Earthquake preparedness: duck, cover and hold
According to a Be Ready Utah Earthquake scenario video, the Wasatch Fault has a major earthquake every 350-400 years. The last major earthquake in the area was 350 years ago. The four-minute video depicts a major earthquake happening and effecting 80 percent or 2.7 million Utahn’s who live and work in the region. In the video, infrastructures collapse, cellphone towers become overloaded, utilities fail and fires start.
Be Ready Utah advises that if an individual is in a building when an earthquake occurs it is important to duck and seek cover below a hard desk and hold onto the desk so that it doesn’t move away from the individual while the building is shaking. Light fixtures, top-heavy furniture and tall filing cabinets could fall. The same principal applies in higher building floors, but the individual should stay away from windows and not operate elevators. Sprinkler systems and fire alarms tend to activate during earthquakes. There tends to be more shaking if an individual is on a lower floor of a building.
If an individual is outdoors when an earthquake occurs, it is important to safely move to a clear area avoiding power lines, trees and buildings.
If an individual is fine after the earthquake, help locate the injured and be prepared for aftershocks.
Every April Utah has what’s called “The Great Shakeout” which is an earthquake drill exercise practiced statewide.
“We practice duck, cover and hold. We have sounds of an earthquake that we play over the P.A. system for about 45 seconds. Some teachers will cooperate and participate and others don’t want to be bothered with it, which is unfortunate,” Robin Ebmeyer, director of Emergency Risk Management at UVU said.
Prior to the earthquake drill, professors and instructors are notified of the event by e-mail. The school does not require them to participate in the exercise.
According to the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, it is important to prepare for an earthquake by having enough supplies to get an individual and their family through the first 72 hours. Stocking up on food, water and deciding where to meet family after an earthquake is recommended.
Ebmeyer said UVU designates a building marshal to every building. These marshals help people in case of an emergency by evacuating people out of the building, communicating building structure and physical injuries, or applying basic first aid.
According to the University of Utah seismograph stations, about 700 earthquakes occur in Utah each year, with 500 of those being located in the Wasatch Front region and only 2 percent are felt.
Kimberly Bojórquez is a Los Angeles native currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in journalism, and a minor in Latin American Studies. From 2017-18 she served as the editor-in-chief of the UVU Review and worked at ABC4’s morning show “Good Things Utah”, Salt Lake City Weekly and the Daily Herald.
She has written stories that relate to national issues, local crime and social justice. In her spare time, she loves to take photos, hike Utah’s national parks and attend live rock concerts.