Tag: Preparedness

New! A How-To Guide for Surveying Buildings Prone to Quake Damage

black and white graphic of buildings in silhouette

CREW is pleased to announce the publication of the Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building Survey Workflow Guidebook.

View or download the guidebook

Cover of Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building Survey Workflow Guidebook

Creating an inventory of buildings that are prone to serious damage during an earthquake is a first step toward reducing risk. Such an inventory can:

  • Help communities and building owners understand their risk.
  • Show local jurisdictions what to prioritize and where to focus mitigation resources.
  • Provide crucial information for emergency response and recovery planning.

CREW worked with state and local partners to prepare the new guide, which will help local jurisdictions in any state plan and implement surveys of unreinforced masonry buildings in their communities.

The workflow outlined in the guidebook allows the survey to be carried out by trained volunteers, which makes conducting a survey both feasible and affordable for small jurisdictions.

The Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Building Survey Workflow Guidebook was produced by CREW using funds provided by an FY24 grant from FEMA National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.

New! Sign Language Versions of Earthquake Preparedness Videos

A sign language interpreter stands to the left of a screen depicting cartoon figures, under which are three logos: NEHRP, CREW, and CUSEC

CREW is pleased to present American Sign Language (ASL) versions of five earthquake preparedness quick-draw videos!

The five short videos show viewers how an earthquake could affect them financially and what steps they can take to prepare, including buying earthquake insurance.

All of the videos include closed captioning.

The videos are free to view, share, download, and embed. They’re a quick and engaging way to raise awareness and promote preparedness for earthquakes.

Check out the Insure Against Earthquakes outreach hub to find additional free outreach materials to use in your next public preparedness campaign. And be sure to share these helpful new guides from FEMA, too:

Funding for the development of the videos and ASL translations was provided by a grant from FEMA National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.