Thought I’d share this interesting article from the New York Times about Californians and their level of preparedness.

Given that California has seen major earthquakes more recently than we have, I think they’re probably STILL more prepared than Oregonians…which apparently isn’t saying much.

From the article:

Seismologists say a major earthquake is almost a certainty in coming decades, given the region’s seismic history. But a recent study [PDF] by the California Emergency Management Agency found the majority of the state’s households failing to meet recommendations for many basic emergency needs, like stockpiling water (a minimum of three gallons per person), reinforcing their homes and making disaster plans.

On Monday, Kelly Huston, a spokesman for the agency, added that the continuing failure of Californians to fully prepare was frustrating, but that Sunday’s quake was “a teachable moment.”

“It’s tough trying to get people to think about something bad,” Mr. Huston said. “The only time we can get them to think about it is when the earth moves. Well, 20 million people felt that quake. So there’s 20 million people who now realize that earthquakes can affect them.”

Keep reading…

…and take the online class to get prepared yourself.