Drop, Cover & Hold On: Limited Mobility

Pre-Dawn Quakes Near Population Center

Earth tremors were felt, pre-dawn, on February 15th in Salt Lake and Utah valleys.  While this is not unusual – quakes of this magnitude happen several times each year -- these tremors occurred along the Wasatch Fault, close to population centers.

Please, take these events as a prompt, a reminder to move forward on 96-hour emergency kit preparation for your family.  

Additionally, PLEASE, at your earliest opportunity, gather your family and practice DROP, COVER and HOLD-ON in each room of your home.  It is done this way:  DROP carefully to the floor, crawl to a desk or table and take COVER under it.  HOLD-ON to the desk/table to prevent it from shifting, leaving you exposed to falling debris.

Guidelines for Staying Put

Guidelines: Avoid Airborne Danger

Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when it's simply best to stay where you are and avoid any uncertainty outside.

There may be circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as "sealing the room," is a matter of survival.

Accept that Disasters can Affect YOU

In some cases, near instantly:

• Injuries, minor and severe
• Separation from loved ones
• Unprepared to evacuate by auto
• Unprepared to evacuate on foot
• Loss of utilities that are fundamental to our way of life.

Salt Lake City Public Elementary School Campuses for the S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods Catastrophic Disaster Response Program

Backman Elementary School
601 N 1500 W.  84116

Beacon Heights Elementary School
1850 S 2500 E.  84108

Bennion Elementary School 
5775 S Sierra Grande Dr.  84118

Bonneville Elementary School
1145 S 1900 E.  84108

Great Utah Shake-Out -- DROP, COVER, HOLD-ON and a Few Other Tricks

Image Attribution: http://www.earthquakecountry.org/step5/

Let’s get a jump on our annual Great Utah Shake-Out.  April is the time of year that Utah, and other states, living under the threat of a major earthquake, practice simple, life-saving response techniques, review and refresh emergency on-foot evacuation and auto kits as well as take an inventory of home preparations.

Here is a simple action that can save lives and reduce injuries; we refer to it as: Drop, Cover and Hold-On.

7.0 Alaska Earthquake, November 30, 2018, Part One

Alaska Dept. of Transportation & Public Facilities
[CC by 2.0 (https://creative commons.org/Licenses/by/2.0)],
Vial Wikimedia Commons

I had just said good bye to the seniors at Rivers Bend Senior Center in northwest Salt Lake City following my presentation about our County’s S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods catastrophic disaster response program.  

The possibility of a severe earthquake along the Salt Lake segment of the Wasatch Fault was a major topic of my presentation. I talked about Drop, Cover and Hold On and several response strategies.   For me, each talk I give is real because I have experienced three southern California earthquakes.  

Water Storage Myths & Facts

Myth: Treat your water, then store it. Fact: If you use regular tap water, it’s already treated. 

Myth: Don’t store your water barrels on cement. Fact:  Don’t store on heated cement, Cement only leaches chemicals when hot. If storing in garage/patio, raise them. 

Myth: Stored water tastes bad. Fact: It is merely lacking oxygen. Restore by pouring back/forth.