Governor's Office Wellness Council

“Earthquake Preparedness”

Preparing for the unexpected was one of the messages from Lieutenant Governor Gary R. Herbert at the Office of the Governor’s, Wellness and Emergency Management meeting on August 22, 2007. He illustrated this point with a story about his son-in-law who plays the position of receiver on a football team. The unexpected opportunity came for him to be the kicker when a game went into overtime and because the kick was good, his team won the game. He was prepared for the unexpected!

The second point was about long-term storage of supplies. When the Lieutenant Governor visited New Orleans, it was brought home to him that help may not be available for long periods of time after a disaster. He said that even if each person had only had a 72-hour kit when hurricane Katrina hit, many lives could have been saved.

Capitol

Maralin Hoff, DPS-DES, also known as “The Earthquake Lady,” prepared us to ‘train our brain.’ Following are some highlights from the meeting!

Have a plan! Conduct drills! “Get proficient in knowing what to do and how to do it.”
Teach children to remain where they are, either inside or outside until you come for them. Have drills regularly so everyone in the family knows what to do in a given situation. Teach children to yell “Mom, Dad, I am outside. Can you hear me?” if they are outside when an earthquake hits.
Do not run outside if you are indoors and do not run inside if you are outdoors. Take cover and hold on.
Interior walls, closets and hallways are the safest areas because they are away from windows and shattering glass. (You have about four seconds to read safety.)
If you are in a car during an earthquake, pull over and stop when it is safe to do so. Turn your car off if proceeding isn’t possible for awhile. Some people run out of gas when trying to leave a disaster area. Stalled cars clog roadways.
If you are in a store, use the grocery basket to take cover by turning it on its side and protecting your head. Put a child under you in the cart to protect them. Do not run to the door!
Have a buddy system in your family and office. Pair off so everyone can be accounted for and assisted if assistance is needed.
Pictures should be hung with safety hooks and can be velcroed to the wall to keep them from falling.
Strap down heavy furniture and secure heavy wall hangings.
If you are in a basement, stay there. Moving around in an earthquake will only cause you more harm.

Listen to KSL 1160 or another radio station in an emergency for directions and information.
Water storage:

Water stored in the white/clear plastic liter containers should be rotated once a month.
Water stored in the large blue containers can be stored for over a year and may be stored on a concrete floor.
Water in sealed packets will last for years.
Mothers should keep packets of water in diaper bags in case they need to mix formula in an emergency situation.

Renee Murphy, DPS-DES, reminded everyone of the importance of having the proper insurance coverage on our homes. Please check into the cost of earthquake insurance and know the documentation required for a claim!

C.S. Lewis said, “What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.” This is true in more ways than one, especially in preparing for unexpected emergencies. Just take it one step at a time!

By Nancy C. Neilson
Office of the Governor
Wellness Team Leader