California emergency officials will bring an earthquake simulator capable of reproducing shaking up to magnitude 7.0 to UCLA in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct.
14.
The stop is part of a statewide tour aimed at strengthening earthquake preparedness before the Great California ShakeOut.
The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services will operate the simulator at Wilson Plaza, south of Kaufman Hall, from 6 a.
m. to noon, according to Cal OES.
Visitors can experience simulated shaking and receive information about earthquake early-warning technology and protective actions.
Third Stop on Four-City Tour
The UCLA event is the third of four scheduled Cal OES tour stops.
The tour begins Oct. 12 at San Francisco State University, continues Oct.
13 at Sacramento State, reaches UCLA Oct. 14 and ends Oct.
15 at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said the tour is intended to give communities practical tools for responding to earthquakes.
"In California, the question isn't whether the next earthquake will strike, but when," Jacobs said.
She added that the effort is meant to reach communities with the tools and information they need to protect their families before disaster hits.
The tour leads into the Great California ShakeOut on Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.
m.
Cal OES said millions of Californians are expected to practice dropping, covering and holding on during the statewide drill.
Earthquake preparedness guidance also emphasizes having supplies available for periods when utilities, roads or emergency services may be disrupted.
Recommendations cited by emergency officials include food, water, medicine, clothing, flashlights, pet supplies and emergency communication plans.
In Craighead County, Arkansas, emergency management officials are likewise urging residents to prepare because the area lies near the New Madrid Fault Line.
The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management says the fault has a significant chance of producing an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 or higher.
Craighead County Emergency Management Director Anthony Coy said preparedness should remain part of routine planning rather than being postponed.
"It's kind of a double-edged sword talking about earthquake safety, because people in general, in our area, are sick of hearing about the earthquake," Coy said.
He advised residents to identify safe locations, maintain emergency kits, know utility shutoffs and establish ways to communicate if phone networks are unavailable.
In Washington, a separate preparedness report cited an 85% chance of a similar-magnitude earthquake occurring in the state within the next 50 years, based on the Washington State Emergency Management Division.
The report also noted that 17 earthquakes of at least magnitude 2.5 had occurred statewide this year.
The Great California ShakeOut and International Shakeout Day are scheduled for Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.
m. , while Cal OES' Los Angeles simulator event is scheduled for the preceding day.
