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Earthquake Preparedness
Why is earthquake preparedness important in Utah?
Utah has experienced damaging earthquakes in the past and geologic evidence indicates that earthquakes larger than any experienced locally in historical time are likely in the future.We must prepare for earthquakes because:
- Utah is a seismically active region
- A majority of Utah's population is concentrated in the areas of greatest hazard
- Many of Utah's older buildings and lifelines have low earthquake resistance
Utah's Earthquake Preparedness Guide
This guide explains what to do before, during and after and earthquake with all the latest information about Utah's earthquake threat.Earthquake Preparedness Information
- Duck, Cover and Hold!
- Tips For Preparing Children
- Tips For The Elderly
- Preparing Your Family for An Earthquake
- How To Secure Your Furniture
- Tips for Apartment and Mobile Home Managers
- Organizing Your Neighborhood
- Tips For Pet Owners
- Tips For The Physically Challenged
Other Links of Interest
- University of Utah Seismograph Stations
- U of U Seismogrpah Stations Earthquake Information Center
- Utah Seismic Safety Commission
- Utah Geological Survery
- State of Utah Division of Emergency Management
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
Personalized Family Emergency Plan
Utah
Utah's Common Weather-Related Risks
Click the links for preparedness information for common weather risks in Utah.
Click the links for preparedness information for common weather risks in Utah.
Despite these risks, there are steps each citizen can and should take to ensure they are prepared for a variety of disasters. We know that disaster preparedness works. We can take action now that will help protect our families, reduce the impact an emergency has on our lives, and deal with the chaos if an incident occurs near us.
Build your own Kit
You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer.
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:
- Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
- Local maps
- Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
- Prescription medications and glasses
- Infant formula and diapers
- Pet food and extra water for your pet
- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
- Cash or traveler's checks and change
- Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) - PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
- Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
- Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
- Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Fire Extinguisher
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
- Paper and pencil
- Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.
Family Emergency Plan
- Identify an out-of town contact. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
- Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins, or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone, program that person(s) as "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.
- Teach family members how to use text messaging (also knows as SMS or Short Message Service). Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not be able to get through.
- Subscribe to alert services. Many communities now have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web site.
Planning to Stay or Go
Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the emergency, the first important decision is whether you stay where you are or evacuate. You should understand and plan for both possibilities. Use common sense and available information, including what you are learning here, to determine if there is an immediate danger. In any emergency, local authorities may or may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for information or official instruction as it becomes available. Further information on staying put or sheltering in place.Emergency Information
Find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area and how you will be notified. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or emergency workers may go door-to-door.Emergency Plans
Use the New Online Family Emergency Planning Tool created by the Ready Campaign in conjunction with the Ad Council to prepare a printable Comprehensive Family Emergency Plan.Use the Quick Share application to help your family in assembling a quick reference list of contact information for your family, and a meeting place for emergency situations.
You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance. Read more: School and Workplace.
NEW Online Family
Emergency Planning Tools
Try the Online Family Emergency Plan (FEP) Tool
No Time for Online Forms?
Download the Family Emergency Plan (FEP) PDF pages, print and fill them in Offline.
Download the Condensed FEP 512 Kb
Download the MS Excel FEP 400 Kb
EARTH QUAKE BASICS
Download the Family Emergency Plan (FEP) PDF pages, print and fill them in Offline.
Download the Condensed FEP 512 KbDownload the MS Excel FEP 400 KbEARTH QUAKE BASICS
An earthquake is the sudden, rapid shaking of the earth, caused by the breaking and shifting of subterranean rock. While earthquakes are sometimes believed to be a West Coast phenomenon, there are actually 45 states and territories throughout the United States that are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes including the New Madrid fault line in Central U.S. Since it is impossible to predict when an earthquake will occur, it is important that you and your family are prepared ahead of time.
QuakeSmart.org will show you how Mitigation can work for you and how to reduce your risks in three steps: Understanding What’s the Risk, Making a Plan and Getting the Work Done. Each step even has a checklist to guide you. Listen to Local Officials
Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government. In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.
For further information on how to plan and prepare for earthquakes as well as what to do during and after an earthquake, visit: Federal Emergency Management Agency, NOAA Watch or American Red Cross.
Step 1: Get a Kit
Get an Emergency Supply Kit, which includes items like non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries. You may want to prepare a portable kit and keep it in your car. This kit should include:- Copies of prescription medications and medical supplies;
- Bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows;
- Bottled water, a battery-operated radio and extra batteries, a first aid kit, a flashlight;
- Copies of important documents: driver’s license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.
Step 2: Make a Plan
Prepare Your Family- Make a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.
- Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
- It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
- You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one.
- Be sure to consider the specific needs of your family members
- Notify caregivers and babysitters about your plan.
- Make plans for your pets
- Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class from your local Citizen Corps chapter. Keep your training current.
Step 3: Be Informed
Prepare Your Home- Fasten shelves securely to walls.
- Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
- Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.
- Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
- Brace overhead light fixtures.
- Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
- Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
- Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
- Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
- Identify Safe Places indoors and outdoors like under sturdy furniture or against an inside wall away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over.
- Find out how to keep food safe during and after and emergency by visiting: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/emergency/index.html
QuakeSmart.org will show you how Mitigation can work for you and how to reduce your risks in three steps: Understanding What’s the Risk, Making a Plan and Getting the Work Done. Each step even has a checklist to guide you. Listen to Local Officials
Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government. In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.
For further information on how to plan and prepare for earthquakes as well as what to do during and after an earthquake, visit: Federal Emergency Management Agency, NOAA Watch or American Red Cross.
Japanese radiation not expected to reach the United States
Japanese Nuclear Plant Problems
(Fact sheet from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality)
News reports about dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant in Japan have prompted heightened awareness here in Utah. Although we don't expect radiation reaching the United States, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and our federal partners are monitoring the situation closely.
No need to take potassium iodine tablets. Although Japanese authorities have distributed these tablets to evacuation centers, there is no need to take potassium iodine tablets to protect the thyroid gland as there is no immediate threat.
State and Federal Agencies monitor hourly for radiation levels. In response to nuclear emergencies, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) works with other U.S. agencies to monitor radioactive releases and predict their path. All the available information indicates weather conditions have taken the small releases from the Fukushima reactors out to sea away from the population. Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.
The U.S. Department of Energy developed the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) to monitor potential releases from the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), formerly the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The program operates a network of 29 monitoring stations located in communities surrounding and downwind of the site.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency operates a national network (RadNet) of more than 200 monitoring stations distributed across all 50 states and the American Territories. Each station regularly samples the nation's air for radioactivity. One is located near our office building in Salt Lake City. More information is available on RadNet-Tracking Environmental Radiation Nationwide.
As events unfold and the potential radiation exposures become better known, we hope to be able to share additional information with you regarding radiation safety. The following are additional Websites to access information:
- International Atomic Energy Agency
- World Health Organization
- American Nuclear Society
- International Radiation Protection Association
- National Academy of Sciences
- Nuclear Energy Agency
- Nuclear Energy Institute
