Imagine a devastating earthquake along the Hayward Fault, directly beneath our East Bay communities. Violent shaking leads to casualties, fires, and severe damage to buildings, roads and regional infrastructure. In the aftermath, power lines are down, communication is interrupted, and you find yourself with limited access to water during an extensive rebuilding period.
U.S. Geological Survey researchers conclude such a scenario is a real possibility and, frankly, it’s one that keeps us up at night. A major earthquake represents the most significant threat to EBMUD’s ability to ensure reliable water and wastewater service. Powerful jolts and liquifying soils could impact our aqueducts, water treatment plants, distribution pipelines and wastewater facilities.
To strengthen our resiliency, EBMUD is strategically enhancing our infrastructure and earthquake readiness. Since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, we’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars in seismic improvements. We’re upgrading our distribution network with earthquake-resistant pipes and flexible joints to help things bend but not break when the ground shakes. We’ve developed systems redundancies, alternate ways to deliver water and rapid repair strategies to restore service as quickly as possible.
No amount of preparation can eliminate all risk, but we train for emergencies and develop continuity plans with the communities we serve.
In the event of a significant service disruption for individual homes, EBMUD and local cities will coordinate water distribution points across our community. We will keep you informed with timely updates about water outages and boil water alerts.
We also need you to be prepared.
- Store emergency water: Have enough for three to seven days. We recommend two gallons per person perday, plus more for pets.
- Develop a plan: Resources are available at ebmud.com/emergency-preparedness.
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Stay informed: Sign up for county emergency alerts. Follow EBMUD on social media. And importantly, subscribe to EBMUD notifications at ebmud.com/subscriptions.