Spring Break
Everyone should be ready
Editorial Board
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Last week's earthquake left most students on campus immediately reaching for their cell phones to call loved ones to alert them of the quake and their safety.
As with everyone on campus, our cell phones are always close by; but as the San Francisco Chronicle reported the morning after the quake, the flood of cell phone calls compromised AT&T's landlines, and many could not get service, or their calls were delayed.
San Jose State students, faculty and staff, should reach for their cell phones first and their earthquake-preparedness bags second.
If an earthquake like the 7.1 Loma Prieta quake in 1989, which left 67 dead and yielded more than $7 billion in damage in the Bay Area, rocks SJSU again, it is vital to be prepared.
Without any warning - via the weather, television, radio or any other means - it is smart for everyone living in the Bay Area to have an earthquake-preparedness bag with the following items:
- small first aid kit
- bottled water
- cash
- flashlight
- notepad and pen
- jacket
- pre-paid phone card
- food
- list of emergency contacts
- charged batteries
- portable radio
If an earthquake hits, the Federal Emergency Management Agency advises that every person should have a disaster plan and an emergency bag ready.
According to FEMA, fewer than 10 percent of homes in the United States have disaster plans. As residents of California it is simply responsible to have an evacuation plan in case of an earthquake.
The SJSU housing department suggests that residents should never turn on electrical equipment after an earthquake in case power lines are down or there is a gas leak in the building.
In a building with elevators, residents should always use the stairs in an emergency and should not return until the emergency sirens are silenced or officials have given clearance to re-enter. The editorial board also encourages residents to assist those disabled who may have a more difficult time evacuating in an earthquake.
It is important to have an emergency contact person out of state because it is possible the local phone lines will not work while the out-of-state lines will be unaffected.
As with everyone on campus, our cell phones are always close by; but as the San Francisco Chronicle reported the morning after the quake, the flood of cell phone calls compromised AT&T's landlines, and many could not get service, or their calls were delayed.
San Jose State students, faculty and staff, should reach for their cell phones first and their earthquake-preparedness bags second.
If an earthquake like the 7.1 Loma Prieta quake in 1989, which left 67 dead and yielded more than $7 billion in damage in the Bay Area, rocks SJSU again, it is vital to be prepared.
Without any warning - via the weather, television, radio or any other means - it is smart for everyone living in the Bay Area to have an earthquake-preparedness bag with the following items:
- small first aid kit
- bottled water
- cash
- flashlight
- notepad and pen
- jacket
- pre-paid phone card
- food
- list of emergency contacts
- charged batteries
- portable radio
If an earthquake hits, the Federal Emergency Management Agency advises that every person should have a disaster plan and an emergency bag ready.
According to FEMA, fewer than 10 percent of homes in the United States have disaster plans. As residents of California it is simply responsible to have an evacuation plan in case of an earthquake.
The SJSU housing department suggests that residents should never turn on electrical equipment after an earthquake in case power lines are down or there is a gas leak in the building.
In a building with elevators, residents should always use the stairs in an emergency and should not return until the emergency sirens are silenced or officials have given clearance to re-enter. The editorial board also encourages residents to assist those disabled who may have a more difficult time evacuating in an earthquake.
It is important to have an emergency contact person out of state because it is possible the local phone lines will not work while the out-of-state lines will be unaffected.
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