How prepared is the Coachella Valley for the next major earthquake?

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) - If a major earthquake hit the Coachella Valley tomorrow, emergency officials say residents may need to be more self-reliant than they think.

September is National Preparedness Month, and cities across the valley are reviewing how they would respond if roads, communications and other services were disrupted during a large-scale disaster.

That planning includes an uncomfortable reality: even a well-prepared evacuation route may not be usable once the disaster actually happens.

Daniel Hurtado, a senior management analyst with the City of Palm Desert, said cities have to be ready to adjust their plans in real time if damage blocks a route they expected residents to use.

“You have your evacuation plan ready to go, but if something happens and that area which you had preplanned is no longer available, you need to ... create a new plan,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado said transportation is already a major concern because of the limited number of major routes in and out of the Coachella Valley. He said emergency planning also has to happen across city lines because traffic leaving one community can quickly affect neighboring cities.

Palm Springs is currently developing its first focused evacuation plan.

When News Channel 3 spoke with Palm Springs Emergency Manager Daniel DeSelms in August, he said the city had brought together agencies, businesses and other stakeholders to begin working through moderate- and large-scale evacuation scenarios.

DeSelms compared the challenge to the heavy gridlock sometimes seen during hurricane evacuations and said Palm Springs wants to reduce the chances of a similar situation during a local emergency.

Palm Desert is also preparing its own workforce for a major disaster.

Hurtado said all City of Palm Desert employees are designated Disaster Service Workers under state law. The city has more than 160 employees who can be called into the response structure if necessary.

He said the city trains staff through emergency management and incident command programs and conducts exercises that include earthquake scenarios. After a major incident, officials would begin by assessing damage, determining where help is needed most and activating the city's Emergency Operations Center as necessary.

That does not mean help will immediately reach everyone.

Dave Prieto, a member of the California Fire Foundation's board of directors, told News Channel 3 that emergency services would likely prioritize the most serious situations first after a major disaster.

“Emergency services are likely going to be tied up with the most severe issues first,” Prieto said. “Resources will be stretched thin.”

Prieto said one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding earthquakes is believing there will be time to figure out what to do once the shaking begins.

Instead, he said families should make those decisions ahead of time, including where they would meet, what supplies they would need and how they would communicate if normal services stopped working.

Hurtado similarly said residents should be prepared to remain self-sufficient for at least several days after a major disaster, particularly if multiple cities or counties are dealing with damage at the same time.

That preparation does not necessarily require building an expensive emergency kit all at once.

Emergency officials recommend starting with basics including food, water, flashlights, batteries, medications and a household communication plan.

Prieto also encouraged families to think about the needs of children, older adults and people with disabilities when preparing supplies.

Palm Desert officials shared one less obvious preparedness tip: freeze some of the water bottles stored for an emergency.

If the power goes out, the frozen bottles can help keep a refrigerator cold longer. As they melt, they can then become part of a household's drinking-water supply.

The city is also using National Preparedness Month to bring those lessons directly to residents.

Palm Desert will hold an emergency readiness event on Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Palm Desert Community Center. The event is being held in partnership with the Desert Recreation District and Riverside County Emergency Management Department.

Hurtado said more than 30 vendors are expected to attend, along with hands-on training, city information tables and activities aimed at teaching emergency preparedness to both adults and children.

For emergency officials, the larger message is that preparedness is not just about having supplies in a closet.

It is about having a plan for what happens when the systems people normally rely on — roads, phones, utilities and emergency responders — are no longer immediately available.