Earthquake Warning California Businesses Toolkit

 

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) invites Californians and visitors to join the Earthquake Warning California’s “Don’t Get Caught Off Guard” earthquake early warning awareness campaign.

 

Earthquakes can and will happen throughout California. Earthquake Warning California provides no-cost tools — the MyShake App, Android Earthquake Alerts, and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) — to supplement existing resources and give users a few extra moments to take cover and warn others before an earthquake. Understanding how to recognize alerts and what to do when receiving a warning is critical.

 

Cal OES is urging businesses to help spread the word about the importance of being earthquake prepared, how businesses can now receive earthquake warnings and understand the capabilities of Earthquake Warning Californiaresources, as well as know what to do when an earthquake warning goes out.

 

To receive monthly updates on earthquake preparedness news, events, technology, and other resources, sign up for our e-newsletter at earthquake.ca.gov.

 

The following information can be tailored and shared with friends, family, and others via newsletters, social media posts, and email blasts. For questions email earthquakeinfo@caloes.ca.gov.

Newsletter Language

Share the text below through email, newsletters, or other channels. Personalize it as needed.

Natural disasters, like earthquakes, happen unexpectedly and can create major disruptions that last long after the event is over. Emergency situations may force employees and customers to quickly find shelter or evacuate from our building. By being prepared and planning ahead, we can quickly take life-saving actions to keep everyone safe in an earthquake. It’s important for all our employees to be familiar with [NAME OF BUSINESS]’s  disaster/emergency plan and to identify safe spots to take cover in if an earthquake were to occur while at work or at home during remote working. 

To ensure all employees are earthquake prepared, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) developed Earthquake Warning California, which is the nation’s first statewide earthquake warning system that provides several seconds of warning to mobile device users in the area before shaking occurs. Earthquake Warning California offers no-cost earthquake warning resources, including:

  • MyShake App. A mobile app that can be downloaded for mobile devices at no-cost from Google Play the Apple App Store. App location services must be set to “always on” so that ground sensors can alert those in the nearby area when shaking is detected.
  • Android Earthquake Alerts. An earthquake warning system available to any new or updated Android devices that uses that same technology as the MyShake App.
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). Text-like messages from the government during emergency situations. This includes: Presidential, Imminent Threat (fire, earthquake, floods, etc.), and AMBER alerts.

We encourage employees to utilize the Earthquake Warning California resources at work and at home. Earthquake Warning California notifies users to quickly take protective action such as to drop, cover, and hold on. These earthquake warning tools can help protect lives and prevent damage to properties in the areas hardest hit during an earthquake. During serious shaking situations, individuals may be knocked down to the ground, so sheltering prior to shaking is the prudent thing to do.

To learn more about Earthquake Warning California, the no-cost warning alert tools, and additional resources available to the public, visit earthquake.ca.gov.

An organization that prepares together can diminish the catastrophic impact of a major earthquake. Subscribe to Earthquake Warning California newsletter to receive campaign toolkits, graphics and the latest news & updates.

Social Media (Graphics)

The following can be tailored and used on personal social media pages or by organizations to help spread awareness about Earthquake Warning California resources. Hashtags (#) help others looking for information to see trending posts, while using the @ symbol tags other organizations (use @Cal_OES for Twitter and @CaliforniaOES for Facebook).

  • (NAME OF BUSINESS) is helping our employees prepare for the next #earthquake with @cal_oes #EarthquakeWarningCA tools. Learn more at earthquake.ca.gov.
  • #DYK in addition to (NAME OF BUSINESS) preparing for the next earthquake, we are also encouraging our in-state vendors to have a disaster plan in place. Don’t get caught off guard — #earthquake warnings are available for all Californians at earthquake.ca.gov.
  • Preparing employees on steps to take during and after an #earthquake is an essential part of being #prepared. Sign up for #EarthquakeWarningCA and learn more at earthquake.ca.gov.
  • (NAME OF BUSINESS) encourages our California customers to learn about earthquake warning tools from #EarthquakeWarningCA. Download the #MyShake App or enable #AndroidEarthquakeAlerts and #WEAs. Learn more at earthquake.ca.gov.
  • #Earthquake Preparedness Checklist:
  1. Visit earthquake.ca.gov 🖥️
  2. Learn about earthquake warnings from the #MyShake App, #AndroidAlerts, and #WEA
  3. Ensure emergency warnings are enabled on phones 📱
  4. Add earthquake warnings to your emergency plan
  5. Spread the word! 📣

E-Blast Language

The following can be copy/pasted into an email for internal staff communications. The following information is geared towards employees, but please tailor for additional internal audiences as appropriate.

 

Are you prepared for an earthquake?

 

Earthquakes can happen anywhere at any time. To help keep individuals and families safe in an earthquake, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) recently launched a public education campaign to help increase awareness of Earthquake Warning California. This education effort includes outreach to the general public to help educate them about technology that can help them stay safe and mitigate risk in an earthquake.

 

Earthquake Warning California’s “Don’t Get Caught Off Guard” campaign is a statewide education effort to help the public learn about earthquake warning tools and resources. Cal OES, in collaboration with the California Integrated Seismic Network Partners from United States Geological Survey (USGS), University of California – Berkeley (UCB), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and California Geological Survey (CGS) launched the nation’s first State Earthquake Early Warning System in October of 2019. The system uses ground motion sensors and sensors in smartphones to detect an earthquake before humans can feel it and issues a ShakeAlert® Message in real time so they can take cover before shaking happens. An earthquake warning can provide additional life-saving seconds for people to Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

 

Earthquake Warning California resources include:

  • Information about constructing an emergency plan
  • How to protect yourself and your family before, during and after an earthquake
  • Android earthquake alerts developed in partnership with Cal OES and USGS
  • The MyShake App — a smartphone app developed in partnership with Cal OES and UC Berkeley that can provide users with a few seconds of notification that shaking is about to occur
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) — free notifications delivered to cell phones in emergency situations
  • Information for business sectors to plan for life-saving actions in the event of an alert, such as safely slowing mass transit systems, powering down equipment, or bringing elevators to an emergency stop
  • Links to the California Integrated Seismic Network Partners for additional technical and system information

 

We encourage you and your family and support network to become familiar with earthquake preparation resources at earthquake.ca.gov. Plan and practice to respond in the event of an earthquake in a variety of situations, including industry-specific information. Sign up for the MyShake App, Android Earthquake Alerts, or WEAs, and get familiar with their visuals, sounds, and vibrations.

 

You can also sign up to receive monthly e-newsletters with the latest news and information about earthquake warnings, new materials, virtual presentations, social media posts and other resources on Cal OES’ website. For more information visit earthquake.ca.gov or email earthquakeinfo@caloes.ca.gov.