April is Earthquake Prepardedness Month

All the schools in Utah built after the mid-1970’s have been required to follow a state code. It does not mean that your school is totally “earthquake proof”, it means you are more likely to escape the building unharmed.

Some school districts have been very aggressive on this issue such as Alpine, Jordan, Ogden, Salt Lake and some in Davis County.

If you want to know about your own personal school, contact your district office to find out if your building has been inspected and when.

We will be focusing on “preparedness” this next school year and try to help everyone get ready.

Some facts:

• Much has been learned about the earthquake threat and vulnerability in Utah.
• We know earthquakes occur here in Utah.
• We know where earthquakes are likely to occur and what they can do.
• We know how to reduce losses in future large earthquakes.

BUT...

• We have not done enough to be prepared for the next large earthquake.
• Few households have disaster plans.
• Few households have disaster supply kits.
• Few owners have taken steps to retrofit their older homes.

There will be more information forthcoming in the May Leadership Conference at BYU.