1994 Northridge Earthquake San Franciscans stand with our fellow Californians by remembering the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.  We remember the lives that were lost and those that were changed.  The magnitude 6.7 quake caused $25 billion in damage and was the costliest U.S. natural disaster at the time.

It's been a big week for San Francisco's emergency preparedness: The 24th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake; the Great California ShakeOut; and www.SF72.org is launched!

Tomorrow marks the 24th 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).  Here are a few stories about the Loma Prieta earthquake and how this disaster helped to shape us into a more resilient San Francisco.  We also hope you'll participate in tomorrow's Great California ShakeOut: the statewide drop, cover and hold-on drill taking place at 10:17 am.

We believe in connection, not catastrophe.

Here’s the thing: actual emergencies look more like people coming together than cities falling apart. And people who are more connected fare better in times of crisis.

The DEM 2012-2013 Annual Report is hot off the press! Check out what we've been up to this past fiscal year.

Ten years ago today was the great Northeast Blackout of 2003, which spanned eight states and two countries (United States and Canada) and left more than 50 million people without power. We've compiled some iconic images of blackout. Although, a decade ago and a continent apart, we can't help but see San Francisco in in these photos and if something similar were to happen here, that we would come together--not fall apart.

Last month Rob Dudgeon, DEM Deputy Director, visited Haifa, Israel [see his first blog about the trip Notes from the Field: Haifa, Israel]. In this second installment journaling his experience there, Rob shares his perspectives on the fundamental meaning of resilience through the lens of Haifa's mayor who led his city's resilience to the Second Lebanon war in 2006 when hundreds of rockets rained down on Haifa for a month.

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.