Los Angeles County supervisors will receive an update Tuesday on the county’s earthquake preparedness efforts, while the public will have an opportunity to experience simulated shaking from a major earthquake at Grand Park.
Seismologist Lucy Jones and county officials involved in emergency preparedness and response will make a presentation to the Board of Supervisors beginning at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.
The presentation will address the readiness of county employees and facilities, gaps in preparedness and plans to ensure continued services to residents and businesses following a major earthquake, according to Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.
The presentation stems from a motion authored by Barger in August that noted Los Angeles County has not experienced a large-scale, damaging earthquake since the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake in 1994.
The motion cited a media report indicating that tectonic strain has accumulated on segments of the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults near the Cajon Pass, with current stress levels surpassing those calculated before significant historical earthquakes on both faults.
“These findings are not a prediction that a major earthquake is imminent,” according to Barger’s motion. “However, the finding that these fault systems are now more heavily loaded than at any point in the historical record warrants serious attention. The County has an obligation to ensure its residents, infrastructure and emergency systems are prepared for a disaster of this scale before it occurs.”
The motion also cited a 2008 U.S. Geological Survey scenario that modeled a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault.
Barger’s motion also directed county officials to develop an emergency earthquake readiness public awareness program, including an online “Know Your Risk” portal and a multilingual education campaign surrounding the Great ShakeOut on Oct. 15.
The motion called for “sustained, year-round public engagement strategies that move beyond annual preparedness events and establish earthquake readiness as an ongoing public safety priority for Los Angeles County.”
A mobile earthquake simulator known as the Big Shaker will be available to the public and Civic Center employees from 8 to 11 a.m. Tuesday in the food truck area of Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave.
Barger is scheduled to ride the simulator at 8 a.m.
The earthquake preparedness events are being held in recognition of National Preparedness Month, according to Barger’s office.
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