impending earthquake, “To try and get people to wrap their minds around that you live here, you put down roots in earthquake country. You have your financial and familial, you have all of stakes, your eggs in a basket here. So you know, you’re not going to pick up stakes and move to Kansas. You’re going to live here, because it’s really pretty awesome here actually. So you better be prepared.” On average, large earthquakes reoccur on the San Andreas Fault line about every 150 years. The lithospheric plates of the earth’s crust are always moving and have shaped the face of the earth over time. There are over 30 earthquakes every day in Southern California and the likelihood of a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake in the next 30 years jumps from 4.7 percent to 7 percent. Springer went on to dispel some commonly quoted myths that surround earthquakes. • “California will fall in the ocean someday” • “Northridge/ Loma pretty/ etc. was the big one” • “It won’t happen here” • “My house had no damage in past earthquakes, so it is built very well” • “Earthquakes happen in the morning, when it's hot and dry, etc.” • “The most damage is an earthquake is always at the epicenter” • “Scientist really do know how to predict earthquakes but don’t want to cause a panic.” According to Springer it is no myth that the County of San Bernardino is one of the best prepared to face such a disaster, “San Bernardino County has been really ahead of the curve because of their early adoption.” Much has been done to prepare the surrounding area for the next big quake. Most homes are now built with wooden frames that do well during an earthquake. With the help of highly trained engineers and contractor municipalities, a lot of work has been done to up date and improve building codes. The concerns don’t stop once the earthquake hits, the potential for secondary earthquake phenomena can still affect the region. A tsunami and liquefaction are concerns, but the most likely to occur here in the inland region are landslides and fires. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has been training for such an event. They stand at the ready to aid first responders in the event they are needed. CERT member and Redlands resident of 8 years, Nicole Tartoni had this to say “Taking the cert class really prepared me more than I was prepared previously. I come from the east coast and I've lived in Redlands for about 8 years. It’s a different type of emergency here versus back there.” By the end of the meeting, with all the information provided, Springer imparted this one last final word of advice, “My big thing is getting people to care about the ground they’re standing on. What it means to your lives to live here in earthquake country. It’s almost like a really big responsibility; you can't have your head in the sand. It’s going to happen.” If you would like to become a part of the Community Emergency Response Team there will be a 3-day CERT training offered by the City of Redlands. You can find additional information on their website by visiting www.cityofredlands.org/certregistrations It’s going to happen. Be prepared.