EDITORIAL: Mitigating a disaster

Sep. 5--Shaking and a great "boom" awoke the Henry family just before 8 a.m. Dec. 30, 2010.

"I had a friend in western Indiana who later called and asked if I heard anything," Craig Henry told us outside his home in southeastern Howard County later that morning. "I said, 'Yeah, it happened right in my backyard.'"

"It" was a 3.8-magnitude earthquake. The temblor's epicenter was farmland at the northeast corner of Indiana 26 and Howard County Road 1250 East, about 5 miles south of Greentown.

County authorities said 113 people called 911 within 15 minutes of the first tremor. But its radius spread between 120 and 190 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey of Golden, Colorado, said, jolting people from Chicago to southwestern Ohio.

Midwest earthquakes are few but not uncommon. Scientists anticipate a damaging quake occurring in the central U.S. within the next 50 years, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security says.

That's why hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers will take part in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut Oct. 17. About 3 million participants across the central U.S. registered to practice earthquake safety actions "Drop, Cover and Hold On" last year.

Homeland Security annually urges Hoosiers to join the more than 300,000 Indiana residents who already have pledged family, school or business participation in the earthquake drill in October and suggests your family establish an emergency communication plan and assemble a disaster kit.

And September being Disaster Preparedness Month, it's a good time to ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact" when disaster strikes. It is often easier to call long distance after a local emergency. Ensure every family member knows the name, address and phone number of the contact person.

In a disaster kit, include: food and water for three days, radio, flashlight, batteries for the radio and flashlight, first aid kit, clothing, blankets, personal hygiene items, emergency phone numbers, cash in small bills and copies of documents such as Social Security cards and insurance information.

Earthquakes and other disasters, like tornadoes and floods, can happen any time and place. With a bit of preparation, you might help prevent such an event from becoming a family calamity.

Kokomo Tribune editorial board

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