Running head: PBAD201-1303B-03 P4IP P4IP 2 PBAD201-1303B-03 P4IP Colorado Technical University Instructor: Professor Knetzger Connie Hutson 15 September 2013 PBAD201-1303B-03 P43IP Colorado Technical University Instructor: Professor Knetzger Connie Hutson 15 September 2013 Earthquake Preparedness Every disaster has different effects. It can cause permanent damage or temporary inconvenience. This research paper seeks to illustrate how to avoid terrible outcomes of unexpected earthquakes. Every disaster, if prepared for can cause less damage. An earthquake is one natural disaster that has a high rate of damage in its after effects. It is known as the abrupt and fast shaking of the ground caused as rock breaks and shifts due to the strain that has accumulated over a long period (Walker 2008). Earthquakes are one of the major disasters not anticipated, and they end up causing irreparable damage. This paper will use a sample of the San Francisco Bay area. It has a population size of 7,150,739 people as at the census taken in 2010. The Bay Area sits at border where a couple of the earth’s biggest tectonic plates intersect and pass each other. Sometimes, the boundary faults may break. Then the North American plate hurls at the Pacific Plates. This is when an earthquake occurs. The area has had a number of earthquakes, a trend that scientists cannot take to be random. Some of the earthquakes have a magnitude of 6 and even higher. There is a high frequency of earthquakes. It is estimated that there is a 50% probability that in the next thirty years there will be more occurrences of the same magnitude. Ranging from 1836 to 1911, there was an alarming 18 earthquakes. The Earthquake that occurred in 1906 caused a great strain. This is believed to be the reason for the reduction in earthquakes since only one followed that. The Loma Prieta earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1. It occurred after 1979 (Walker 2008). Factors that make this area suitable for my proposal are the population of bay area is considerably high, and a great number of people will be affected by an earthquake should it occur. The reason for this is that the area is strategically located between two tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquake occurrence. In addition to this, the continual damage proves that the area needs to take up measures to keep it free from more damage. It could gain from learning about disaster preparedness. These strategies would eliminate the greater risks by foreseeing them and training the residents. From studies carried out bay area is prone to the occurrence of earthquake especially in the future due to the factors mentioned above. Furthermore, only a few individual poses the disaster management skills, which increases fears and further affect the area economic ...

1. Running head: PBAD201-1303B-03 P4IP
P4IP
2
PBAD201-1303B-03 P4IP
Colorado Technical University
Instructor: Professor Knetzger
Connie Hutson
15 September 2013
PBAD201-1303B-03 P43IP
Colorado Technical University
Instructor: Professor Knetzger
Connie Hutson

2. 15 September 2013
Earthquake Preparedness
Every disaster has different effects. It can cause permanent
damage or temporary inconvenience. This research paper seeks
to illustrate how to avoid terrible outcomes of unexpected
earthquakes. Every disaster, if prepared for can cause less
damage. An earthquake is one natural disaster that has a high
rate of damage in its after effects. It is known as the abrupt and
fast shaking of the ground caused as rock breaks and shifts due
to the strain that has accumulated over a long period (Walker
2008). Earthquakes are one of the major disasters not
anticipated, and they end up causing irreparable damage. This
paper will use a sample of the San Francisco Bay area. It has a
population size of 7,150,739 people as at the census taken in
2010. The Bay Area sits at border where a couple of the earth’s
biggest tectonic plates intersect and pass each other.
Sometimes, the boundary faults may break. Then the North
American plate hurls at the Pacific Plates. This is when an
earthquake occurs.
The area has had a number of earthquakes, a trend that
scientists cannot take to be random. Some of the earthquakes
have a magnitude of 6 and even higher. There is a high
frequency of earthquakes. It is estimated that there is a 50%
probability that in the next thirty years there will be more
occurrences of the same magnitude. Ranging from 1836 to 1911,
there was an alarming 18 earthquakes. The Earthquake that
occurred in 1906 caused a great strain. This is believed to be the
reason for the reduction in earthquakes since only one followed
that. The Loma Prieta earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1. It
occurred after 1979 (Walker 2008).
Factors that make this area suitable for my proposal are the
population of bay area is considerably high, and a great number
of people will be affected by an earthquake should it occur. The
reason for this is that the area is strategically located between
two tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquake occurrence.

3. In addition to this, the continual damage proves that the area
needs to take up measures to keep it free from more damage. It
could gain from learning about disaster preparedness. These
strategies would eliminate the greater risks by foreseeing them
and training the residents. From studies carried out bay area is
prone to the occurrence of earthquake especially in the future
due to the factors mentioned above. Furthermore, only a few
individual poses the disaster management skills, which
increases fears and further affect the area economic
development. Moreover, only a few numbers of homes have kits
containing tools to protect against loss of life and property
(Lassieur, 2000).
The following steps should be taken before an earthquake:
Each home should be provided with an emergency kit for
preparedness purposes. Each family should also have a plan for
communication, in case they will need to communicate during
the earthquake. In addition, cabinets that are along the walls of
a house should be fastened, so that they do not fall off and
injure a person. Furthermore, the objects that are heavy and can
cause the most damage are rearranged on shelves or placed in
lower places. In addition, the items that are easily broken
should be stored in latched drawers. All piping systems in the
house should be made flexible. This is to avoid leakages of
water or gas. This could accelerate other dangers, such as fires
breaking out. Another step to be followed should be safe spots
within the house. This is where a family knows they can run to
when danger strikes. In case there are children, they can hide in
a place where they will be safe until the danger passes over
(Lassieur, 2000).
Another step would be in case the house has any structural
inhibitions, they should be corrected. An example of this would
be that some houses have cracks along the walls. These walls
should be repaired, since there is a great risk of them falling
apart in case there is an earthquake. It is vital that this advice is
sought from a professional. Drills to follow in case of an
earthquake should be learnt by the family, and plan for:

4. incident command, drop, cover, and hold on, evacuation, search
and rescue, while remaining attentive to after-effect, in addition
to a triage and victim accountability/ reunification (Knetzger,
2013).
Implementing the policy might be costly, because there are
many costs involved, such as training cost, cost of purchasing
equipment, and proper maintenance cost. In addition, failing to
train personnel well in disaster management is another
challenge facing the implementation of the policy; this is where
the trainees have not gained enough skills to be able to tackle
any eventuality. In case an earthquake occurs, they are subdued
by the actual occurrence. There is lack of detailed backup plans.
In case the earthquake is major, there is need to connect with
another department in another state, so that they can be
available to provide the assistance that is needed (Walker
2008).
Some of the necessary equipment is first, the seismometer,
which is more expensive and is larger than a geophone. It is
used to measure and indicate very small movements that occur
at lower frequencies, and costs approximately fifty-five dollars.
Then, there is the velocity sensor, which is used to record small
earthquakes. If a moderate or a large earthquake occurs, the
instrument becomes saturated. Another is the accelerometers,
which are used to monitor earthquakes, both large and
moderate. They are teamed up with seismometers to improve the
range of ground motion that is covered. A time-synchronization
device would help to harmonize other instruments for effective
service delivery. The cost of this is 1% of the project costs of
equipment. Geophones are used to measure the motion that is
present in the ground. They are used in mining for measuring
machine vibrations. These can cost one thousand dollars each,
but the cost varies, depending on the features it has (Lassieur,
2000). The residents should give donations to the kitty. The
justification of this is that since they are the ones who are
affected by the devastating effects of earthquakes, they would
not hesitate. The youth in the society, who are trained by the

5. program, should be engaged in income generating activities.
Some percentage of this income is allocated to the kitty. There
should be a low fee that is charged to every person who is
trained on handling disaster. This way the program will be self-
sustaining. The purchase of the equipment should be done in
bulk. This way, there is the possibility of attracting quantity
discounts. Get a government fund specific to earthquake
traumas.
The trainees are supposed to be retrained every once a year. In
case there is danger of an earthquake reoccurring, retraining
should occur. The families should refresh their skills amongst
themselves. The cost of the personnel training are travel costs,
acquisition of simulation kits for disaster preparedness and the
costs to create virtual realities. It is vital to avert risks that are
associated with earthquakes. It is better to incur preventive
costs rather than loss of life and property, after the damage has
occurred (Walker 2008).
According to Southern California Earthquake Center
(ASCE), in 2008 California began an earthquake preparedness
event, which is called the “Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills.”
Every year on October 17th at 10:17 a.m. (a drill can be at any
time within two weeks of this date) many people globally will
practice how to do what is known as “Drop, Cover, and Hold
On.” The universally accepted "Drop, Cover and Hold On"
protocol to safeguard lives is defined as: “DROP to the ground
(before the earthquake drops you!), Take COVER by getting
under a sturdy desk or table, and HOLD ON to it until the
shaking stops. By participating in this, organization and
families can be prepared to not only survive, but able to quickly
recover from immense earthquakes” (ASCE, 2013). The key
point to remember is to not attempt to move, but to
instantaneously safeguard yourself wherever you may be. In
addition, there are audio files available to play during an
organizations drill; it is called "ShakeOut Drill Broadcast.” A
few very important things to remember are to DO NOT get in a
doorway, DO NOT run outside, and DO NOT have faith in the

6. purported "triangle of life" (ASCE, 2013). This so-called
"triangle of life" is an alternative approach, which is in theory-
life threatening, and the integrity of the source has been largely
questioned (ASCE, 2013). A great link to use for more
information on this is
www.earthquakecountry.org/dropcoverholdon/ .
References
Knetzger, M. (September 12, 2013). Earthquake
Preparedness.pptx, Live session 8,
Instructor’s files. Retrieved from
https://campus.ctuonline.edu/pages/MainFrame.aspx?
ContentFrame=/Home/Pages/Default.aspx
Lassieur, A. (2000). Earthquakes. Mankato, Minneapolis.
Capstone Books. Retrieved
September 11, 2013 from
http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780736805865
Southern California Earthquake Center, (2013). Drop, Cover,
and Hold On! Retrieved from
http://www.shakeout.org/california/dropcoverholdon/
Walker, S. M. (2007). Earthquakes. Minneapolis, MN Lerner
Publications. Retrieved from
https://www.lernerbooks.com/products/s/s562/LB/series#eSourc
e