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Emeryville Advised to Prepare for "The Big One"

Special to The Emeryville Connection
July 2008

EXPERTS STRESS NEED TO GET READY FOR MAJOR QUAKE ALONG THE HAYWARD FAULT 

A major earthquake on the Hayward Fault, coming to a location near you.

That was the message delivered by an earthquake expert from the U.S. Geological Survey at the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce’s 3rd Annual Earthquake Preparation Luncheon on June 18th. Tom Brocher, Regional Coordinator, Northern California Earthquake Hazards Investigations for the USGS, delivered the sobering message, replete with data, detailed maps and an interesting historical perspective.

“There was a magnitude 6.8 earthquake along the Hayward Fault on October 21, 1868,” Brocher explained. “This quake caused widespread damage in the East Bay and resulted in about 30 deaths.” Why is this relevant today? According to a USGS Hayward Fault Fact Sheet distributed at the luncheon, “USGS scientists describe [the Hayward] fault as a tectonic time bomb, due anytime for another magnitude 6.8 – 7.0 earthquake.”

The difference, of course, is that the East Bay population in 1868 was about 200,000. Hayward had a population of about 500 residents; San Leandro about 400, and Oakland about 12,000. Emeryville as an independent city didn’t even exist then. At that time Emeryville was still an unincorporated portion of Alameda County. Today’s Bay Area population is about 20 times that of 1868, with miles of freeways and thousands of houses, schools, hospitals, pipelines, airports, office buildings and other structures. And most experts believe the Hayward Fault experiences a major rupture once every 140 years.

“The 140 year figure is an average,” Brocher stressed. “The intervals have ranged from a low of 95 years to a high of 160 years, averaging just under 140 years.” Brocher noted that the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was NOT the ‘big one.’ “The next major quake on the Hayward Fault will be along the magnitude – and potentially more devastating – than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.”

Disaster Preparation Resources Available for Residents and

Businesses.

Sandi Swiderski, Director of the American Red Cross Prepare Bay Area Program, stressed the need for disaster preparation and business continuity planning. “Earthquakes are not preventable, and we cannot predict when one will strike,” she said. “But we don’t have to wait until after a disaster happens to be prepared.” There exists a variety of resources easily accessible to the public to help prepare for the next major earthquake. These include:

On-line resources:

The U.S. Geological Survey’s landmark earthquake preparedness pamphlet, Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country,” is available in an on-line downloadable edition, http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/.

“Open for Business,” the nation’s most comprehensive business continuity and disaster planning guide, in PDF format, http://disastersafety.org/projects/?id=2309&category=1170. Presented by the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Business & Home Safety.

California Earthquake Authority. – www.earthquakeauthority.com.

Alameda County Office of Emergency Services – www.acagov.org/emergency.htm.

Governor’s Office of Emergency Services – www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome/.nsf/1?OpenForm

The Department of Homeland Security has an excellent site, www.ready.gov.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), www.fema.gov

Other resources:

Red Cross Disaster Services -- Prepare Bay Area! Sign up for FREE Disaster Preparedness Courses.

Contact the American Red Cross at 510-595-4459, or CPS.English@usa.redcross.org. Also check out the Prepare Bay Area banner ad on the home page of the Chamber’s website, www.emeryvillechamber.com.

Your Civic Health – Disaster Preparation Resource Center. As one part of our six-part Healthy City Initiative the Emeryville Chamber is committed to having ALL CHAMBER businesses and residents adopt a disaster preparedness plan THIS YEAR! Contact the Chamber for materials from the American Red Cross/Prepare Bay Area Program and the US Geological Survey