Our goal at Emergency Management Associates is to provide tips that assist you to be self-sufficient after a disaster. In the aftermath of the 4.4 earthquake in Los Angeles, many people have asked us to provide some information about what people might do to be prepared for an earthquake. First, I want to give you some background about earthquakes that can happen here in Utah. We know a lot more about earthquakes in California because they happen a lot more often than they do here in Utah. The earthquake that hit LA yesterday happened to be on a fault that scientists did not know much about. There are many faults like that throughout California and many other areas of the United States and throughout the world. Fortunately for those of us in Utah, scientists do know something about the Wasatch Front faults. Utahs Wasatch Front is a desirable place to live, but choosing to live here includes accepting earthquake risk. Earthquakes are part of the earth that we live on; we cant change the fault, but we can learn to live with it. Hazards are present in all regions of the U.S. (hurricanes along the eastern and southern coasts or tornadoes in the midwest, for example); therefore, it is prudent to be aware of what we can do to lessen the risk of damage and injury from natural disasters wherever we live. For What can be done to lessen the risk from earthquakes in Utah? Location, date, and magnitude of significant earthquakes in the Intermountain Seismic Belt (ISB), a zone of earthquake activity that extends about 800 miles from Montana, Idaho through Utah into northern Arizona. (Yellowstone national Park to Northern Arizona) In Utah, movement along faults is mostly vertical; mountain blocks move up relative to the downward movement of valley blocks. The focus is the earthquake’s initial point of rupture (usually miles below the ground surface). The epicenter is the point on the surface directly above the focus. Seismic waves radiate outward from the focus and cause ground shaking, which may be amplified in valley sediments. If the earthquake is large enough, the fault rupture may reach the surface, offsetting the ground surface on each side of the fault. Size of Earthquakes in Utah M 8.0 A 7.5 Major G 7.0 Strong N 6.0 I 5.0 Moderate T 4.0 U 3.0 Light D 2.0 Minor/Very Minor E 1.0 These earthquakes took place on the faults five central segments (Brigham City, Weber, Salt Lake City, Provo, and Nephi). The last large earthquake occurred on the Provo segment, and on the Nephi segment. Large (strong - major) earthquakes (magnitude 6.5 to 7.5) occur, on average, every 50 to 150 years in Utah. The most recent was a magnitude 6.6 event in 1934 in Hansel Valley at the north end of Great Salt Lake. Moderate - strong earthquakes (magnitude 5.5 to 6.5) occur, on average, once every 10 to 50 years in Utah. The most recent was the magnitude 5.8, 1992 St. George earthquake. Magnitude 5.0 and greater earthquakes occur, on average, once every four years in Utah. The most recent events were the 1992, magnitude 5.8 St. George earthquake, and the 1989, magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Salina. • Serious damage can result from the large- and moderate-size earthquakes; even magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can damage vulnerable buildings. Large, damaging earthquakes can happen in many parts of Utah. Therefore, when choosing where to live in this state, we should be aware of the earthquake risk. It is important to know what potential earthquake hazards exist in an area, and what action we can take to reduce the earthquake risk to ourselves and our families. Nobody knows where the next large earthquake on the Wasatch fault will take place. A conspicuous absence of movement on the Brigham City fault segment suggests that the probability of a surface-faulting earthquake there may be greater than on other segments. If earthquakes occur regularly on segments, then the Salt Lake City segment may be next in line for a large earthquake. What Can We Do? Utahs Wasatch Front is a desirable place to live, but choosing to live here includes accepting earthquake risk. Earthquakes are part of the earth that we live on; we cant change the fault, but we can learn to live with it. Hazards are present in all regions of the U.S. (hurricanes along the eastern and southern coasts or tornadoes in the midwest, for example); therefore, it is prudent to be aware of what we can do to lessen the risk of damage and injury from natural disasters wherever we live. For What can be done to lessen the risk from earthquakes in Utah? Get your 72 Hour kits prepared for each member or your family, and put them in a place where they can be easily accessed in emergencies and in case of an evacuation of your home where you can grab them and “run”. Put together a food storage program where you can access your food and not have to run to the store to buy your food during an emergency. Stores will probably become inaccessible and if someone were able to go to the stores, their shelves will probably be bare as has been the case in many other cities and areas throughout the U.S. during weather related emergencies. Keep clothes where you can get to them easily. During emergencies clothes can become a very important item. Make sure that you will be wearing clothes that are sturdy, Jeans and shirts that will protect you from sun, wind and objects that could damage your skin and body. This includes durable shoes/boots with thick soles. Keep cleaning supplies in a safe place as part of your storage program to clean up any messes that might happen or to clean your home from damages that may occur as a result of a natural or man-made emergency. This includes tools that you need for your family’s recovery process after the disaster. (ie, shovels, rakes…) Massive landslides are another major threat. This may happen after an earthquake, heavy rains or floods. Be ready and be prepared.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 14:34:15 +0000
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