Last week 9.4 million people in California participated in the largest earthquake drill in the state...in the country…in the world! Now in its fourth year, ShakeOut aims to arm Californians with the knowledge of what to do during an earthquake, which is to drop, cover and hold-on.

We are happy to announce that the City of San Francisco now has the ability to alert San Francisco residents by using the Commercial Mobile Alert System.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake anniversary and ShakeOut (the annual statewide earthquake drill that takes place the third Thursday of October) make October a very earthquake-hazard-centric month. However, much like the nature of life, there many walks of hazard--including man-made ones like cyber terrorism. So, along with earthquake month, October also is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Although this earthquake may not be one of recent memory, it still remains one of the most significant disasters to have occurred in the Bay Area (and California at large). And the memories from those of us who experience the earthquake first hand are fresh, which is why we are dedicating this em4SF blog today, and through the rest of this commemorative week, to story telling around Loma Prieta Earthquake.

 In this em4SF blog, DEM's Recovery Planner Kay Vasilyeva provides a book review of the San Francisco's One City One Book selection: A Paradise Built in Hell, written by Rebecca Solnit. We are particularly excited about this selection because of direct connection it provides us to work we do at DEM to support San Francisco's resilience.
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Get prepared. Win prizes. Are you prepared for emergencies? How about your family and your neighborhood?

The fact is that most of us who live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area aren’t. Why? For some, it’s too much trouble. For some, they just don’t know how. And some are just plain scared and just don’t want to think about it.

Today's em4SF blog post comes to us by Rob Stengel, DEM's Emergency Services Planner and resident expert on mass care and shelter and who works closely with the American Red Cross, Bay Area Chapter in a variety of capabilities.

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This week's blog comes to us from DEM's Private Sector Liaison, Jim Turner. _________________________________________________________________________

You may be wondering what this blog title means and well, our thinking is that today is as good as any day to do something to promote your preparedness and resilience during this fall season of preparedness. So, as we approach the autumnal equinox this weekend, we hope you will be inspired by our weekly 'do something' message and...do something!

We are one month away from the the 5th Annual Great California ShakeOut, California’s state-wide drop, cover and hold on drill. We hope you will participate and help to spread the word about registering and participating in the drill planned for Thursday, October 18th at 10:18am. The purpose of the ShakeOut drill is practice and preparation: knowing what to do before, during and after an earthquake and preparing our homes, workplaces and schools for any type of an emergency.