This handbook provides information about the threat posed by earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region and explains how residents can prepare for, survive, and recover from these inevitable events. All Bay Area residents live on an active plate boundary where earthquakes are frequent events and history shows that damaging earthquakes have occurred throughout the Bay Area. Residents should know that although most earthquake damage is caused by shaking, earthquakes also cause damage in other ways. Residents should prepare because their life could change unexpectedly in the next quake and they should consider where their family will be, if they have medical services, and if they will be able to get home and stay in their home. The booklet outlines seven steps to earthquake safety and where to find earthquake information on the Web.

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Publisher: United States Geological Survey
Public Affairs

Editor: James W. Hendley
United States Geological Survey

Editor: Peter H. Stauffer
United States Geological Survey