SCEC-related 1906 Anniversary activities

Dear SCEC Community,

There are several activities you should be aware of this week and through the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference (April 18-22).

1) For those of you in Southern California, look for the Spring 2006 edition of "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country" in the Sunday, April 9th, Los Angeles Times! If you have home delivery, it will be easy to find- it will be bundled on top of the paper! It will also be in papers at newspaper stands, stores, etc. (inside the paper).

Soon this newest version will also be available at home improvement stores, American Red Cross chapters, and from SCEC (go to http://www.earthquakecountry.info/roots to view it online, download a PDF, or request free hard copies via an order form).

In total 1.5 million copies have been printed of this latest update, made possible by contributions from the California Earthquake Authority, Los Angeles Times, FEMA, Quakehold, and State Farm.

If you get a copy of "Roots", once you complete all the preparedness actions it recommends, consider sharing the handbook with your friends and family. Or encourage them to read through the copy delivered in their paper (if they get the LA Times.) and get prepared!

(If you're wondering, we are about 1 week away from going to press on a Spanish version of "Roots.")

2) Also for Southern Californians, this Saturday, April 8th, from 8 pm to 9:30 pm, KTLA (channel 5) will broadcast "When Disaster Strikes: A Survival Guide" (with a strong emphasis on earthquakes). This live show will feature a studio audience asking questions of several panels of experts, and pre-taped segments with interviews, visualizations, etc. Several SCEC participants will be featured, including Tom Jordan, Lucy Jones, Mary Lou Zoback, and James Dolan. We encourage you to spread the word about this special to your students, colleagues, neighbors, family, and others!

3) For those of you in Northern California, an updated version of the Bay Region edition of "Roots" (produced by USGS with many partners) and an impressive calendar of the MANY events organized by Mary Lou Zoback and the Earthquake Centennial Alliance (http://1906centennial.org) will be distributed in the Thursday, April 6 issue of both the San Jose Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times. The handbook will be delivered on April 7th in the Oakland Tribune, San Mateo Times, Argus, Daily Review, and Tri-Valley Herald newspapers and also soon in the Santa Rosa Democrat newspaper.

Additional copies will be distributed at home improvement stores, at the many Centennial venues throughout the region, and through the USGS and Alliance partners (go to http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/ to view "Roots" online, download a PDF, or request a free hard copy).

In total, 1 million copies of "Roots" and the Calendar have been printed, with major contributions from the California Earthquake Authority, the various newspapers, FEMA, State Farm, and several others.

Note: All 1906 Centennial activities are listed in a sophisticated online calendar as well as a Google Maps interface at http://1906centennial.org/activities/calendar/. A PDF of the print calendar can be downloaded here as well.

4) In addition to the many SCEC-related sessions at the 100th Anniversary Conference, please stop by the SCEC booth, next to NSF in the exhibit hall, to speak to visitors about your science!

5) Finally, please take a few minutes right now to complete a brief survey of your earthquake preparedness, at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=203061734156. The cumulative results will be posted on the 100th Anniversary Conference website and the SCEC web pages. We are assessing the level of preparedness- or lack thereof- among the earthquake science and engineering community, so your participation is essential!