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South Coast State Senator Chairs Hearing Looking At California's Preparedness For Mega-Earthquake

It’s high brush fire season on the Central and South Coasts, and that’s creating a lot of concern about the potential for dangerous blazes.

But, government leaders and public safety officials say there’s the potential for an even larger scale disaster which looms in the background: A mega-earthquake. Democratic State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara chaired a hearing in Sacramento to look at the question of how prepared are we for a huge temblor.

The 19th District State Senator is chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. Jackson says experts believe there is a 37% chance of a mega-quake in the next 50 years, and that the quake could top magnitude 8.

Mark Ghilarducci, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, says dealing with a mega-quake will be difficult, especially in the initial hours, and days when key resources will be stretched thin. He says one positive byproduct of dealing with the state’s brush fires is that California is a leader in the nation in sharing, and redeploying resources to help areas hit by disaster.

One of the big messages at the state hearing is one you’ve heard before. It’s about being prepared. But, there’s a different twist. The experts say in the wake of a major quake, with power out, streets blocked, and stores closed, you and your family will need to be self-sufficient. Denise Everheart, with the American Red Cross says there’s a big change from the old guidelines of having supplies for three days. They are now telling people you need to be prepared to live on the supplies you have on hand for two weeks.

The more than dozen public safety officials from around the state who testified at the meeting say California is the most prepared state in the nation for a mega-disaster. But, they say it should be, because it also faces the largest risk.

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