Occasionally, staff members at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (DEM) have an opportunity to travel abroad. They frequently write back with their observations. The following is the first of brief series of blogs journaling the experiences of DEM Deputy Director, Rob Dudgeon, who last week participated in a San Francisco emergency management delegation that visited Haifa, Israel.

How we prepare now, before a disaster, dictates how we react, respond and recover during the real thing. A mock 7.8 earthquake in San Francisco seems like a good test! We'll go into more detail later about what went on when DEM and our partners were put to the test.

The act of terrorism that occurred at the Boston Marathon is every city’s worst nightmare. It shakes all of us to the core as it’s hard not to think about something similar happening within our own community.

We got up very early, we dressed in 1906 style, and we joined our fellow San Franciscans in commemorating one of the most significant natural disasters in California’s history. Please enjoy DEM’s photographs documenting our participation in an annual ritual filled with camaraderie and San Francisco pride. Special note of appreciation, acknowledgment and thanks to Michael Mustacchi for photographing this special event.

April 18^th marks the 107^th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Although very few of us have a first-hand memory of what remains one of California’s most significant catastrophes, every April many of us think about the what ifs with regard to earthquakes.

Deputy Director Rob Dudgeon talks to the Bay Area's KGO-7 about Tsunami Preparedness. San Francisco plans for all emergencies including Tsunamis. For tips on how to prepare for tsunami or any disaster visit www.72hours.org. You can also see if you live or work in a Tsunami Inundation Zone.

Take steps towards community preparedness and join us for our first ever SF Tsunami Walk Saturday, March 30th at 10:00 am. Bring your family, invite your friends and meet your neighbors and find out what to do in case of a tsunami, which is to walk UP to higher ground.

Nothing grabs headlines like fear. In some circles, yesterday’s earthquake in Southern California was cast as a foreshock to the apocalypse. Cue the scenes of a volcano erupting in Los Angeles and an asteroid hurling towards earth. Somebody better call Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Willis because we need a hero!

Are we scared yet? Okay, now let’s all take a step back from the ledge.

By Anne Kronenberg, Executive Director, Department of Emergency Management 

We think it’s a safe bet that many of us plan our Sunday night around AMC’s The Walking Dead. SPOILER ALERT! Do you think Andrea is really going to take out the Governor?