This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Following a major catastrophe — like a 7.0 magnitude earthquake — state emergency management employees and nonprofit agencies will focus on letting Utahns know where to find food and shelter and what areas might be inaccessible or dangerous.
Earlier this week, members of the media met with the state to discuss the role they would play in disseminating that information as part of a series of workshops hosted by the Department of Public Safety and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"The public and how they respond and where they go for sheltering, whether they cooperate with an evacuation, this is all so important to us," said Salt Lake City Emergency Management Director Cory Lyman. "It's what makes our plans work, so it's important that [the media] are in the loop."
If a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Salt Lake City, Utahns living along the Wasatch Front — an estimated 80 percent of the state's population — would be affected. FEMA projections estimate more than 2,200 people would die. Another 31,000 would be injured. Property damage could amount to $70 billion, with more than 60 percent of all damage occurring in residential areas.
"I think the main thing that we want to do is educate the public in advance," said Joe Dougherty, Department of Public Safety spokesman.
Powerlines, cell phone service and roadways could be damaged or unusable after a major earthquake. And finding a way to get messages to the public might not be as simple as a Facebook update when more than 300,000 homes along the Wasatch Front may have lost Internet access.
Some Utah news agencies that attended said they have disaster plans to address what reporters and editors should do to keep information flowing from newsrooms. Fox 13 News Director Renai Bodley said the top priority would be getting available information to the public.
"Especially in light of what happened with Hurricane Irene, it heightens your awareness of, 'What is our emergency plan, and how can we get it together and make sure that we are completely in step with the state emergency coordinators?,' " Bodley said.
But even in the most prepared newsroom, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake could cause crippling technical difficulties. Every television news station in Salt Lake City relies on the same broadcasting tower located at the top of Farnsworth Peak west of Salt Lake City. If the tower was damaged and failed, television news would be instantly cut off.
Dougherty said that in an extreme situation, communication might be reduced to newspapers, fliers or billboards distributed where people congregate."We've acknowledged there can be power outages for hours, days or longer," he said.
According to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utahns should prepare for a major earthquake by developing a response plan and creating a 72-hour emergency kit stocked with water, first-aid supplies and a battery-operated radio.
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