Berkeley, California (Wednesday, October 31, 2007) – Berkeley residents shaken by yesterday's earthquake are reminded of  the five critical steps to prepare for an earthquake:

• Have a plan for yourself and your family on how to evacuate your home and where to meet following an earthquake;
• Arrange for a long distance phone contact that everyone in your family can use to tell where and how they are;
• Prepare an emergency supplies kit for you and your family, enough for 5-7 days for each person. These supplies should include water (one gallon per person per day), canned foods, a fire extinguisher, a flashlight with extra batteries, a first aid kit, medications, a portable AM radio with extra batteries, and food and medications for your pets;
• Prepare your home to survive an earthquake (secure hazards and know how to turn off the gas, water and electricity);
• Get to know your neighbors and organize your neighborhood.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred at 8:05 p.m. on October 30, 2007. The earthquake occurred near the junction of the Calaveras and Hayward faults in the southern San Francisco Bay Area. Both of these faults are known active faults capable of producing large damaging earthquakes.

Berkeley’s Office of Emergency Services offers free preparedness classes to anyone who lives or works in Berkeley. Called Community Emergency Response Training (CERT), theses classes are listed on the OES website at http://www.cityofberkeley.info/fire/cert.html.

Additional earthquake information is available at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html. For more information, or to register for CERT classes, call Berkeley's Office of Emergency Services at 510-981-5605.

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