Remember the Loma Prieta Earthquake?

October 20th, 2009

Even folks who weren’t in the Bay Area at the time probably remember because the Loma Prieta Earthquake was televised during the World Series. It was my very first experience of an earthquake. I was on the 10th floor of an office building in the San Francisco financial district. It was literally hard to stand up, and the noise of the building hitting adjacent buildings was tremendous.

Thinking back, what strikes me today as most interesting is that I wasn’t scared, and I had no idea what to do. I had only lived in San Francisco for about a month. I knew California had earthquakes, so I figured it was normal. However, the response from my co-workers screaming “we’re going to die” helped me quickly realize otherwise.  Earthquakes can cause serious damage, and for some people, fear is the norm.

I have worked in emergency management for almost the whole twenty years since the Loma Prieta Earthquake. I now spend much of my days conducting risk assessments and determining mitigation and preparedness strategies. Basically, we play “what-if?” games. What if an earthquake occurs in San Francisco at 5p.m.? How will an earthquake impact the population, infrastructure and businesses?

We’ve all heard the phrase “knowledge is power.” It’s true in the case of disasters. It really pays to understand what hazards may impact you, your family and business. And it pays to know how to prepare and respond. Giving Preparedness is built on the belief that knowledge can save lives. Each of our emergency preparedness gift boxes comes with information and resources that you can use today. I encourage you to share this information with someone you care about.

Tags: earthquake, Loma Prieta
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