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ShakeMap Courtesy of Northern California Seismic System, UC Berkeley and USGS Menlo Park
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A 6.0 magnitude earthquake disrupted much of Napa and American Canyon Aug. 24 when it released its shockwaves along the previously unknown West Napa Fault. The early morning earthquake, the largest to strike northern California since the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake 25 years ago, barely registered to the mostly sleeping Lamorinda population. Yet as residents saw the images of broken glass, fallen brick, ruptured gas and water lines, homes toppled from foundations or on fire, and school closures due to damaged structures, was there a rush to prepare for the next one? What, if anything, did anyone in Lamorinda learn from that near-miss?
Moraga-Orinda Fire District Chief Stephen Healy warned that emergency services may be overwhelmed after a large quake and unable to respond quickly to all the demands. He suggested residents store food, water, flashlights and batteries, and insure their home is properly bolted to its foundation and any masonry is structurally reinforced. Healy suggests joining Lamorinda's Community Emergency Response Team and consider purchasing an earthquake insurance policy.
"The extensive shaking and cracking can demolish entire buildings, destroy homes and possessions, crush cars, close businesses, and interrupt water and power supplies. Unfortunately, none of this damage is covered by a standard homeowners policy," said Farmers Insurance agent and Lamorinda Weekly photographer Gint Federas.
Supplemental earthquake insurance is offered through the California Earthquake Authority (www.earthquakeauthority.com/). The CEA website explains it does not restrict buying or selling their insurance products after an earthquake, but CEA participating insurers may restrict writing of their residential property insurance policies.
The Napa quake was "a good opportunity to talk about what we will be doing when the big one hits," said Lafayette Police Chief Eric Christensen. When the shaking stopped, Christensen sent his officers into neighborhoods to perform "windshield survey" damage assessments. Because his police force has "limited first responder resources," he said he would have tapped neighborhood volunteers for help.
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Dennis Rein, who experienced the Loma Prieta earthquake from inside Orinda Safeway, explained how things would have been different if the earthquake was centered in Lamorinda and struck at 9 a.m. instead. "Kids would have been at school and separated from their parents, the commute would have been in full swing, passengers stranded on BART would be seeking help, people at work and shopping in stores could have added dramatically to the injured."
Residents can learn about earthquake preparedness by participating in this year's Great California ShakeOut (http://www.shakeout.org/california/) at 10:16 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. The ShakeOut drills, which began in 2008, are a way for people in homes, schools and organizations to practice what to do during an earthquake.
Rein said they'll have a chance to exercise the Emergency Operations Centers - a central coordination and control facility - during the ShakeOut, hopefully using lessons learned from Napa to build their capabilities. Duncan Seibert, program director for Lamorinda CERT plans to use Napa post-quake photos to illustrate and promote an upcoming emergency preparedness class in January. "Anyone who has seen the aftermath of an earthquake," said Healy, "understands the devastation one can cause."
For information about the Great California ShakeOut, visit http://www.shakeout.org/california/. For information about Lamorinda CERT, visit www.lamorindacert.org.
For more information about earthquake preparedness, read these stories in the Lamorinda Weekly archives:
http://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0517/Not-Shaken-During-Quake-Drill.html
http://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0602/Seismic-Retrofitting-Lamorinda-Homes.html
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA