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Home , 1964 Alaska earthquake, Hold On (Shut Up), Juan de Fuca Plate

Living on Shaky Ground How to survive and in Copyright 2018, Oregon Office of Emergency Management with help from the Oregon Department of and Mineral Industries. Originally adapted from Humboldt Education Center at Humboldt State University. Reproduction by permission only. Disclaimer: This document is intended to promote earthquake and readiness. It is based on the best currently available scientific, engineering, and sociological research. Following its suggestions, however, does not guarantee the safety of an individual or of a structure. Contributors • Michael Murphy, Coos County • Patence Winningham, City of Eugene • Justin Ross, Multnomah County • Cynthia Valdivia, County • Bonny Cushman, City of Portland • Barbara Ayers, Hood River County • Curtis Peetz, American Red Cross • John Bowles, Morrow County • Virginia Demaris, Lincoln County • Terri Eubanks, City of Ashland • Althea Rizzo, Oregon Office of Emergency Management • Paula Negele, Oregon Office of Emergency Management

ii Oregon Office of Emergency Management Introduction

You can prepare for the What do I do? next quake or tsunami an earthquake you should: During Some people think it is not worth preparing for • If you are indoors, DROP and take COVER an earthquake or a tsunami because whether you under a sturdy table or other furniture. HOLD survive or not is up to chance. NOT SO! ON to it and stay put until the shaking stops. Most Oregon buildings will survive even a large • Stay clear of items that can fall and injure you, earthquake, and so will you, especially if you such as windows, fireplaces and heavy furniture. follow the simple guidelines in this handbook • Stay inside. You may be injured by breaking and start preparing today. If you know how to glass and falling objects if you run outside. recognize the warning signs of a tsunami and • If you are at the coast, walk to higher ground understand what to do, you will survive that away from the ocean as soon as it is safe for too—but you need to know what to do ahead you to move. of time. • If you are driving, move your car as far out of the normal traffic pattern as possible and This handbook will help you prepare for stop if it is safe. Stay away from structures or earthquakes and tsunamis in Oregon. It explains objects that could fall on you, such as bridges, how you can prepare for, survive and recover overpasses, light posts, power lines or trees. from them. It also describes what you can do Stay inside your car. today to save lives, reduce injuries and minimize • If you are in the mountains, or near unstable damage. Government agencies and other slopes, be alert for falling rocks, trees or emergency organizations cannot protect you that could be loosened by the from the next earthquake or tsunami. Even under earthquake. the best of circumstances, medical aid or and law enforcement officials may not be able to an earthquake you should: reach you for many hours, or even days. It is our After • EVACUATE if you are in a TSUNAMI responsibility as individuals, neighborhoods and HAZARD ZONE. Walk inland or to higher communities to reduce risks, to prepare for the ground as soon as it is safe to do so. Do not critical period immediately after the earthquake, wait for official notification. Stay away from the and to make sure that planning for earthquakes coast until officials permit you to return. Check and tsunamis has the high priority it deserves. for injuries. Do not move seriously-injured By becoming informed, we can take actions to persons unless they are in immediate danger. protect ourselves, reduce losses and recover • Check for hazards such as , gas leaks, quickly. downed utility lines and fallen objects. • Clean up any potentially harmful material spills. Expect aftershocks. Aftershocks following large earthquakes can be large and damaging.

Living on Shaky Ground - Introduction 1 Am I prepared to live without the essentials? • Store water at home, work and in your car because drinking water will be in short supply. Answer these questions • Keep at least two weeks’ worth of food and before a disaster medicine on hand for everyone in your family. During an emergency you’ll need immediate • Fill up your gas tank frequently and keep it at answers to many questions. Here are some least half full because gasoline will be scarce. questions you should answer long before a Remember—utilities and water supplies may disaster strikes. be disrupted for weeks. Where will my family be and How will I pay for things? how will I reach them? • Keep cash on hand because banks may • Make sure your family disaster plan includes: be closed and credit cards unusable. -- Children who may be away at school, Remember—ATMs are likely to be out of daycare or at other activities. order. -- Planning for pets or livestock if you are How will I repair the away from home. damage to my home? -- An out-of-the area contact to convey • Examine what your insurance covers and information to other friends and family consider earthquake and/or flood insurance. members. • Minimize losses by taking action to reduce • Discuss your safety and emergency plans your hazards. Remember—construction with everyone in your family. Remember— materials and labor for repairs will be limited phone systems, such as land-based and and costs may increase. cell phones, and Internet communications may be disrupted or overwhelmed almost Do I live, work or visit in a immediately. The road system may also be tsunami hazard zone? damaged making it difficult or impossible to • If you are in a tsunami hazard area, determine travel. your evacuation routes beforehand—you Where will I get medical help? may only have 10 to 20 minutes to reach a • Take first aid and CPR classes to help you safe zone on foot after feeling a very strong respond to medical emergencies. earthquake at the coast. • Plan for back-up power if members of • If you are in a safe area, typically above 100 your family require electricity for life- feet above sea level, stay put. You will not saving medical equipment. Remember—the have to evacuate. Remember—there will be 9-1-1 system will likely be overloaded or no time for an official tsunami warning to completely down, ambulances and emergency reach you if the ground shakes and you are at vehicles will be overwhelmed or have limited the coast. access. Some medical facilities may not be operational.

2 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Earthquakes

Who’s going to save you? Who can you rely on to help you after a disaster? Who will provide you with food, water, shelter You live in earthquake country and medical care? You might be surprised by the Oregon is one of the most beautiful places in answer: You and your neighbors! the to live with its high mountains, A major earthquake or tsunami will likely rugged coast and dramatic vistas. The geologic overwhelm local law enforcement, fire, other forces that have made it a spectacular place to live emergency medical personnel and resources. In also make it one of the most earthquake-prone fact, it may take local, state and federal agencies spots in the continental United States. Forces a week or more to provide the most basic relief. deep within the earth have folded and broken This is particularly true in the many locations on great slabs of the earth’s outer surface to create the coast and in rural areas of Oregon. Getting the Coast Range and the High . prepared today by identifying and mitigating How seriously you and your community are hazards, readying supplies, and developing an impacted and how quickly you recover from the emergency plan may make all the difference to next large Oregon earthquake is largely a matter you and your family during a disaster. of what you know and how well you prepare for the inevitable. It is your personal responsibility to get prepared and to help your family do the same. How well you prepare will directly SUPPLIES FOR affect the quality of life you have following the earthquake or tsunami. FOURTEEN DAYS Oregon Office of Emergency Management recommends that you store enough food and If our planet were the size of an egg, the earth’s water to survive on your own for a minimum outermost layer would be about as thick as the of fourteen days. eggshell. This shell is broken into several pieces called plates, which move about as fast as your In rural areas of Oregon, it may take even fingernails grow. A plate boundary is where one longer for assistance to reach you—plan to be plate meets another. A is an area on your own for at least two weeks or more. where three plates or plate boundaries meet. The vast majority of the world’s earthquakes occur at or near the boundaries between plates. The most seismically active plate boundaries are collision zones where one plate dives beneath an adjacent plate in a process known as . Western Oregon is located on top of one of these zones known as the .

Living on Shaky Ground - Introduction 3 Plate motions load the faults Where earthquakes have Where the Juan de Fuca oceanic plate and the occurred in the past, they will North American continental plate meet is called happen again a subduction zone, because the denser Juan de Fuca Plate is being pulled under . The Juan de Fuca Plate is moving to the northeast MYTH #1: INVEST at about an inch a year as the moves west. The Oregon coastline is IN BEACH-FRONT actually bulging upward from the two plates pushing against each other. PROPERTY IN IDAHO In 1993, a series of damaging earthquakes struck Despite Hollywood movie special effects, Oregon. The magnitude 5.6 Scotts Mills (or large chunks of the coast do not fall into the Spring Break) earthquake caused over $30 million ocean during an earthquake. Earthquakes in damage in the Portland metro area. Two actually help keep the land above sea level. magnitude 6.0 earthquakes hit the Klamath Falls If it weren’t for the uplift associated with area that same year, causing over $10 million in them, all of the continental land masses damage and one fatality. would have been leveled just about to sea level long ago. In a big Cascadia Subduction In the event of a much larger Cascadia Zone earthquake, parts of the Oregon coast Subduction Zone earthquake, the devastation may drop a few feet, but other parts will be would extend from the coast to the Cascade pushed upward even higher. Range, from northern to . The resulting earthquake could be larger than the magnitude 8.8 earthquake and The two magnitude 6.0 earthquakes that hit tsunami that struck Chile in February 2010. the Klamath Falls area in 1993 are the largest Our faults earthquakes in recorded history in Oregon (since 1841). We don’t seem to get a lot of large Faults are weak zones in the earth’s crust where earthquakes like our neighbors to the south the rock on one side has moved relative to the and actually get six times less than the state of other side. Some faults are vertical and the two Washington. sides move horizontally like cars on a freeway. Thrust faults slope like a ramp and the rock Not all earthquakes that affect Oregon are above the is pushed up and over the rock centered here. In 1964, the magnitude 9.2 Great below. The largest faults on earth are thrust Subduction Zone Earthquake generated faults in subduction zones. An earthquake is a tsunami that caused hundreds of thousands caused when the rock, miles below the earth’s of dollars’ damage to coastal Oregon cities and surface, breaks along the fault and the two sides killed four children at the coast. suddenly slip in a process called fault rupture. Types of earthquakes The larger the rupture area, the larger the earthquake. In other words, it takes a very Offshore earthquakes long fault rupturing to be a large magnitude Besides great Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, because magnitude measures the earthquakes, there are many other earthquakes amount of energy released when an earthquake offshore along the and the fault ruptures. Mendocino Triple Junction, areas adjacent to the

4 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Juan de Fuca Plate, where two or more tectonic plates are sliding next to each other. They are usually far enough offshore that they are not felt, but every so often they are large enough to cause damage inland. The magnitude 6.5 earthquake, 33 miles off the coast of Eureka, California in Most earthquake damage January, 2010, caused more than $43 million in is caused by shaking damage. For offshore earthquakes larger than Damage from earthquakes is mainly due to magnitude 7.0, tsunami alerts may be issued. shaking. How strongly the ground shakes in Onshore earthquakes a particular location is a result of earthquake The most damaging Oregon earthquakes in the magnitude, the distance away from the past century were caused by shallow crustal earthquake source, the orientation and type of faults onshore, and earthquakes as small as fault movement, and the type of ground material magnitude 5.0 can cause damage. Geologists such as bedrock or soft soil. An area that did not think these onshore faults are capable of shake strongly in one earthquake may be severely producing earthquakes up to about magnitude affected in another. Many areas of Oregon have 6.5, roughly the equivalent of the earthquake that experienced strong ground shaking in the past struck the area in 1994 that caused and will again in the future. more then $20 billion in damage. Ground shaking can cause poorly-built struc- The Big One – The Cascadia tures to collapse. Seismic design requirements in Subduction Zone Oregon weren’t put in place until the 1970’s, so many older buildings are vulnerable to damage. The world’s largest faults are associated with The most likely result of ground shaking, however, subduction zones and have produced earthquakes is falling items within homes and businesses. Lights, in the M 9+ range! The last great earthquake television sets, bookshelves, cupboard contents on the Cascadia Subduction Zone occurred in and other objects can topple over and injure you! 1700, than 300 years ago. Geologists have found evidence of at least 40 great Cascadia Your home or business may escape major damage earthquakes during the past 10,000 years— in the next Oregon earthquake, but downed and estimate they occur irregularly at intervals power lines, damaged bridges and broken water anywhere between 200 and 800 years. The lines will disrupt infrastructure and could isolate next Cascadia earthquake may be similar to the you at home, at work or in your car. The actions earthquake that set off the 2004 Indian Ocean you take now to plan and to strengthen your tsunami. It could cause strong ground shaking home will reduce your losses. from northern California to southern Earthquakes also cause lasting for up to five minutes. It will also produce damage in other ways a tsunami that could affect not only our coast, Dam failures but other countries throughout the Pacific Basin. Earthquake shaking and fault rupture can sometimes cause dams to fail, potentially creating catastrophic downstream flooding, reduced water supply and contamination. Having an emergency plan that deals with an upstream dam is a good idea.

Living on Shaky Ground - Earthquakes 5 Damaged infrastructure Earthquakes often damage roads and bridges, MYTH #2: SMALL which can hinder rescue and recovery efforts and may cause accidents. Ruptured pipelines result EARTHQUAKES in water loss and can cause “sinkholes” that undermine roads and buildings. PREVENT BIG ONES Damage to gas and electrical systems can cause fires, as well as major service outages. FROM HAPPENING Communications can also be disrupted for long Small earthquakes release very little energy periods of time. compared to large ones. To equal the release of energy of an M 9.0 earthquake, we would Landslides need almost one million M 5.0 earthquakes! Earthquakes can trigger landslides that damage roads, buildings, pipelines and other Hazardous material releases infrastructure. Oregon has steep slopes underlain by loose rock that is highly susceptible to Chemicals, pesticides, and other hazardous landslides. Landslides may temporarily dam rivers materials can be released when industrial plants, and cause a destructive flood hazard when the laboratories, and other facilities are damaged in rivers break through. an earthquake. Destructive fires Earthquake Early Warning Earthquakes and tsunamis are often followed Earthquake early warning systems use by fires because gas lines may break, electrical earthquake science and the technology of shorts cause sparks, damaged water tanks and monitoring systems to alert devices and people broken pipes limit water for firefighting, and when shaking waves generated by an earthquake damaged roads prevent firefighter access. are expected to arrive at their location. The seconds to minutes of advance warning can allow Liquefaction people and systems to take actions to protect Strong ground shaking can cause loose soil and life and property from destructive shaking. The fill to behave like a liquid. Liquefied ground U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration loses its strength causing slumps and fractures with several partners, has been working to that can disrupt roads and cause buried gas and develop an early warning system for the United water lines to break. This hazard is greatest in States. ShakeAlert, a system currently under saturated low-lying areas of loose, sandy soils or development, is designed to cover the west coast poorly compacted fill. states of California, Oregon and Washington. The ShakeAlert system is still under development Surface rupture and is still a few years from being widely Fault movements can break the ground surface, accessible by the public. In the future, you will damaging buildings and other structures and likely receive notices on your mobile device, so breaking pipelines. it is important that you know what to do. Take protective actions by doing DROP, COVER and HOLD ON until the shaking has passed. You can find more information on the USGS website, www.usgs.gov.

6 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Thirty suggestions to make your home earthquake safe

Step 1: Identify hazards 18. Secure top-heavy furniture to studs. 1. Know whether you live, work or play 19. Keep wrench or turn-off tool in in a tsunami hazard zone. waterproof wrap near gas meter. 2. Hang plants in lightweight pots with 20. Know the location of your main closed hooks, well secured to a joist electrical switch (fuse box or circuit or stud and far away from windows. breaker). 3. Store fire extinguisher (type ABC) in 21. Secure water heater with metal easily accessible location. straps attached to studs. 4. Install strong latches on kitchen 22. Trim hazardous tree limbs. cabinets. Step 2: Create a plan 5. Use flexible connections where gas Have your emergency plan accessible lines meet appliances. 23. and discuss with all family members. 6. Remove or lock refrigerator wheels, secure to studs. Step 3: Prepare disaster kits 7. Keep several flashlights in easily 24. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio accessible places around the house. with the Public Alert feature to 8. Secure valuable electronics items notify you of tsunamis and other such as computers and televisions. hazards. 9. Keep breakables in low or secure 25. Keep an emergency backpack with cabinets with latches. copies of important documents near 10. Move heavy plants and other large the door to grab and go. items to floor or low shelves. 26. Keep flashlight, slippers and gloves 11. Hang mirrors and pictures on closed next to beds. hooks. 27. Keep gas tank at least half full. 12. Secure free-standing woodstove or 28. Store emergency food and water fireplace insert. supplies in a dry accessible area. 13. Keep heavy unstable objects away Include first aid kit, extra cash, from doors and exit routes. portable radio, extra batteries, 14. Place bed away from windows or medications and other necessary items that may fall. supplies. 15. Secure knick knacks and other small valuables with museum putty. Step 4: Strengthen your home 16. Brace overhead light fixtures. 29. Use anchor bolts every 4 to 6 feet to 17. Place only light weight/soft items secure home to foundation. over bed. 30. Reinforce brick chimneys.

Living on Shaky Ground - Earthquakes 7 Tsunamis

What is a tsunami? Oregon gets two kinds of A tsunami (soo-nah-me) is a series of waves tsunami - know how to or surges that is most often caused by a large correctly respond to them earthquake offshore. – caused by a large Distant Tsunamis can cause great loss of life and property earthquake elsewhere damage in coastal areas. Very large tsunamis in Pacific Ocean can cause damage to coastal regions thousands • Will take hours before it arrives on the of miles away from the earthquake that caused Oregon coast them. • Only impacts coastline Since 1854, 29 tsunamis have impacted the • Tsunami Warning System effective Oregon coast. Of these, the 1964 Great Alaska – caused by a Cascadia and the 2011 Tōhoku, earthquakes resulted Local in considerable damage to ports and harbors. Subduction Zone earthquake For example, the 1964 Alaska earthquake caused • Will take minutes to arrive on Oregon coast damage to communities such as Cannon Beach • Earthquake shaking is your only warning and Seaside, and cost the lives of four people at • Will impact entire Beverly Beach. In 2011, the Japan tsunami caused millions of dollars in damage to several ports, Only distant tsunamis, which take hours to arrive including the ports of Depoe Bay, Coos Bay and on Oregon’s coast, will have an official warning. Brookings harbor. There isn’t enough time during a local Cascadia tsunami to issue a warning. The Cascadia earthquake shaking is the only warning. You must evacuate as soon as possible!

If the earthquake lasts 20 seconds or more, has strong shaking and you are in a tsunami hazard zone, evacuate to a safe area as soon as you can safely walk.

8 Oregon Office of Emergency Management How will I know if a Official warnings (distant tsunami) tsunami is coming? You may be notified that a Tsunami Warning has You may find out that a tsunami is coming been issued via NOAA weather radios, TV, radio in two ways: stations, social media, door-to-door contact by emergency responders, or in some cases, by out- Natural warnings (local tsunami) door sirens and announcements from airplanes. • STRONG GROUND SHAKING Move away from the beach and seek more informa- • A loud ocean roar tion without using a phone. Tune into local radio or • Water receding unusually far exposing the television stations for more information. Follow the seafloor directions of emergency personnel who may ask you to evacuate low-lying coastal areas. If you observe any of these warning signs, immediately walk to higher ground or inland. A Go on foot. Roads and bridges may be damaged tsunami may arrive within minutes and damaging by strong ground shaking. Avoid downed power surges may continue for eight hours or longer. lines—some may retain a charge even when they Stay away from coastal areas until officials permit are on the ground. If evacuation is impossible, go you to return. to the upper floor of a sturdy building or climb a tree—but only as a last resort.

Be Prepared • Look for the blue and white tsunami evacuation signs along the coast. DROP! COVER! HOLD ON! • Assemble a small evacuation kit or “to go Protect Yourself During Earthquakes bag” (essential documents, medications, flashlight, portable NOAA weather radio and batteries, water, snack, warm clothes). • Prepare a reunification plan with your family. Decide when and where you will meet if you are separated. Designate GO TO HIGH GROUND OR INLAND! an out of state relative or friend for the The Shaking is Your Tsunami Warning individuals in your family to call if it is not possible to meet at your reunification spot. • Make plans for how to address any needs or disabilities you might have. Find out more: www.shakeout.org/california/ STAY THERE! Tsunami Waves May Arrive for Hours downloads/ShakeOut_Tsunami_Drill.pdf

Living on Shaky Ground - Tsunamis 9 STEP 1: Identify potential The seven steps earthquake and tsunami hazards The first step to earthquake and tsunami safety is for earthquake & to recognize your hazards. tsunami safety Look around your home and workplace and identify objects that might fall or shift during shaking. Additional information, including how-to instructions, is available at www.shakeout.org/ Oregon and from your local American Red Cross office. Seven steps that may Start now by identifying items that may fall, save your life topple or slide. Secure potentially hazardous and Earthquakes and tsunamis are inevitable but the valuable items. damage is not—even in a great earthquake on Hanging objects the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Most damage and loss can be reduced by steps you take before, • Place only soft art above beds and sofas. during, and after the quakes. The following seven • Hang mirrors and pictures on closed hooks. steps include actions to keep you and your loved • Brace overhead light fixtures. ones safe, reduce potential damage, and help Objects on open shelves and tabletops you to recover quickly. These steps should also • Hold small valuables in place with removable be followed in schools, workplaces and other putty, museum wax or quake gel. facilities. By following them, countless casualties • Add lips to shelves to prevent costly items can be avoided and millions of dollars saved. from sliding. Preparation is the key to surviving a disaster— • Move heavy objects and breakables to lower that much is clear—but where should you start? shelves. Start by talking—talk to your family, friends, Kitchens neighbors and co-workers about what you’ve • Install strong latches on cabinet doors. learned in this handbook about earthquakes and • Secure refrigerators and major appliances. tsunamis in Oregon. Then discuss what you have done to prepare and together plan your next Wood stoves steps. • Anchor stove feet by bolting to floor or creat- Many people are overwhelmed by the mere ing brick and mortar bracing to keep stove from prospect of a natural disaster and, as a result, sliding. Note: Anchors must not conduct heat. don’t prepare at all. Do not fall into that trap. Sit • Brace stove pipes. down with friends and work on an emergency kit Garages and utility rooms and plan. You can start today by following these • Move flammable or hazardous material to seven steps. low cabinets that are securely latched. Visit www.earthquakecountry.org for instructions • Ensure that items stored above or beside and resources. vehicle cannot fall.

10 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Water and gas pipes STEP 2: Create a disaster • Evaluate, replace and properly secure rusted preparedness plan or worn pipes. Will everyone in your household know what • Replace rigid gas connections with flexible to do during the violent shaking of a strong stainless steel gas connections. earthquake or when a tsunami warning has Above ground propane tanks been issued? Do you know how to get in touch with each other afterwards? Before the next • Propane tanks can be anchored by mounting earthquake or tsunami, talk to your family, the tank on a continuous concrete pad and housemates, or co-workers and plan what bolting the four legs to the pad. each person will do before, during and after an Water heaters earthquake or tsunami. • Anchor to wall studs or masonry with metal After the shaking stops or the waves recede, straps and lag screws. power, utilities, communication systems and • Install flexible (corrugated) copper water roads may be out; fires and chemical spills may connectors. occur; you may be separated from children, Home and office electronics pets and other family members. Planning for • Secure televisions, computers, sound systems earthquakes and tsunamis will also prepare you and other electronics with flexible nylon for other more frequent emergencies such as straps and buckles. storms, fires and flooding. Furniture Plan now to be safe during an • Store heavy and breakable items on lower earthquake shelves. • Practice DROP, COVER and HOLD ON • Secure tall furniture to wall studs with lag (see step 5, page 16). bolts. • Identify safe spots in every room, such as under sturdy desks and tables. Start now by determining if you live, work • Learn how to protect yourself no matter or play in a tsunami hazard zone where you are when an earthquake strikes. Know your risk. Use signs and maps to find out Plan now to respond after an which areas are hazardous. No signs or maps earthquake or tsunami for your area? Go to www.OregonTsunami.org • Get a fire extinguisher for your home and to find a tsunami evacuation map that you can learn how to use it properly. download. • Teach everyone in your household to use emergency whistles and to knock three times repeatedly if trapped. • Identify family members or neighbors with special needs such as medications, special diets and wheelchairs. • Take a Red Cross First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) class or refresher course. • Know the location of utility shut-offs and keep needed tools nearby. Only turn off the

Living on Shaky Ground - The seven steps for earthquake & tsunami safety 11 gas if you smell or hear leaking gas. Only the • Talk to your insurance agent about your gas company should turn the gas back on. coverage for earthquake and tsunami losses. • Install smoke alarms and check them monthly. • Make copies of important documents such Change batteries once a year or whenever as identification, deeds, insurance policies, you hear a ”chirping” sound. and financial records in a secure, waterproof • Work with your neighbors to identify people container. Include a household inventory of who have skills and resources useful in an your belongings. emergency. • Know the tsunami hazard zones in STEP 3: Prepare disaster supply kits your community and how to get to safe Everyone should have personal disaster supply areas. Recognize the natural warning signs kits. Keep them where you spend most of your of a tsunami—strong ground shaking, water time, so they can be reached even if your building receding unusually far, and/or a loud roar is damaged or if you need to quickly evacuate from the ocean—and make sure everyone in out of a tsunami hazard zone. Keep one kit in your family knows to immediately evacuate if your home, another in your car, and a third kit at they are in a hazard zone. work. • Know how you may be notified if a tsunami Personal/office disaster supply kit warning is issued. Consider a NOAA Weather Radio with the Public Alert feature • Medications, prescription list, copies of if you live or work in or near a tsunami medical cards, doctors’ names, and contact hazard zone. information • If a tsunami warning is issued, get off the • Medical consent forms for dependents and beach and tune in to your radio or television copies of personal identification for further instructions on what to do. • First-aid kit and handbook • Is there a Community Emergency Response • Non-latex gloves, dust masks Team (CERT) in your area? If not, go to • Spare eyeglasses or contact lenses and www.ready.gov/community-emergency- cleaning solution response-team and find out how to start one. • Whistle (to alert rescuers to your location) • Sturdy shoes, change of clothes, blanket Plan now to communicate and recover • Emergency cash ( ATMs require power and after an earthquake or tsunami might not work) • Select a safe place outside of your home to • Local road maps meet your family or housemates after the • List of emergency out-of-area contact phone shaking stops. numbers • Identify an out-of-the area contact person • Bottled water, snack foods high in water and to call who can relay information to other calories friends and family. • Flashlight with extra batteries and light bulbs • Provide all family members with a current list • Comfort items such as games, crayons, of important contact telephone numbers. writing materials, stuffed animals • Determine where you might stay if your • Toiletries and personal care supplies home cannot be occupied after an earthquake • Extra keys for car, home, office, safe deposit or tsunami. box, etc. • Ask about your children’s school or day care emergency response plans. Keep emergency release information current.

12 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Household disaster supply kit– STEP 4: Identify potential supplies for at least fourteen days weaknesses and begin to fix them Store in an easily accessible location, preferably In Step 1, you learned to recognize the hazards outdoors, in a large watertight, easily-moved that are easy to see such as items that can fall container. Replace perishable items like water, or slide in an earthquake and whether you are food, medications and batteries on a yearly basis. in a tsunami hazard zone. Now it is time to dig a • Water (minimum one gallon a day for each little deeper and look at how well your building person and pet) will withstand strong ground shaking, and if your • Wrenches or other special tools to turn off community has developed the protocols that will gas and water supplies allow it to provide tsunami warnings and guide • Work gloves and protective goggles you to safety. • Heavy duty plastic bags for waste, and to Common building problems serve as tarps, rain ponchos, etc. Include duct tape. Buildings are designed to withstand the • Portable or hand-cranked radio with extra downward pull of gravity, yet earthquakes shake a batteries building in all directions— up and down, but most • Additional flashlights or light sticks of all, from side to side. The following presents • Canned and packaged food some common structural problems and how to • Charcoal or propane for outdoor cooking recognize them. and matches if needed Inadequate foundations • Cooking utensils and a manual can opener • Look under your house at your foundation. • Pet food, pet carrier and restraints Look for bolts in the mudsills. They should be • Comfortable, warm clothing including extra no more than six feet apart in a single story socks and four feet apart in a multistory building. • Blankets and/or sleeping bags, and perhaps a tent Unbraced cripple walls • Copies of vital documents (deeds, insurance, • Homes with a crawl space should have panels bank accounts etc.) of plywood connecting the studs of the short Car disaster supply kit “cripple” walls. Decide what items in your personal kit are Soft first stories absolute necessities and add: • Look for large openings in the lower floor, such as a garage door or a house built on • An additional 6-pack of water stilts. Consult a professional to determine if • Tire repair kit, booster/jumper cables, pump your building is adequately braced. and flares, white distress flag or silver space blanket Unreinforced masonry • Seasonal supplies: winter (blanket, hat, • The most typical type of unreinforced mittens, shovel, sand, chains, windshield masonry in Oregon is brick. While there scraper); summer (sunscreen and hat) are few brick homes in our area, many older buildings have unreinforced brick chimneys. If your house has brick or blocks as a structural element, consult a professional to find what can be done and to determine if it is safe.

Living on Shaky Ground - The seven steps for earthquake & tsunami safety 13 If you live in a mobile home program sets guidelines for adequate tsunami readiness, including the ability to receive and Mobile homes can easily slide off their foundations send out tsunami warnings, designation of if not properly secured to resist side to side tsunami hazard zones and evacuation routes, and motion. Look under your home—if you only outreach programs that address both natural and see a metal or wood “skirt” on the outside with official warnings. concrete blocks or steel tripods/jacks supporting your home, you need to have an “earthquake Find out if your community is recognized as resistant bracing system” (ERBS) installed. TsunamiReady at www.weather.gov/TsunamiReady. If it isn’t, find out what you can do to encourage For those who rent your community to gain this recognition. As a renter, you have less control over the Special considerations structural integrity of your building, but you do control which apartment or house you rent. Children When looking for housing, remember: Earthquakes and tsunamis may be traumatic events for all of us. They are especially frightening • Apartment buildings have to meet the same for children who may not understand such codes and structural requirements as houses. events and feel anxious and confused. After • Avoid rental units made of unreinforced an earthquake, a child fears reoccurrence and masonry or those with “tuck-under” parking injuries, and being separated from other family spaces on the ground floor. members. Seeing a parent or other adult become • Consider the safety of attached structures frightened adds to a child’s anxiety. Repeated such as stairways and balconies, which can aftershocks can increase these fears. You can break during an earthquake. help to alleviate your child’s fears before the next Ask your landlord these questions: earthquake. • What retrofitting has been done on this • Talk with children about what might happen building? during an earthquake or tsunami. Let them • Has the water heater been strapped to the ask questions. wall studs? • Involve children in reducing hazards, putting • May I secure furniture to the walls? together an earthquake kit, and in developing an earthquake plan. Include emergency Tsunamis information in your child’s backpack. Practice Does your community: family earthquake drills. • Have plans to notify you if a tsunami warning is issued? TIP: • Have a designated evacuation zone and A SPACE BLANKET posted tsunami hazard signs? NOT ONLY KEEPS YOU • Practice evacuation drills? • Conduct tsunami education and awareness WARM AND DRY, ITS campaigns? REFLECTIVE SURFACE Your community does all of the above and more if it has been recognized by the National Weather CAN BE USED TO Service as TsunamiReady. The TsunamiReady SIGNAL FOR HELP.

14 Oregon Office of Emergency Management After the earthquake Pets and Livestock • Keep the family together. Don’t forget your pets in your earthquake and • Reassure children. tsunami plan. • Encourage children to talk or draw pictures • Include extra pet food and medications in about their experience. your disaster kits. • Include children in earthquake cleanup and • Consider implanting your pet with an safety activities whenever possible and age identification microchip so that if you and appropriate. your pet are separated, you can be easily • Take particular care at bedtime. Children reunited. may have difficulty sleeping, may wake up • Many emergency shelters don’t allow pets. frequently, and/or have nightmares for weeks Prepare a list of family, friends and other or months afterwards. Allowing a child to locations that could shelter your pets in share a room with another child or parents an emergency. Emergency preparedness is may alleviate these fears. particularly important for livestock owners Fragile, elderly and disabled because of their food and shelter needs, and Persons with any special considerations need to difficulties in transporting large or numerous take extra precautions. animals. • Make sure every animal has durable and • Realistically assess your own special needs visible identification. and those of family members and write them • Identify alternate water and power sources. down. Include medications and special equip- A generator with a safely stored supply of ment such as ventilators and oxygen tanks. fuel may be essential if you have electrical • Keep medications, duplicate prescriptions, equipment necessary to the well-being of glasses, and any special equipment in a safe your animals. place where they can be easily reached. • If you use heat lamps or other electrical • Keep a notebook, pencils, a whistle and machinery, make sure the wiring is safe and flashlight in several locations if you have that any heat source is clear of flammable difficulty in communicating. debris. • Include supplies for seeing eye, hearing or companion dogs. Strengthening your “pier and post” foundation During and after an earthquake “Pier and post” or “post and beam” foundations • If you are in a wheelchair, lock the wheels of consist of wooden posts on isolated concrete the chair once you are in a safe and protected footings, which support the entire structure. position. Many homes in rural Oregon use this foundation • If unable to move safely and quickly, stay system. This type is particularly vulnerable to the where you are, even in bed, and cover your strong side-to-side shaking from earthquakes. head and body with your arms, pillows and There is no question that the best foundation blankets. to resist earthquake shaking is a continuous • Use your whistle to call for help and signal perimeter foundation, but for many Oregon others if you need it. To find out more about residents, the cost of installing such a foundation how children and adults react to emergencies is prohibitive. and how you can help, contact your local mental health department.

Living on Shaky Ground - The seven steps for earthquake & tsunami safety 15 It is possible, however, to strengthen your pier In bed and post foundation at relatively low cost. The • If you are in bed, stay there, hold on and bracing system will increase resistance to lateral protect your head with a pillow. forces for your home. The bracing should be installed around the perimeter of the structure In a multistory building and, at a minimum, every second line of interior • Drop, cover and hold on. Do not use posts. This type of strengthening should be elevators. Do not be surprised if sprinkler considered adequate for short term stabilization systems or fire alarms activate. until you are able to install a permanent, If you are outside concrete, perimeter system. • Move to a clear area if you can safely do so. Find out more at www.earthquakecountry.org. Avoid power lines, trees, signs, buildings, vehicles and other hazards. STEP 5: protect yourself during an Driving earthquake – drop, cover and hold on • Pull over to the side of the road, stop and set INDOORS the parking brake. Avoid overpasses, bridges, Drop, cover and hold on: power lines, signs and other hazards. Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking is over. If • Drop down to the floor and take cover under power lines fall on your vehicle, stay inside a sturdy desk, table or other furniture. until a trained person removes them. • Hold on to the table or desk and be prepared to move with it. Hold the position until the If you are in a theater or stadium ground stops shaking and it is safe to move. • Stay at your seat. Duck down and protect your head and neck with your arms. If you If there is no nearby table or desk: can’t duck under the seat, at least put your • Sit on the floor against an inside wall, away head and upper body under the seat. Don’t from windows, tall furniture or bookcases. try to leave until the shaking stops. Then • Protect your head and neck with your arms. exit slowly, watching for fallen debris or • If you are elderly or have mobility for anything that could fall on you in the impairment, remain where you are, bracing aftershocks. Stay calm and encourage others yourself in place. to do likewise. • Avoid exterior walls, windows, hanging If you are in the mountains objects, mirrors, tall furniture, large appliances, and cabinets with heavy objects or • Avoid unstable slopes or cliffs, and watch for glass. falling rock and debris. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE WHILE THE GROUND IS SHAKING!

16 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Step 6: Evacuate if necessary – If you are at the beach check for injuries and damage • Move to higher ground immediately– no The previous steps have concentrated on getting matter how small the earthquake. ready for the next earthquake or tsunami. What If you are in a tsunami hazard zone and the should you do while the ground is shaking? earthquake is very strong • Immediately gather your family members, Evacuate if you are in a tsunami hazard zone grab your tsunami disaster kit, and WALK to a safe area. For a large local earthquake, feeling strong If evacuation is impossible ground shaking may be the only warning you will get that a tsunami is on its way. Use tsunami • Go to the upper floor of a sturdy building hazard maps and posted hazard zone signs to or climb a tree. THIS SHOULD ONLY BE A identify safe evacuation areas (Step 1). Refer to LAST RESORT. page 8 for more information about tsunamis. If you are not in a tsunami hazard zone Do not wait for an official warning. • STAY WHERE YOU ARE. YOU ARE NOT AT RISK OF A TSUNAMI. Unnecessary evacuation will put you at risk and hamper MYTH #3: THE the evacuation of people who really need to get away from danger. “TRIANGLE OF LIFE” Check for injuries IS THE BEST WAY TO Once you are in a safe area, check for injuries and damage. First take care of your own PROTECT YOURSELF situation—check yourself for injuries so you can help others. Aftershocks may cause additional INSIDE A BUILDING damage, so get to a safe location and take your NOT TRUE. The best survival method inside disaster supply kit with you. Once you are safe, a building is to drop, cover and hold on. help others and check for damage. Protect The Triangle of Life advocates that you get yourself by wearing sturdy shoes and work gloves next to a large object rather than crouch to avoid injury from broken glass and debris. beneath a desk or table. This will expose Wear a dust mask and eye protection if you have you to lacerations and crushing injuries from them. falling objects and debris. Almost all scientific, government and relief organizations, including If you are trapped under debris, protect your the Red Cross, have examined the Triangle mouth, nose and eyes from dust. If you are of Life and are unanimous in recommending bleeding, put pressure on the wound and elevate that you DROP, COVER and HOLD ON. Find the injured part. Signal for help with your out more at www.earthquakecountry.org/ emergency whistle, a cell phone, or tap on pipe dropcoverholdon. or wall, three times every few minutes, to help rescuers locate you. Don’t shout—shouting will wear you out and can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

Living on Shaky Ground - The seven steps for earthquake & tsunami safety 17 • Use your first-aid kit or the front pages Spills of your telephone book for detailed • Clean up any spilled medicines, drugs or instructions on first-aid measures such as other non-toxic substances. Potentially stopping bleeding, rescue breathing and CPR harmful materials such as bleach, lye, paint, (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). garden chemicals and gasoline should be • Do not move seriously-injured persons unless isolated or covered with an absorbent such as they are in immediate danger of further dirt or cat litter. When in doubt, leave your injuries. home. • Cover injured persons with blankets or additional clothing to keep them warm. Downed or damaged chimneys Check for damage • Stay away from chimneys and walls made of brick. They may be weakened and could Fire topple during an aftershock. Don’t use a • If possible, put out small fires in your home fireplace until it is inspected by an expert – it or neighborhood immediately. Call for help, could start a fire or let poisonous gases into but don’t wait for the fire department. your home. Gas leaks STEP 7: When safe, continue to follow • Shut off the main gas valve only if a leak is your disaster preparedness plan suspected or identified by the odor of natural gas. Wait for the utility company to turn it Tsunamis back on once the damage is repaired. Stay away from the coast until officials reopen Damaged electrical wiring the area for you to return. • Shut off power at the breaker box. Leave the • The first surge is almost never the largest. power off until damage is repaired. The largest waves may arrive hours after the Unplug broken lights and appliances first. • Successive surges will arrive at irregular • They could cause fires when power is intervals spaced minutes to tens of minutes restored. apart. The danger period may last eight hours Downed power lines or longer. • Consider all downed lines as potentially • Never go to the coast to watch a tsunami. hazardous and stay well away from them. Tsunamis move faster than a person can run. Never touch downed lines or any objects in Incoming traffic hampers safe and timely contact with them even if you think they may evacuation of coastal areas. be dead. Be in communication Fallen items Listen to your NOAA Weather Radio for • Beware of items tumbling off shelves when updates on the hazard and for instructions on you open closet and cupboard doors. Wear what to do. gloves before handling broken items. Replace your telephone on its receiver. Telephones off the hook tie up the telephone network.

18 Oregon Office of Emergency Management Earthquakes The first weeks after the earthquake You may be safest staying in your home even This is a time of transition. Aftershocks may if the power is off and some items have been continue for many months, but it is time to work damaged. Shelters may be overcrowded and toward getting your life, your home and family, initially lack many services. Use the information and your routines back in order. Emotional care you put together in your disaster plan and the and recovery are just as important as healing supplies you organized in your disaster kits. physical injuries and rebuilding a home. • Do not use open flames (candles, matches, • Make sure your home is safe to occupy and lighters or grills) or operate any device that not in danger of collapse in an aftershock. could generate a spark such as light switches, • If your gas was turned off, you will need to generators and motor vehicles until you are arrange for the gas company to turn it back sure there are no gas leaks. on. • Never use a camp stove, gas lantern or • If the electricity went off and came back heater, gas or charcoal grill, or gas generator on, check your appliances and electronic indoors. equipment for damage. Be in communication The first few hours and days after an • Use your portable, car or NOAA Weather earthquake or tsunami Radio for updates and safety advisories. Scan channels to find one that is on air and Once you have met your and your family’s broadcasting safety information. immediate needs, continue to follow the plan you • Call your out-of-area contact and tell prepared (see Step 2, page 11). them your status, then stay off the phone. • If water lines broke, look for water damage. Emergency responders need the phone lines • Have a professional inspect your fireplace for life-saving communications. or wood burning stove before you use them • Check on the condition of your neighbors. after an earthquake. The damage may not be easy to see and could cause a chimney fire or Food and water poisonous gas release. • If the power is off, plan meals to use up • Locate and/or replace critical documents refrigerated and frozen foods first. With the that may have been misplaced, damaged or door closed, food in the freezer may last destroyed. several days. • Contact your insurance agent right away to • If your water is off or unsafe, you can drink begin your claims process. Take pictures of from water heaters, melted ice cubes or the damage of your building and its contents. canned vegetables. Avoid drinking water from swimming pools or spas. • Do not eat or drink anything from open containers that are near shattered glass.

Living on Shaky Ground - The seven steps for earthquake & tsunami safety 19 TIP: JOIN A COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT) CERT programs will educate you about the hazards in your area and will train you in basic disaster response skills. Contact your local American Red Cross office to find out about CERT teams in your area or go to www.ready.gov/community- emergency-response-team. This training is free, and provided locally. The training is a standard curriculum and is updated with local information regularly.

If you cannot stay in your home Do not take to a shelter If your home is in a tsunami hazard zone, is • Pets—have a plan for your pets in advance structurally unsafe, or threatened by a fire or (service animals for people with disabilities are other hazard, you need to evacuate. allowed but you must bring food for them) If you evacuate, tell a neighbor and your out-of- • Large quantities of unnecessary clothing or area contact where you are going. other personal items—space is very limited • Valuables that might be lost, stolen, or take Set up an alternative mailing address with up needed space the post office as soon as possible. Take the following, if possible, when you evacuate: If a major disaster has been declared by the • Personal disaster supply kits president, the Federal Emergency Management • Supply of food, water, and snacks Agency (FEMA) may activate the Individuals and • Blanket/pillow/air mattress or sleeping pad Households Program. This program may include • Change of clothing and a jacket home-repair cash grants, rental assistance and/or • Towel and washcloth temporary housing. These amounts are generally • Comfort items such as family pictures, games, quite small and do not come close to meeting all books of the costs and needs. • Personal identification and copies of Find out more by visiting www.ready.gov. household and health insurance information • Special needs items such as medicines, eyewear, infant supplies (diapers, bottles, baby food), and supplies for elderly and disabled persons

20 Oregon Office of Emergency Management The seven steps for earthquake and tsunami safety summary Tear off this page and put it on your refrigerator, bulletin board or other prominent place. 1. Identify potential 3. Prepare disaster kits 6. Evacuate if necessary, hazards • Create kits for home, work check for injuries and • Identify items that may fall, and car damage topple, or slide • Be prepared to be isolated • If you are in a tsunami • Secure potentially hazardous for at least two weeks hazard zone, immediately and valuable items 4. Identify weaknesses walk to higher ground or • Determine if you live, work • Identify weaknesses in your inland away from coast or play in a tsunami hazard building and fix them • Check for injuries and zone • Contact your local damage 2. Create a disaster government and find out 7. Follow your plan preparedness plan what tsunami plans are in • If you evacuated coastal • Practice Drop, Cover and your community areas—stay away until Hold drills 5. Protect yourself during officials permit you to • Collect critical supplies an earthquake return • Choose a meeting place and • Drop to the floor • Be in communication—use an out-of-area contact • Take cover under a sturdy your radio for information • Recognize the natural and table or desk • Expect aftershocks—some official warnings of a tsunami • Hold on until the shaking may be large enough to do and know how to respond stops additional damage

Important information Out-of-area contact name: Email: Phone: Neighborhood meeting place: Regional meeting place: Doctor/office: Account no.: Phone: Medical insurance: Policy no.: Phone: Pharmacist: Account no.: Phone: Rx no.: Rx no.: Rx no.: Home/rental insurance: Policy no.: Phone: Veterinarian/kennel: Account no.: Phone:

Living on Shaky Ground - The seven steps for earthquake & tsunami safety 21 Oregon Office of Emergency Management www.oregon.gov/OEM Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral industries www.OregonGeology.org www.OregonTsunami.org US Geological Survey Earthquake Preparedness earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/preparedness.php National Tsunami Warning Center www.tsunami.gov