BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills has declared the month of April as Earthquake Preparedness Month in an effort to provide the public with safety measures in case an earthquake happens. The city of Beverly Hills indicated in a press release that during the month, a wide range of educational programs and information will be delivered to the community to limit damage and protect life and property.

“Minimizing the loss of lives and raising the chances of survival falls on the shoulders of the entire community,” said Meena Janmohamed, Emergency Manager. “Everyone must do their part including local government, residents, businesses, schools and community organizations to take the necessary steps to prepare for an earthquake or any disaster.”

Last week a magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit the Los Angeles area. Every year about 10,000 earthquakes occur Southern California—many are small and not felt. Several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0 and 15-20 are greater than magnitude 4.0.  Community members are asked to:

-Identify ways to reduce the impact of disasters at home and at work.

-Make a Plan. Planning ahead ensures a calmer disaster response.

-Build a Kit. Store enough supplies for everyone in your household for up to 1 week, even 2 weeks of a water supply.

-Get Trained.  Take a virtual first aid class, CPR or sign up for CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) class, and join Neighborhood Watch.

To obtain more information see the following resources:

-Watch the City’s cable channels 10 and 35 for preparedness information and programs.

-Listen to earthquake preparedness tips on the City’s 1500 AM radio station.

-Sign up for notifications by texting BEVHILLS and BEVHILLSPD to 888-777 and visit www.beverlyhills.org/emergencynotification.

To participate in this year’s community preparedness campaign visit www.beverlyhills.org/pledgecampaign and to learn about Just in Case BH, the city-led, neighborhood-based emergency preparedness and action program visit www.justincasebh.org. For those with additional question contact the city’s Office of Emergency Management at (310) 285-1014.