Did you feel last night's 2.6 Earthquake at 7:30 pm, or the 2.9 at 9:30 pm Earthquake - both centered in the Santa Barbara Channel?

Posted by Geri Ventura -

March 11, 2010 - Chile has been experiencing very large earthquakes over the past several weeks; they had 3 YESTERDAY alone - 6.0, 6.9 and 7.2!

How prepared would you be if last night's earthquakes had been of the magnitude that Chile has been experiencing?

At 7:30 pm, Montecito's two fire stations typically house a average of 10 Firefighters, and one Dispatcher.

If a large earthquake hits Montecito, it is sure to have also affected our neighbors who would otherwise respond mutual aid to assist us during most emergencies (as has been demonstrated during our recent fires.)

However, in the case of an earthquake, our neighbors will have their own problems to attend to and will likely not be available to assist.

Montecito will be served by your own fire personnel until outside assistance can get here. (And how long will that be delayed if Hwy 101 is damaged or there are landslides preventing access from other outside agencies?)

That's an average of 10 Firefighters to take care of a population of over 14,000 if the event happens at night or on a weekend.

This number of personnel increases to up to 21 if the event happens Monday - Friday during regular business hours when administrative staff are also on duty.

If emergency personnel can't get to YOU right away, how prepared are you to take care of yourself and your family?

If the phones are out of service, have you given any thought to how would you notify emergency services that you need help?

(Here's a hint - find the closest MERRAG radio carrier!)

If you aren't involved in MERRAG, now's the time to get involved!

Don't wait for the next disaster to try and figure out what to do. Learn what you can do NOW before it happens!

A well prepared citizen is an asset to their family, their neighbors and their community!

MERRAG has preparedness training on the FIRST Thursday of every month at MFD Station one, at 10:00am. Please check www.merrag.com for our training schedule.

You can also go to these links for additional information on Earthquake Preparedness:

http://www.montecitofire.com/disaster_prep.htm

http://www.earthquakecountry.info/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/

For more information, you can call Geri Ventura at Montecito Fire, 805-969-2537 or email at gventura@montecitofire.com

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