Household Emergency Preparedness in Two Communities Affected by the South Napa Earthquake — California, 2014

BACKGROUND: On August 24, 2014, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake, centered in southern Napa County, California, damaged the city of Napa (6 miles from epicenter) in Napa County, and Vallejo (8 miles) in Solano County. Working with the Napa and Solano County health departments, the California Department of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Team conducted 2 Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response surveys to assess property damage, health status and needs, and emergency preparedness among households in these cities. We report the extent of emergency preparedness before the earthquake among households in the affected communities.

METHODS: A questionnaire was developed that captured household demographics and emergency preparedness. Using 2-stage cluster sampling methodology, we obtained the sample for each survey by first choosing a sample of census blocks within each community, with a selection probability proportional to the number of housing units within the block. Housing units within each block were then selected for interview by systematic random sampling. Interviews were conducted with an adult aged 18 years residing in the home. We computed weighted response frequencies and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and made comparisons between communities using the Yates-Corrected chi-square test.

RESULTS: We completed 201 household interviews in Napa and 175 in Vallejo, which represented 41% and 38% of all approached households, respectively. Vallejo households were more likely to have had emergency kits in the home before the earthquake (50%; 95% CI: 41–59) compared with households in Napa (37%; 95% CI: 28–46; P <.001). The most common reason interviewees cited for not having an emergency kit was that they “didn’t think it was necessary.” Television was the most preferred method for receiving emergency messaging in Vallejo households (39%; 95% CI: 31–46), whereas Napa households most often cited text-messaging (26%; 95% CI: 18–35). In the case of an evacuation, households with pets most commonly indicated they would bring pets with them rather than leaving them behind or finding alternative arrangements.

CONCLUSIONS: Earthquake response activities provide an opportunity to further educate households regarding the importance of having disaster emergency kits in the home. County disaster planning should include considerations for household pets, possibly in the form of pet-friendly shelters in the event of evacuations, and for using varied emergency messaging formats.