By:Marshall Thompson and Bess Hochman, Co-Chairs of Century City Emergency Preparedness Council

Emergency preparedness has never been so important in our Century City community as it is today as demonstrated by the recent active shooter incident at the Westfield Century City Mall as well as by an increasing number of seismic expertwarnings of a major earthquake threat to our area. While no one can be certain what form the next catastrophe will take or where it will happen, professional first responders warn that preparedness is key to enhancing our odds of survival.

One year ago this month, Peggy Hellweg, a seismologit at the University of California, Berkeley said "There is a 99.9% chance that there will be a damaging quake (magnitude greater than or equal to 6.7) somewhere in California in the next 30 years."Other Seismologists are saying California is overdue for the "Big One," a massive 7.8 to 8.0 earthquake that would cause significant damage along the San Andreas fault. The consensus is that California earthquakes are a geolocic inevitability. The San Andreas fault is 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, but big earthquakes on the San Andreas fault are expected to heavily shake the city.

Richard Astor, professor of geophysics at Colorado State University agrees. He writes "California earthquakes are a geologic inevitability. The State straddles the North American and Pacific tectonic plates and is crisscrossed by the San Andreas and other active fault systems. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck off Alaska's Kodiak Island on Jan. 23, 2018 was just the latest reminder of major seismic activity along the Pacific Rim".

Astor goes on to say "Tragic quakes that occurred in 2017 near the Iran-Iraq border and in central Mexico, with magnitudes of 7.3 and 7.1, respectively, are well within the range of earthquake sizes that have a high likelihood of occurring in highly populated parts of California during the next few decades".

He also says "As California prepares for large earthquakes after a hiatus of more than a century, the clock is ticking"."Managing earthquake risk requires a resilient system of social awareness, education and communications..."

In recognition of the critically important concern for public safety in the busy Century City commerical and residential district, the President of our Century City Chamber of Commerce took the bold first step last year of creating an "Emergency Preparedness Council" in concert with Michael Carlin, long time supporter of local and international humanitarin endeavors and publisher of CenturyCityNews.com.

The Council develops and updates an emergency plan that prepares the community for a disaster, encourages business continuity, and increases communication and collaboration among property representatives, government officials, and local and federal agencies.

The Chamber continues to shine its bright light on Emergency Preparedness through its thoughtful leadership. Regular Council meetings are scheduled in Century City featuring guest speakers with expertise in various areas of emergency preparedness.

Volunteer Council members actively engage building managers, engineering staff and public safety personnel in dialogues and meetings to identify and manage potential risks such as fire, earthquake and social unrest that can negatively impact workers and residents in this densely-populated area.

In addition, individual meetings are being set up between Council members and the respective managers and security staff of each of the seven residential communities in Century City to assist with the coordination of emergency procedures and communications.

Those of us who live, work or visit Century City are fortunate that the Century City Chamber of Commerce has created an Emergency Preparedness Council. It is bringingawareness to the community about meetings and activites designed to provide potentially lifesaving information and education.

For information on upcoming meetings contact: Century City Chamber https://centurycitycc.com