Mexico Earthquake Rattles California into Preparedness

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Get those earthquake kits ready, California. It's time for emergency preparedness. With hurricanes battering the east coast and wildfires burning out of control in the Pacific northwest, many southern California residents are thinking of their own back yards and natural disasters.

Residents should sign up for emergency information through www.AlertOC.gov or for the most up to date emergency information.

For Earthquake Preparedness, the Office of Emergency Management offered the following tips:

• Sign up to receive emergency notifications in your area.
• When you are in public places, be aware of your surroundings and identify safe spaces.
• If you experience shaking, though your instinct may be to run outside, instead "drop, take cover, and hold on!" until the shaking stops.
• Never run out of buildings during an earthquake.
• If you are in a wheelchair, lock your wheels and cover your head.

For information to register online for 2017 Great California ShakeOut, visit: shakeout.org

Approximately one year ago, a swarm of earthquakes, which amounted to at least 18 earthquakes within a 24-hour period, rattled central California into attention. Swarms usually strike in earthquake prone areas and then stop, according to research.

In October of 2016, the Office of Emergency Service Advisory has issued an advisory for Orange County as well as Riverside, Ventura, San Diego, Los Angeles, Kern and San Bernardino Counties.

SEE ALSO: 290 Earthquakes in 104 Hours: Salton Sea 'Swarm' Prompts (Slight) Increased Risk of Large Quake

The 2016 advisory equaled to a 1-percent increase in the likelihood of a larger than 4.3 magnitude quake occurring along the San Andreas fault line through Tuesday, Oct. 4.

"California is earthquake country. We must always be prepared and not let our guard down," Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci said. "The threat of an earthquake on the San Andreas Fault hasn't gone away, so this is another important opportunity for us to revisit our emergency plans and learn what steps you need to take if a significant earthquake hits."

What to do in an earthquake:

Orange County Sheriff's Department stated in a recent release that they do not intend to scare the public with the earthquake advisory, just to remind on the importance of earthquake preparedness.

In the event of an earthquake:

Great Shakeout

The advisory comes just weeks before the Great Shakeout, a nationwide earthquake preparedness drill on Oct. 20.

The council stresses that citizens should maintain "a prudent level of earthquake preparedness," Ghilarducci said. "It's always important for officials and the public to take steps to prepare."

Does this mean the Big One is coming?

This advisory has clarified that experts specifically evaluated the potential for the earthquake swarms to trigger a larger earthquake (M7.0+) on the San Andreas Fault.

Scientists estimated values between 0.03 percent and 1.0 percent possibility of that happening.

See Also:

• Are You Really Ready for the Next Big California Earthquake?

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