On Tuesday, a few hours after the earthquake, the Los Angeles Fire Department put up a link on the "Highlights" section on the homepage of the city's website, pointing to their Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness Manual (.pdf)--a smart move since right after an earthquake is the best time to educate people on preparing for a future and considerably worse one (Tuesday's quake was only considered "moderate"). The next morning, the city's Information Technology Agency (ITA)......

Councilman Tom LaBonge suggested bringing back the Cold-War era air raid sirens back into use in 2003. That, so far, has never gone through. But in light of the recent earthquake last Tuesday and considering how poorly people are prepared, he's called for the City Council to ask Gov. Schwarzenegger to declare the first Friday of every month “Emergency Preparedness Day” in California. It would be a monthly reminder to have schools hold drills and......

"Running is one of the most dangerous things you can do," explained Brian Humphrey, Spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department and a previous Community Emergency Response Team instructor. "People can lose their lives when they run, especially when windows or glass mirrors are near. You should duck, cover and hold." Various videos surfaced yesterday on TV and online of people doing the exact opposite. People ran, something that could be disastrous in a larger......

City Controller Laura Chick was scheduled to speak to the LA City Council today about her most recent report on the city not being as emergency and disaster prepared as it should be (.pdf). Following the earthquake, her office sent out this notice at 12:37 p.m,: City Controller Laura Chick will address the City Council regarding Councilmember Jose Huizar's motion regarding her recent Emergency and Disaster Preparedness audit. The audit uncovered deficiencies in the City's......

There's been eight tiny shakers in the past 24 hours ranging from a magnitude 0.9 (no one felt it) to 2.8 (only felt it if you were sitting). Tip of the Day: If you're like us, you've got bookcases. Sometimes those bookcases are near your bed or maybe a couch. Is it secure? Are shelving units held in by earthquake puddy? Is the whole unit strapped to the wall? All good things to think about......

No less than 15 lower-than-2.0-magnitude quakes shook throughout the Los Angeles area over the weekend. If your cat did one of those random hop and a skips with a shriek, that was probably it. And it's nothing to worry about. What is to have concern over is not being prepared for a large scale earthquake. One of the best ways to keep up on the issue is staying in tune with the The Great Southern......

A 1.6 in Loma Linda and a 1.8 up in Frazier Park in the last 24 hours. And that's simply it. Tip of the Day: If you're heading to, moving to or are just interested in learning more about preparedness, San Francisco has a very easy-to-use and slickly designed website called 72hours.org, which named after the amount of time they expect you to be on your own without any government help.......

It's the usual daily shakings here and there. If you were in Santa Monica yesterday and thought you felt something, you might have. There were three mini shakes. Tip of the day: There has been talk about using Twitter during emergencies. While cell phone use takes up bandwidth, texting does not, therefore helping save the cellular network from crashing.......

Nothing unusual going on. Yesterday saw a mid-morning 1.4 magnitude quake in Gorman and Loma Linda is still having small quakes here and there -- a 2.0 in the afternoon. Tip of the day: If you live or work in Encino, the local chamber of commerce has begun to work on educating the community about earthquake preparedness.......

One small 1.4 magnitude aftershock hit the Loma Linda area after yesterday's 4.0 shaker, but the Earth pretty much stood still in Southern California for the last 24 hours. Two other 1.4 quakes were reported near Fontana and Murrieta Hot Springs and a very minor 0.6 near Littlerock (East of Palmdale). The recent heat wave is a good reminder for earthquake preparation. What if "The Big One" hit in the middle of that? Would you......

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake scenario could play out like this The Great Southern California ShakeOut was officially announced today where millions of Southern Californians will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” (register at www.ShakeOut.org) as thousands of emergency responders statewide take part in the largest-ever earthquake response drill called "Golden Guardian." The hypothetical magnitude 7.8 earthquake will rupture the San Andreas Fault at 10 a.m. on November 13. "An enormous earthquake is definitely in our......

The media has been reporting various small quakes over the last week. But is that really something to worry about? "It’s not uncommon for Orange County to experience several microquakes every week," Sciencedude Gary Robbins said at the OC Register in a brief about the three recent microquakes in Orange County. His statement goes for all of Southern California -- small quakes happen all the time. A daily viewing of the USGS' recent earthquake map......

Jan. 17, 1994: the covered body of Los Angeles motorcycle officer Clarence W. Dean lays near his motorcycle which plunged off Highway 14 overpass that collapsed onto Interstate 5 (AP Photo/Doug Pizac) Hollywood studios are not the ones behind the latest script detailing a massive future earthquake hitting Los Angeles. This time, it's scientists and other quake experts... over 300 of them. Specifically, the U.S. Geological Survey and California Geological Survey have collaborated to......

Earthquake Photo via Shanghaiist The nearly 10,000 person death toll (and rising!) after yesterday's massive 7.8 earthquake in the Sichuan province of China serves as a reminder to Los Angeles that we are just as vulnerable to such a large shaker. It was just last month that scientists said "California faces an almost certain risk of being rocked by a strong earthquake by 2037." And they're talking about "the big one." Shanghaiist, a sister......

75 years ago: Long Beach earthquake | Photo by Jan Bruce, great aunt of LAist Featured Photos contributor victoriabernal Did ABC's Eli Stone and the U.S. Geological Survey collaborate to put us all on an earthquake watch today? Last night's episode of the San Francisco based "visionary" drama, where Stone's brain aneurism causes him to see the future, was about a giant earthquake hitting the bay city causing the Golden Gate bridge to collapse......

Not about to throw his back out. With the holiday season coming up, many of us become nostalgic with the sights, smells, and sounds of relatives and good times past and present. Some of us turn to photographs to settle these hungry feelings, others slides, others old film reels. The main problem in this endeavor, though, comes when you try to actually find the photos you're thinking of. I know, in my house, we have......

Good thing the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) put out a Red Flat Alert (move your car if you live in the hills or you could be towed) last night for today -- a major brush fire began this morning around 5:50 a.m. near Tampa Ave and Sesnon Bl (yo, Valley, people, this is Porter Ranch) in Los Angeles County territory according to alerts from the LAFD. In the name of mutual aid, the......

I am loving this ATP-inspired idea of playing entire albums from beginning to end. Tonight we hit the Music Box to see The Melvins play Houdini and Mudhoney play Superfuzz Big Muff plus Early Singles. Sadly, we missed Flipper. We were late because I fell down the back steps as we rushed out the door. Bob wanted me to stay home and ice my foot, but no way was I missing this gig! We......

Every time I go to a city of Los Angeles fair of some type, I walk away with a lot of free quality swag. I've made off with countless CFL lightbulbs, useful maps, emergency supply kits and even Port Police lip balm (yeah, sexy). Today, is one of the four 16th Annual Dare to Prepare Emergency Preparedness Fairs (.pdf) taking place in the city this month, which happens to be National Preparedness Month. If all......

Nichols Canyon Rd. was shut down last night due to a mudslide. "A break in an 8-inch main has undermined the road and will be closed until approximately noon Sunday, after repairs complete. Alternate routes are suggested," D'lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a text alert.......

Brace for a Quake: A Survival Guide on KCET has aired a few times already this month during their pledge drive, but you have one more chance to catch this great show that covers insurance, myths, how to fix up your home, workplace/office safety, what to do when you're in a car, and more. Schedule your TIVO for Sunday, August 19th at 12:30 PM on KCET. You can also contribute money to our local public......

If there is anyone who is prepared for an earthquake of a much higher magnitude than last night’s 4.5, Captain Stacy Gerlich of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is that person. Gerlich, whose official title is Captain I/Paramedic CERT Program Coordinator Special Operations Section, Disaster Preparedness CERT Unit, is in charge of the complimentary program that trains Los Angeles citizens to prepare themselves, their families and their neighborhoods for disasters. This program is the......

Who said emergency preparedness has to be boring? If you live, work or spend a good amount of time in Topanga, this free downloadable document is a must. The team that designed this 17 chapter disaster guide did an extremely beautiful job putting this visually exciting document together. And why did they do it? Here is the introduction from County Supervisor Yev Zaroslovsky: I am honored to present the inaugural edition of the Topanga......

Using the latest and greatest Internet tools, the Los Angeles Fire Department is setting an example for public communication and ubiquity in the information age. After being notified via text message of a "traffic collision with entrapment on Sherman Way," we paid a call to LAFD for an update on their ever-expanding Web endeavors. We caught up with veteran LAFD firefighter and public service officer Brian Humphrey during one of his 24-hour shifts in......

We're all used to tests by the Emergency Broadcasting System, but, thankfully, rare is the occasion when you hear those sounds, see that screen, and it's NOT a test. That all changed today when I was eating a little lunch and the above image popped up on my TV screen. And it could not have been more nebulous. What this alert told me was that we were having a "civil emergency." Unfortunately, there was......

A Memorial Weekend BBQ in East Hollywood was my destination yesterday. And since my recent habit has been to use public transit mixed with the bike, that's what I set out to do from my Sherman Oaks flat. First, I was off to Ralphs Fresh Fare at Ventura and Coldwater to pick up some food. I shop, exit and head to my bike. Right then, an escalade pulls up and parks in the fire......

This two man per shift team gets called out about 2 times a day to points all over the city. Based in Sherman Oaks at Fire Station 88 on Sepulveda, emergency calls to far points such as San Pedro may warrant the use of a helicopter. In that case, they will take what they need for the situation and have a different USR truck waiting for them at the scene.......

We all know with the budget shell game, money gets shifted, programs beget and programs get dropped. Another program on the cutting board of the proposed budget is the CERT training, otherwise known as the Community Emergency Response Team. This free training by the fire department is invaluable (we know). The fact of the matter is that when a huge earthquake comes and makes life much worse than 1994's quake, the city is not......

How to Protect Yourself and Others from Electrical Hazards Following a Natural Disaster - Never touch a fallen power line. Call the power company to report fallen power lines. - Avoid contact with overhead power lines during cleanup and other activities. - Do not drive through standing water if downed powerlines are in the water. - If a power line falls across your car while you are driving, stay inside the vehicle and continue......

Mayor Sam blogger Councilman John openly questions Neighborhood Councils on their emergency preparedness initiatives. Should they be spending part of their $50,000 annual budget on stock piling materials for a neighborhood? Do they need consistent guidance from the city? Well, here is some guidance: if you do not have 10-gallons of water stored in case of an earthquake, you might be screwed. If you are reading this and going, "nah, I won't be," it's......