Few Agitated by Quake Preparedness Month

Only 11 days left in Earthquake Preparedness Month--are you shaking yet?

During April, Californians are barraged by stern reminders to store water and strap down furniture. Images from the 1994 Northridge quake are dusted off, sixth-graders practice classroom evacuations, and survival shops discount first aid kits.

But is anyone moved?

Some officials worry that the message registers with only a fraction of the region’s vast population. For the rest, they say, any healthy fear created by the Northridge disaster has faded along with the quake’s aftershocks.

“The earthquake business is way down,” said Linda Curtis, spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena. “Most people are focused on other stuff. The talk of the town is El Nino, not the Big One.”

In Orange County, the American Red Cross is canceling monthly earthquake classes in record numbers: No one is showing up. Merchants say earthquake gear sales are off, and Curtis and others say Earthquake Preparedness Month 1998 just hasn’t generated the interest of past years.

“We talk and talk, but I don’t know if anyone is listening,” said Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority. “It’s hard to say whether the message is getting through.”

But there is one certainty: More quakes are coming. About 200,000 temblors have been charted in the region in the past decade, and scientists figure there is an 86% probability that another Northridge-sized quake will hit the area before 2025.

On Wednesday afternoon, a magnitude-3.2 quake rumbled on top of an 11-mile fault that runs from East Los Angeles to Hollywood, and Curtis predicted that the relatively minor jolt would do more to prod preparation than hundreds of public service announcements. “It’s just human nature,” she said.

It’s also human nature to focus on immediate problems, which, in recent years, have meant dealing with fire, floods and mudslides, according to Judy Iannaccone, spokeswoman for the Red Cross in Santa Ana.

“There have been so many disasters in Southern California, maybe everybody is a little desensitized and tired,” she said. “To be honest, we didn’t prepare for this month the way we should have. We didn’t have enough energy. We’ve had our hands full.”

Three out of four earthquake preparation classes scheduled by Iannaccone’s office have been canceled this year, far more than in past years, she said. Curtis added that she and her colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey have had far fewer seminar requests than in the past.

Does that mean no one cares? Perhaps not, argues Henry Johnson, a former firefighter who is familiar to many Californians through his popular earthquake safety videos and appearances on PBS. Johnson says locals have been bombarded on the issue and aren’t showing up for classes because the lessons have been learned.

“Once they’ve heard it all, why go back? A lot of people have made some minimum preparation and get a grasp of the basics, and they move on,” the former Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said. “They make a decision: They say, ‘I’ve done that’ or ‘I need to do this’ or ‘I don’t want to hear it.’ ”

Many people have taken rudimentary steps--they have a cellular phone, a store of water and an out-of-state contact for family members in case local phone service is disabled--and, after the Northridge quake, are “more confidant in the survivability of a big shaker,” Johnson said.

But others interviewed insist those steps are far from enough and that residents should prepare to fend for themselves in a scenario in which power, supplies and emergency services may be absent for days.

“The ATMs will be down, 911 is not going to be working, and you’re not going to be able to get in your car and go to the grocery store,” Iannaccone said. “Someone in your family may require emergency medical care, and you’re going to be the one who is there to help. These are things people don’t like to think about.”

The bare essentials, according to an informal survey of area survival shops, are a flashlight and portable radio with fresh batteries, a first aid kit, water (two gallons per person per day), food for several days, some cash, blankets and comfortable clothes. The Red Cross and many merchants also sell survival kits, ranging from $6 to $180, that contain essentials in a backpack or carrying case.

It is also key to prepare household items for a major quake, Brown said, adding that most injuries during temblors are due to bookcases, televisions and other furniture falling. A variety of straps, bolts and braces is available at hardware stores and survival gear shops.

The list of things to do can be daunting, so Curtis suggests breaking it up over time. She does one thing each month to prepare, from using Velcro patches with adhesive to secure office items (“My pencil holder is Velcroed to my desk. It’s not going anywhere”) to stocking her car trunk with protein bars and water.

Some people roll their eyes at such measures, and say that anyone who fixates on earthquake danger should just move away from Southern California. That’s a familiar refrain for Dave Lebanoff, who for 11 years has run Earthquake Preparedness Products out of an Anaheim storefront.

“Somewhere you have to draw the line between what’s practical and what protects your life,” Lebanoff said. “Some people don’t want to think about it at all. They don’t want to talk about it and that’s that.”

But Lebanoff knows customers will be waiting at his door in the days after the next big shaker, among them some people who thought they would never be interested in water-purifying tablets and solar blankets.

“Then it’ll be a panic-buying situation,” he said with a chuckle. “It always is.”

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How to Prepare

One key to surviving an earthquake is preparation. One way to prepare is to learn the safest spots to duck, cover and hold at your home and work. Some more tips on what to do before, during and after an earthquake:

BEFORE

* Prepare emergency kit with bottled water, portable radio, batteries, candles, matches, flashlights, shovel and wrench set.

* Learn where and how to shut off electricity, gas and water at main switches and valves.

* Secure heavy objects, including water heater and bookcases, to wall studs. Use Velcro fastenings to secure small appliances and other valuables in place.

DURING

* Stay calm. If inside, stay inside. If outside, don’t go near buildings.

* Be prepared for aftershocks. Most will be smaller than the main tremor.

* If driving, pull to the roadside as quickly and safely as possible. Avoid bridges, over- and underpasses and areas near utility poles. Remain in your vehicle, set the parking brake.

AFTER

* Check yourself, family, friends or co-workers for injuries. If trapped, do anything to attract attention to your location.

* Turn on the radio and listen to emergency alerts; stay off the telephone except for emergencies.

* Check utilities and water pipes; shut off main valves to any leaks. Check fireplace and sewage lines for cracks.

WHOM TO CONTACT

For more information on earthquake preparedness, contact:

* The Orange County Fire Authority at (714) 744-0496. Or visit their Web site at https://www.ocfa.org

* The U.S. Geological Survey at https://quake.wr.usgs.gov/hazprep

Source: Orange County Fire Authority