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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2005
CONTACT: Greg Renick (626) 431-3646
OES Welcomes New USGS Maps Depicting Earthquake Aftershock and Foreshock Potential in California
SACRAMENTO The Director of the Governors Office of Emergency Services (OES) welcomed todays introduction of new real-time shake maps developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) showing daily changes in the probability of earthquake shaking over the next 24 hours. These new USGS maps are not a prediction, but a tool California emergency managers and residents can use to see how much their short-term risk may have increased and what steps they may want to take, particularly after a widely felt earthquake, said OES Director Henry Renteria.
Emergency planners can use the new resource to supplement existing tools to identify what areas might experience the strongest shaking if a large aftershock or bigger earthquake were to strike, added the OES director. They also can use it to determine the potential impacts of follow-on earthquakes on people, housing stock, hospitals, roads and other vital infrastructure.
Renteria said the new maps can also serve as a reminder to residents and business owners in communities that are possibly at risk that it might be time to check their emergency plans and supplies, move dangerous objects and consider what actions they should take if a large aftershock or bigger earthquake occurs.
Every new tool developed is welcome in the effort to reduce deaths, injuries and property losses, but its important that homeowners, renters and business owners take steps to prepare now for the next earthquake in their community, he added. Californians need to be smart, be responsible, be prepared, and, most importantly, get ready!
Renteria urged Californians to learn what they can do to prepare by visiting the OES Home page at http://www.oes.ca.gov, by contacting their local office of emergency services or their local chapter of the American Red Cross.
-OES-
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