Earthquake Specialists Prepare Southland For Big One

The next big earthquake to shake the Coachella Valley could be just around the corner, according to scientists.

Aftershocks from the April 4 Baja, Calif., quake continue to rattle the border, and some in the Southland are taking matters into their own hands.

“We’re ready to help you get ready,” said Pamela Henry, an earthquake survival specialist.

Jan Stanford welcomed Pamela Henry and her business partner, Tony Major, into her Palm Desert home Monday.

One of her daughters recently moved back in, and Stanford said her earthquake supply kit is only sufficient for two people.

“We need to be able to survive for two weeks without any support,” said Stanford.

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Major and Henry recently started the new consulting firm, Fault Line, making house calls to determine whether or not the homeowner’s emergency supplies are adequate to survive a quake.

“It could be 30 years before we have an earthquake,” said Stanford. “But, it can also be in the next 5 minutes.”

The consultants explain how to turn off the utilities for the home in order to prevent further damage if an earthquake initially causes severe damage.

“If there’s any water and this area is flooded, leave it alone,” said Major, pointing at the main water line.

Henry said she started the company the day after the April 4 quake in Baja because she realized that she was unprepared to survive an emergency situation.

“I called around trying to see if someone would come to my home, because I didn’t feel able to really get it together,” said Henry.

Once the consultants evaluate the home and the supplies the homeowner has purchased over the years, they sit down and explain the Fault Line Earthquake Survival Guide, which explains what to do before, during and after an earthquake, such as having the family perform earthquake drills from time to time.

“I believe children feel safer when they’re prepared ahead of time,” said Henry. “So, they’re not so scared when it happens.”

“It’s going to happen here,” said Stanford, who is erring on the side of caution before Mother Nature strikes again. “It’s been too long. We’re in the 10th month of the pregnancy as they say.”

For more information on Fault Line, please call (760) 834-1624.