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Are
you Ready Socal? Get information on how you can prepare your family for a
disaster -- Click here for details

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Ready SoCal: Earthquake-Proofing Your Home

Simulator Shows Potential Damages

By
Carlos Granda

ROOSEVELT PARK, Aug.
28, 2007 (KABC-TV) - ABC7 is kicking off its month-long Ready SoCal
Campaign to help you and your family prepare for disaster. Here's a look at some
simple things you can do to earthquake-proof your home.

Related Links

FULL
COVERAGE: Ready SoCal

MORE:
September Events to Help Your Family

MORE:
Community Partners Help You Get Ready

We're in an earthquake simulator. This is
going to be 6.0 earthquake.

A 6.0 earthquake is serious. Everything is falling in every direction. In
this case I can hold myself steady because I knew it was coming. In real life,
of course, we don't have this luxury of knowing that an earthquake is coming. So
you have to be prepared ahead of time. Here are some things you can do to stay
safe.

California is earthquake country. The 1994 Northridge quake killed 57 people,
injuring thousands more.

Freeways collapsed, trains derailed, fires burned unchecked.

So what can you do to keep your home and family safe when the next big one
strikes?

Tom and Debbie Rundberg's home in La Verne is a model of earthquake safety.

"The first thing you want to do after an earthquake is to shut off all of
your gas appliances," said Tom Rundberg.

Keep a wrench handy.

"You have to turn this 90 degrees and that shuts your gas off," said
Rundberg.

Or invest in an automatic gas shutoff valve that turns the gas off when it
senses an earthquake stronger than a magnitude 5.5. Most earthquake-related
fires are caused by gas line breaks.

Inside, make sure to secure heavy items around the house.

"We secured our china cabinet so that it won't fall forward and hurt
somebody," said Rundberg.

Easy-to-install straps are hidden behind the cabinets. They are available at
most hardware stores for about 10 bucks. The paintings, a special hook traps and
secures the backing wire.

"This is really important with pictures that have glass on them because the
earthquake can actually cause them to crack and have the glass fall out," said
Rundberg.

Same goes for those flat-screen TVs, straps should be attached to a stud in
the wall.

"It's very easy for them to topple over in an earthquake. And guess who
usually sits on the floor below television sets in an earthquake? Small
children," said Rundberg.

Simple fasteners can keep kitchen appliances in place.

"You don't want that to become a projectile in an earthquake," said Rundberg.

"This is my crystal collection that in the Sierra Madre earthquake jumped
right off the wall and on to the ground," said Debbie Rundberg.

Now Debbie uses a clear gel to secure collectibles. It is easy to apply and
comes off with a twist.

The Red Cross recommends you keep the following supplies hand:

At least three gallons of water per person, canned food and a manual
can-opener

Keep sturdy shoes and a battery-powered flashlight by your bed

A first-aid kit and essential medications and special items for infants, the
elderly, or disabled family members

Protective clothing, bedding, sleeping bags and blankets and battery-powered
radio with extra batteries

This crank-power device doesn't even need batteries. It is a flashlight,
radio, siren, and cell-phone charger all in one.

And even more supplies and stocks are secured in the garage, including a
generator.

In the earthquake simulator, we see the aftermath of the equivalent of a 6.0
earthquake. Everything's on the ground, items broken. You can see these
bookshelves stayed up here. These are strapped. They use straps that can go
against the wall, others that can go on studs on the wall, and that's what
people should have. Most people do not have it. It's to keep your TVs from
falling down, expensive electronic equipment, so this is certainly a good idea
to be ready for anything like this.

As you know, in Southern California, an earthquake can happen at any time. It
is good to prepare to be safe.

Copyright © 2007 KABC-TV. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Eyewitness News Team

Carlos
Granda

RELATED:  Carlos's
BIO

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