April is the perfect time to get prepared

April 16, 2012

“In the reasonably near future, perhaps within our lifetimes and quite possibly as soon as tomorrow, an earthquake will strike Portland with roughly the same force felt in Haiti. But while the Jan. 12, 2010 Haitian quake lasted less than 40 seconds, the shaking in Portland will continue for at least four minutes. Portland will feel a quake with a strength, duration and destruction never before experienced in the developed Western world.

Landslides will ensue in the West Hills, sending mansions crashing on top of each other. Several of the 10 bridges across the Willamette River will collapse—the Steel Bridge, Sellwood Bridge and Marquam Bridge, most likely—and the rest will be impassible. Big Pink and other office towers will sway so violently their granite and glass façades will shear off and crash into the street, piling rubble up 4 feet deep. The Multnomah County Courthouse will tumble. Underground gas, power and water lines will be pulverized. The soil beneath the Portland International Airport will temporarily turn to soup.

This is not a pitch for the next Hollywood disaster movie. It is the scientific consensus on what will happen here sooner or later. And the latest data suggest it may in fact be sooner.”

— Quake Up Call, Willamette Week

April is Earthquake Preparedness Month, the perfect time to remind the Lewis & Clark community that our area is not immune from natural disaster and there’s no better time to get prepared than right now.

The steps are easy:

Get a kit.

Whether you build one or buy one, make sure you’ve got supplies at work, at home and in your car.

Make a plan.

Know how your department will function in a disaster, know your emergency contacts [PDF], determine a family meeting place.

Be informed.

Sign up for emergency notifications for your city/county and our campus. For more information contact Campus Safety at safety@lclark.edu or 503-768-7855.

While preparing for the subduction zone earthquake mentioned above is nearly impossible, taking these three simple steps will help you and your family get ready for everything from spring floods to summer storms. They’ll also help you feel more empowered if an earthquake were to strike our city.

Please take the time this month to take one small step towards preparedness—it could be what saves your life.