Annual Meeting - SCEC.org

Report | SCEC CEO Director
• Riverside County Associates are led by Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack and County
Emergency Manager Peter Lent.
• San Diego County Associates are led by County Emergency Manager Ron Lane, City of
Vista Fire Chief Gary Fisher and City of La Mesa Fire Chief David Burk.
• Orange County Associates are led by County Emergency Manager Donna Boston and
County Office of Education
• Associate groups for other counties are in formation.
Sponsors of the Great Southern California ShakeOut activities include USGS, National Science
Foundation, FEMA, California Office of Emergency Services, Home Depot, City of Los Angeles,
State Farm, California Earthquake Authority, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Tyco Electronics,
Provention Consortium, Dewberry, Degenkolb, Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation,
Institute for Business & Home Safety, ABC7, and others soon to be announced. Organizations
wishing to support ShakeOut activities can learn more at www.ShakeOut.org/sponsors.
All SCEC members are encouraged to participate. G to www.ShakeOut.org and register your
family, school, business, or organization’s participation in the drill. Registered participants will
receive information on how to plan their drill, encourage others to participate, and improve their
earthquake preparedness. It all begins with registering, which is free and open to everyone.
Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country. In 1995 the Southern
California Earthquake Center (SCEC), US Geological Survey (USGS),
and a large group of partners led by Lucy Jones (USGS) developed and
distributed 2 million copies of a 32-page color handbook on earthquake
science, mitigation and preparedness. Funding was primarily from the
National Science Foundation and USGS. The booklet was distributed
through libraries, preparedness partners, cities, companies, and
directly to individuals through SCEC.
For the 10-year anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, a new
version was produced by SCEC and the newly-formed Earthquake
Country Alliance. The updated handbook features current understanding of when and where
earthquakes will occur in Southern California, how the ground will shake as a result, and
descriptions of what information will be available online. The preparedness section is now
organized according to the “Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety.” These steps provide a simple set of
guidelines for preparing and protecting people and property.
Since 1994, over 2.2 million copies have been distributed of the new version, with 1.3 million copies
distributed via the Los Angeles Times as a “topper”- the booklet was bound on the cover of the
Sunday, April 9, 2006 newspaper. Copies of the document have been distributed at home
improvement centers (on tables with preparedness products), by the American Red Cross (at
neighborhood safety trainings), and by many others. A major revision
incorporating new research will be produced in September, 2008. The
updated handbook is now at www.earthquakecountry.info/roots as an
online version and downloadable PDF, and printed copies can be
ordered for free through an online request form.
32 | Southern California Earthquake Center
A notable acheivement in early 2006 was the first-ever Spanish version
of Putting Down Roots. A team of Spanish-speaking scientists,
emergency managers, and educators worked together to translate the
text. 100,000 copies are now being distributed in Southern California.
In Spring 2007, a new printing of 600,000 copies (funded by CEA) were
distributed through Hoy (LA Times Spanish-language newspaper), the