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Los Angeles, CA – On the eve of the 15th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake, Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield (D – Woodland Hills) today announced he is creating the Valley Public Response for Emergency Preparedness (Valley PREP) Task Force.  The citizen Task Force will focus on the unique disaster preparedness needs of the San Fernando Valley including transportation, water, communications, evacuation restoring basic services after a disaster, and other issues brought forward by Valley residents.

At a news conference near the epicenter of the quake, Assemblymember Blumenfield made the following statement:

“Early tomorrow morning, at 4:31 a.m., marks the 15th anniversary of the epic Northridge Earthquake.  Even though it was a decade-and-a-half ago, none of us will ever forget those terrifying moments that changed our lives and the way we think about our city.

The Northridge Earthquake was a vivid wake-up call to the reality we all share. We live on top of, and all around, a dangerous earthquake fault – one that can wreak havoc without warning at any time.  We know the question is not whether the next ‘big one’ is coming, but when.

We are standing here outside the Northridge Fashion Center Mall, where a department store and three parking lots collapsed into rubble in just a few second’s time back in 1994.  Since then, much has been done to improve building and construction safety standards – for commercial, residential and public buildings as well as roads, bridges and other infrastructure.  We are in better shape today than we have ever been before, and this is heartening.

But as we have learned most recently from the Great Shakeout drill here in Southern California, and from large-scale quake disasters in other countries, there’s much more to preparing for the next disaster than making our buildings and roads stronger.

Especially here in the San Fernando Valley, with a population of nearly two million people, we need to give additional focus to understanding the special emergency needs of the Valley and preparing residents for when another big quake hits. How are we planning to deal with our unique needs for such things as transportation, water, communications, evacuation, taking care of the injured, sick and disabled, and restoring basic services to our homes and communities?

Just as the San Fernando Valley was the epicenter of the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, it must become the epicenter of disaster preparedness before the next emergency hits us.

That is why today, I am announcing the formation of a public task force – called Valley PREP – comprised of local residents who will assist my office in raising awareness throughout the Valley about emergency preparedness, and hopefully identifying solutions we can implement either on the ground, legislatively or in cooperation with other agencies.

The Valley Public Response for Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Task Force will be looking into Valley-specific issues such as:

• Transportation – what are our options if one or all of our major transportation arteries are destroyed?

• Evacuation – how will we ensure that frail senior citizens and people with disabilities can move to safer quarters?

• Communications – how can we make sure that critical communication infrastructure such as our cell phones continue to work during the disaster, and that repair workers can get into a disaster area to get phone towers back up and running?

• Neighborhood centers – where can people whose homes are uninhabitable go for temporary lodging?

• First Responders – how do we increase the number of community response teams to meet Valley emergency needs?

• Basic readiness – we need to raise awareness about simple things such as carrying a car kit in case the disaster hits while you’re driving, or designating a meeting place for family members if you can’t get home, or preparing to take care of our pets.

My office will look to our Valley PREP Task Force to provide input on these and other questions, and to help develop solutions.

I was honored to have been the congressional staff point-person back in 1994 to help secure over $14 billion in federal earthquake recovery aid to rebuild our community.  I was appalled to see the devastation and slow response that followed Hurricane Katrina four years ago in New Orleans.  And, as a newly elected state legislator, I am committed to making sure that we in the Valley are fully prepared for the inevitable.”

Quake Preparedness Resources

• FEMA Quakes for Kids
• Real Time Shaking Maps
• Tips for Pet Owners