San Benito County Office of Emergency Services released a variety of safety tips following the cluster of small to moderate earthquakes in the area Friday.
According to the agency’s announcement:
Living in earthquake country, residents and visitors to San Benito County are used to asking “Did you feel it?” after an earthquake occurs, and today was no different. Between approximately 5:58 am and 10:02 am this morning, San Benito Country experienced 8 earthquakes at or over a magnitude of 3.0, with the initial earthquake at 5:58 am registering at magnitude 4.1. No reports of damage or injuries have been received, just a Friday morning wake-up call for many residents. According to the United States Geological Survey, the probability that any earthquake will be followed within three days by a large earthquake nearby is only about 6 percent. No matter what, these earthquakes are a great reminder that it is not a matter of if we will experience a significant earthquake, but when.
• Securing large furniture items and televisions to the wall throughout your house and not hanging pictures or decorations above any areas where people sleep.• Placing heavy, fragile, and/or unstable items on bottom shelves or on the floor to prevent them from falling during an earthquake.
• Maintaining an emergency supply of non-perishable food for everyone in your home to last for at least 10 days.
• Keeping an emergency supply of potable water to provide at least one gallon per person per day for at least 10 days.
• Keeping a cache of other emergency supplies (e.g., flashlights, medications, batteries, cash, pet supplies, whistle, first aid kit, can opener, whistle, portable phone chargers, radios, etc.).
• Creating an emergency plan with your family that includes a communication plan, an out-of-state contact, and meeting locations.
• Organize and protect important documents and keep paper copies in a waterproof and fireproof safe or with a trusted friend or relative. If you have a secure, password protected flash drive or cloud-based service, you can store electronic copies there.• Register your cell phone with CodeRED to receive emergency notifications and messages by visiting the San Benito County Office of Emergency Services website.
Visit Ready.gov for even more information on how you and your loved ones can be prepared for any disaster.
