Are you ready for The Big One?
By Kim Quintero KVAL News and KVAL Web StaffEUGENE, Ore. -- Geologists say The Big One is bound to hit Oregon: a 9.0 earthquake spawning massive tsunamis and causing widespread devastation.
Emergency first responders are preparing with complex drills and emergency plans. The state is working to upgrade and retrofit schools, police stations and fire houses deemed to have a high potential to collapse. But being ready for disaster starts at home. Are you ready? "Uh, basically no," said Cliff Haigler of Springfield. "Are we supposed to run out and get duct tape?" "No, I don't think the houses here, my house that I have here, I don't think would hold up in an earthquake," Richard Tentinger of Springfield said. In a KVAL.com poll of 161 people, only 16 percent said they had an earthquake emergency plan. Some 32 percent said they have emergency supplies ready, but 59 percent said they had no idea what they'd do if a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Oregon and caused widespread devastation. Emergency managers want the public to know that you can survive even massive earthquakes if you're ready. "We're much further along say we were 5 or 10 years ago, but we've always got more work to do," said Linda Cook, Lane County emergency manager. A kit with water, food, and clothing for at least 72 hours - plus a back up power supply - could be key between life and death, especially for those with ocean front property. "People who live right on the coast would have the greatest devastation," said David Schmidt, a professor of geology at the University of Oregon. Coastal residents need to be prepared to follow tsunami evacuation routes and possibly live without contact with the rest of Oregon for a while. "The plan is not necessarily to get the folks out quite honestly," said Cook. "It's to prepare them to be isolated, and to know what to do in an isolated situation." |
Upload directly from your mobile device. Learn howYouNews
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
Stay Connected |
Connect with KVALViewer PollMost Popular
|
KVAL, 4575 Blanton Road,
