USGS Newsroom

Bay Area Schools, Businesses, Governments Practice Readiness for Next Big Quake

A special ceremony will be held at Mission San Jose on Tuesday, October 21st, to commemorate the moment a magnitude 7 earthquake struck on the Hayward Fault in 1868.  This 140th Anniversary is especially significant since the last five major earthquakes on the Hayward Fault have occurred at approximately 140-year intervals.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners consider the Hayward Fault particularly dangerous, due to its frequency of destructive earthquakes and because dense urban populations have built up on and around the Hayward Fault most of its length from Berkeley to San Jose.

Scientists and decision-makers are using the 140th Anniversary as an opportunity to prepare Bay Area communities for the next big earthquake, and about 200,000 Bay Area students will be participating in "Drop, Cover and Hold On" drills at their schools.  In addition, many state and local government offices and private businesses will participate in emergency response drills and planning exercises.

Who:  USGS senior scientists Tom Brocher and Suzette Kimball, Mayor of Fremont Bob Wasserman, Harold Brooks, CEO of the Bay Area Chapter of American Red Cross, descendents of 1868 earthquake survivors and historians.

Where: Mission San Jose in Fremont at 43300 Mission Boulevard. Driving directions to the site are available at http://www.missionsanjose.org/map.html.

When:  7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 21, Commemoration Ceremony.

A second event, at 10:00 a.m. -- California Seismic Safety Committee members will visit St. Joseph's Elementary School at 43222 Mission Blvd. to kick off their "Drop, Cover and Hold On" drill and an Emergency Preparedness Fair.  USGS will participate in the fair.

For a complete list of 1868 Hayward Earthquake Alliance Events, conferences, exhibits, lectures and publications, see http://1868alliance.org/activities/.