Western NY Earthquake prepare

[Rob Sherlin]

 There  is an Earthquake Emergency course going on here right now, because they finally figured out that having a "fault line" under or near you that has had no activity, doesn't mean it's not going to happen. In fact, I know (being born and raised in California) that the longer a fault line is inactive, the chances are that the stronger the quake will be. I have read up on the training they are offering, and it is not that efficient to what could happen to my standard having been through some strong "shakes" (last one was the ol' Northridge quake). #1. It's a shame they didn't invite CAP to get involved, because we can probably offer a lot of help. #2. They talked about "dog teams", but there have been none so far (they would be the ones to find people under colapsed rubble). #3. There is no effort to get everyone (western NY residents) to prepare (having bottled water, canned foods, etc..) for such an event,
I have to say, that this is a very 1/2 R'sed effort to get prepared for an event that could be so devestating.
Maybe it's because they never had to go through even a small quake and don't understand what could happen, or maybe it's just pride and think they know what they're doing, or both. I just know that there should be a lot more going on compared to what could happen.

[Jill]

Rob,

Google "Recent Nevada Earthquakes"  This site is full of information and sites that stress the importance of being prepared.  Maybe somoene will realize how important it is.  I know,  I am in California.

[heliodoc]

Rob

While I do not know all the emergency management goings on......

For a CAP member to say its 1/2 arsed....well that is 1/2 arsed also.

From a former Civil Defense Planning Spec here in the Midwest........

This maybe new territory for either a new EM or the community (ies) finally realizing what they may need to assess for now or in the future..

If its a tabletop....then they CAN talk about all the folks they would need to plan on getting to the incident in short order.

These would probably be folks that are TRUE First Responders.  The EM HAS to plan for those folks first.  Why did they not invite CAP?  Politics?  Someone in CAP pretend to promise everything up front and never delivered?  These are real possibilities.  The REAL truth is getting all ones communities PAID operators to know what to do in the first place and know their positions when the real balloon goes up.

CAP will remain a support function(s) and only when called by AFRCC and State EM taskings.

If this new to them, then it it WILL be what YOU called it....1/2 arsed.   Sure CAP has got some thing to offer but being where I sat in the EOC during disasters, CAP will get delegated the duties that are tasked by AFRCC  or EM and not by CAP.

How do you know there is no effort to get everyone to prepare??  I know the EM mangers DO NOT call me every time some exercise gets a move on.  That is why they are training...to understand what could happen

There are a lot MORE PLAYERS than CAP when it comes to emergency management... CAP is a mere manpower support function.

Careful what you say about these folks.....some have been doing this longer (in some cases) than CAP and what has your Wing done to 'sell" itself to be at the EOC table during these training events??

[RiverAux]

You've got to devote your limited planning time to the most likely scenarios and I'm not at all surprised that earthquake prep is quite low on the list in NY and wouldn't critisize anyone for that.  I suppose they should also be preparing for the tsunami when the asteriod strikes off the Atlantic Coast, but theres only so much you can do.

[heliodoc]

^^^

I know another organization that would love to be in on the action of both earthquakes and tsunamis and could tell everyone how effective they would be in those events

[Rob Sherlin]

I am talking about a most likely scenario though. There is a big difference in preparedness for an asteroid that "might" hit the ocean and cause a tsunami, and knowing there's a fault line under you that will eventually quake. I'm not trying to put the people involved in the training down, and maybe I shouldn't have said it was 1/2 R'sed. I just know from what I've seen, and some training I been through before (living in California), they should be doing a little more. I really think it's because none of them had actually been in a quake and know the full effects. Like I said, they're going to need a lot more than just a few tents and such. Even the police out here are not really equiped to handle a mass crowd, and are going to have major problems when people start killing each other over fresh water. I just tend to think that a quake out here will be a lot worse than any of them I've been through in California, because they have a habbit of hitting in the Fall or Winter, and early in the morning it seems, and Fall and Winter out here is nothing like Fall or Winter in California. Well, knowing now that there is a fault line here, at least I will get together my survival kit for if I need it. If they educate the community on doing the same, it will be a good thing. Otherwise, I will be prepared if I survuive the initial quake(I say this because of there's no quake code to building out here, and most of the structures here WILL fall in the event of a good shakedown)

[RRLE]

Before yelling the sky is falling or the ground is shaking, maybe a little and easy to do consultation of the real likihood of a quake would have been in order. See the 2008 United States National Seismic Hazard Maps. Western NY is pretty much not on the map, so to speak, as far as a major quake is concerned. The most likely areas in NY are the Northeast and that small yellow spot in southeast NY.

That small spot covers NYC and extends into NJ, CT and PA. Extendinging north from NYC is the Wallkill fault, which is active and a nuke plant is not far from it. To the west of the yellow spot is the  Passaic Fault which is also active.

Western NY has far greater hazards (ice storms for one) to worry about and plan for then a very not likely to happen major quake.

FWIW - I went to a college that was near the Wallkill fault. I know what moving ground feels like.

[Orville_third]

Here in SC, we are preparing for a possible quake, and CAP is definitely part of the SC Earthquake plan. (We're not that big, but still we are involved...)

[RRLE]

Here in SC, we are preparing for a possible quake, and CAP is definitely part of the SC Earthquake plan. (We're not that big, but still we are involved...)

That makes sense, since SC has a red zone on the hazard map. You might want to look at Earthquakes in SC fro SC DNR.