[californiadisasters] Preparing For The Big One

How to prepare for an earthquake if you're at home or on the road

By Olga Spilewsky and Stephanie Elam | KNBC-TV Los Angeles

|  Tuesday, Oct 18, 2011  |  Updated 7:23 PM PDT

Experts say a 6.7 magnitude or larger earthquake is expected on the southern San Andreas fault sometime in the next 3 decades. That means, it's important to be prepared: at home and on the road.

If you're at home and you start to feel some shaking, it's important to protect your head and neck.

"Get under something if you can," said Kate Long, research specialist with Cal Emergency Management Agency. " Get next to something sturdy if you can't get under something. You're really trying to protect yourself from some of the stuff inside your house."

When an earthquake hits, there's no time to run and the ground is moving, so your traction is off.

"There's all kinds of debris that's fallen off of your shelves and people slip on that," said Long. "That's another reason people injure themselves."

Long also said that it's unlikely that your house will collapse, but you do need to worry about falling items.

"If I'm next to something that I think is dangerous, like let's say I have grandma's china on the top shelf, I'm going to try to move, but I'm going to try to move from my low position," said Long.

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Preparing-For-The-Big-One-132109283.html?__source=Newsletter-Daily

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