Chimneys most vulnerable during earthquake

English: Earthquake damage Close-up of the damaged chimney stack at 26 Ashcroft Road http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/708670 after the earthquake of 27th February 2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have a fireplace and many of us do, you need to check your chimney to make certain that it can withstand the big earthquake.
An article in the San Francisco Chronicle notes that chimney failure is the most common damage in an earthquake. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chimney-failure-most-common-damage-in-an-5722587.php

Many chimneys failed in the Napa earthquake, including one that collapsed on a teen age boy.

So get your chimneys checked out and get ready, Long Beach.

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Northern California hit with 6.0 Earthquake

USGS Satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. Light gray areas are heavily urbanized regions (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit Northern California near Napa Valley Sunday, injuring at least 120 — 3 critically — and causing extensive damage, including fires sparked by burst gas lines, in the largest tremor to rock the Bay Area since the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta quake in 1989.

Leslie Gordon of the U.S. Geological Survey says the tremor struck just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday local time, about 10 miles northwest of American Canyon, which is about 6 miles southwest of Napa.

Hello. A 6.0 earthquake hit northern California this morning. Lots of damage. 89 people reported hurt. Some critically.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/24/usgs-60-magnitude-earthquake-shakes-northern-california/

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Putting Politics Aside -- We Need to Ask Is Long Beach Ready?

LONG BEACH RESIDENTS:

Since coming to City Council in 2006, I have spent considerable time on the issue of getting residents ready to survive a major earthquake or tsunami. My staff and I have gone through CERT -- Community Emergency Response Team training.( http://longbeach.gov/fire/cert/) I have held numerous community workshops with disaster preparedness experts to bring people together to get ready. http://www.presstelegram.com/technology/20121009/long-beach-councilwoman-gerrie-schipske-to-host-emergency-preparedness-rountable 

The recent (and continuing) swarm of earthquakeshttp://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0339-socal-quake-20140329,0,2648814.story  and the workshop held last week at the Aquarium http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20140322/long-beach-aquarium-of-the-pacific-to-host-tsunami-preparedness-event  about preparing Long Beach for a tsunami, should make all of us stop and think -- is Long Beach ready? Do our residents know where to go in case of a major disaster? Do we know what streets to avoid if evacuating? Do we have tsunami warning signs posted? Do our public facilities have back up power and supplies, including drinkable water?

It is important that right now the current Mayor and the City Council move as quickly as possible to pull together resources and make sure every neighborhood in our City is prepared.

We all know that there is an election coming, but earthquakes and disasters have their own timetable as you will see in the video below prepared by the Great California Shakeout -- an effort to get California ready for an earthquake.

Please contact Mayor Foster and your member of the City Council and ask if Long Beach is ready and how can we get ready as a City.

Preparedness Now, The Great California Shakeout

 I am including a link for you to check the specific natural disaster hazard in your neighborhood: http://myhazards.calema.ca.gov/  

Please also check http://www.readyla.org/ and find out what you need to do to prepare. 

Together, we can do this!

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Quake in LA Should Make Us Think About Getting Ready

The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 4.4 earthquake that hit Los Angeles yesterday should be a reminder that the big one is coming and it is important for Long Beach residents to get ready to survive.

Experts estimate that a 7.0 or large magnitude earthquake would bring widespread devastation in Southern California.

As you know, I have sponsored several community workshops on how to get ready. You need to get your home equipped with supplies and water that will last at least seven days.

Check out www.ready.gov to find out what what you need to get together to get prepared.

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Earthquake Hits San Diego -- Are You Ready Long Beach?

Earthquake (Photo credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

4.3-Magnitude Earthquake Felt Throughout San Diego County | KPBS.org
Click on the link to read about the latest earthquake nearby. Smaller quakes have hit the area earlier.

Folks, important that Long Beach get ready for an earthquake -- and not just focusing on replacing a City Hall. We need to make certain we have equipment and emergency personnel that can respond if we are hit by a large earthquake.

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