Bay Area leaders gather to discuss earthquake preparedness

Byby Kate Larsen KGO logo
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Bay Area leaders discuss earthquake preparedness
Bay Area leaders and are gathering for the Epicenter Summit to discuss what to do when the big one hits.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Bay Area leaders and are gathering for the Epicenter Summit to discuss what to do when the big one hits.

A 2.9 magnitude struck quake directly under the CSU East Bay campus Tuesday morning.

After the 2014 Napa earthquake, governor brown declared a state of emergency. The 6.0 magnitude quake injured 200 hundred people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

RELATED: UC Berkeley scientist discusses link between weather and earthquakes

The Salvation Army's Captain Jonathan Harvey responded to Napa hours after the quake.

"Preparedness is absolutely essential," Harvey said. "We were preparing meals in Solano County, transporting those into Napa. That preparedness meant that we were ready to go, we had the equipment in place, we had the volunteers in place. We were ready to support them as they needed it." This week he and other emergency response experts are meeting at Fort Mason for the epicenter conference, to ensure they are ready to help bay area residents.

RELATED: Learn how to prepare your home for an earthquake

The 1989 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta quake was centered on the San Andreas Fault near Santa Cruz, killing more than 60 people and injuring thousands.

VIDEO: ABC7 News coverage of 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

According to the USGS there is a 63-percent chance that a magnitude 6.7 earthquake will occur along one of the Bay Area's seven main fault lines in the next 30 years, and a 99-percent chance for California overall.

"The disasters always teach us that the first responder is likely to be your neighbor, not a police officer or firefighter. So get involved in your neighborhood. Find out who might need a little extra help in a disaster and take care of your family," Mike Dayton with San Francisco's Department of Emergency Management said.

Click here for a look at the most recent quakes in the Bay Area and around the world, and click here for tips on disaster preparedness.