City to Host Free QuakeSmart

 Preparedness Workshop for Local Businesses and Organizations Local businesses and organizations encouraged to attend voluntary program. The City of Santa Clarita, in partnership with FEMA and Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is hosting a free QuakeSmart Preparedness Workshop for local businesses and organizations on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Sycamore Meeting Room at The Centre, located at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway. Lunch will be included. The event is free, but advance registration is required at www.santa-clarita.com/QuakeSmart.
At this workshop, led by representatives from the City and FEMA, participants will be introduced to the QuakeSmart Community Resilience Program and learn how to identify risks, develop a plan and take proactive action in the event of an earthquake. Instructors will delve into the topics of business continuity, disaster response, and the cost benefit of preparing for earthquakes and other business interruptions. Preparedness and mitigation actions, including an assessment to begin planning for retrofitting projects, will also be shared.
“The City is encouraging businesses to be proactive with earthquake preparedness. There are many ways to improve earthquake response, and we want to help local businesses realize the benefits of retrofitting,” said John Caprarelli from the City’s Building and Safety division. “Doing preventative work like bracing ceilings and anchoring storage racks may cost you now, but it can save you a lot more in the long run. If there’s an earthquake and it interrupts your ability to run your business, it can easily cost thousands of dollars per day,” added Caprarelli.
In addition, the City’s Building and Safety division will also be expediting their building permit process at no additional cost for businesses that choose to retrofit under this program.
The City of Santa Clarita is adopting the program as a result of the City’s participation in SCAG, the Southern California Association for Governments.
For more information about the workshop, please visit www.santa-clarita.com/QuakeSmart or email Mike Rimoldi at Mike@flash.org.