Updates & Announcements

CREW just released six podcasts in our new Ready to Recover podcast series.

The podcasts feature guest experts discussing how recovery works after a damaging earthquake or other disaster, including what people may experience when they seek to finance repairs and get back on their feet. The discussions consider common challenges and options, as well as what can be done to prepare before disaster strikes.

Six podcasts are currently available. You can access them at podcasts.crew.org and via podcast apps such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and amazon music. (Coming soon to Google Podcasts, too!)

Homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofits will find useful information about what they may experience following an earthquake or other disaster, what resources could be available, and what steps they should consider taking today in order to ease and strengthen their recovery after a disaster.

Disaster preparedness and mitigation professionals will find insights and info about a range of subjects, from retrofit grant programs to disaster insurance, federal aid & loan programs, and issues related to recovery planning—as well as recommendations for public education and messaging. In addition, episode 1 talks about how the 2023 Hazus Estimated Annualized Earthquake Losses report by FEMA and the USGS can be utilized to help identify priorities, guide decision-making, and draw attention to the need for mitigation and recovery planning.

Each podcast includes speakers’ bios, a transcript, and show notes to direct listeners to the resources and information referenced in the discussion.

Listen and explore to learn more—and consider sharing Ready to Recover podcasts as part of your outreach & public education efforts!

Historic photo of San Francisco Mission District in 1906 fire, smoke in the background, people and earthquake-damaged streets and buildings in the foreground. — Smoke rises above San Francisco’s Mission District as fires burn in the wake of the 1906 earthquake. Photo by H.D. Chadwick, from the National Archives (524395)

As summer heat and dry weather again heighten our awareness of the growing wildfire hazard across the western U.S., it is worth recalling that fire is also a common secondary hazard following an earthquake.

Typically, fires break out because the ground shaking damages electrical and gas lines. Firefighters often must contend with multiple fires breaking out at once, and the fires can be difficult to access due to rubble and other damage blocking access roads. Damage to fire stations may even prevent firefighters from deploying their equipment. Water for firefighting may also be in short supply if the earthquake breaks water pipes.

The fire that ignited in Turkey’s Iskenderun port after two major earthquakes struck in February this year is a recent example. A well known instance in U.S. history is the fire that destroyed large swaths of San Francisco in the wake of the 1906 earthquake. That conflagration burned for three days.

Making sure that communities are as prepared as possible for this hazard can include a range of measures, from educating residents about how to shut off the gas line into their homes to ensuring that fire stations are built or retrofitted to resist earthquake damage. Evaluation of the water supply system’s seismic vulnerabilities — and undertaking mitigation and contingency planning — is also critical.

Seattle fire station 10, with official fire service car parked on street in front. — Fire Station #10 in Seattle, Washington. Many of Seattle’s fire stations were built between 1918 and 1974, so the city decided to upgrade or replace them. Station 10 was designed and built to meet seismic standards. Photo by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0

Ready to Recover Podcasts explore disaster recovery tools, issues, and topics

Fires Following Earthquakes