Besides what residents stored, West Valley City and its CERT association also stored some basic supplies, including blankets and medical supplies in storage units at local fire stations, which CERT groups could use.

Being prepared

State officials say such preparation by so many residents helps Utahns do better in emergencies than many other areas would have.

"Culturally in Utah, I think we are probably better prepared than other states," Brian Garrett, director of the state Office of Emergency Services, said in 2006.

For example, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had long urged members to store food, water and fuel and to have 72-hour emergency supply kits and first-aid kits. Its Web site offered how-to advice. President Gordon B. Hinckley repeated such teachings in the October 2005 General Conference of the church.

"We can heed warnings. We have been told that many had been given concerning the vulnerability of New Orleans (before Hurricane Katrina). We are told by seismologists that the Salt Lake Valley is a potential earthquake zone," President Hinckley said.

"We can set aside some water, basic food, medicine and clothing to keep us warm," he added. "We have built grain storage and storehouses and stocked them with the necessities of life in the event of a disaster. But the best storehouse is the family storeroom."

After President Hinckley said that in 2005, several businesses that specialize in offering emergency supplies reported they were swamped with LDS members trying to buy more — which, of course, helped the area when the 2008 quake hit.

For example, Rick Jackson wanted to help members of his LDS Ridgeland Ward in West Valley City make 72-hour emergency kits not long after President Hinckley's comments by buying a few items a month in bulk. He used a catalog from a local emergency supplier to figure costs of items, and even collected money to allow making group purchases.

Then he was told by the business that most of the supplies they wanted were sold out and that back orders would take weeks to months to fill. Other suppliers said the same. But Jackson was eventually able to find another supplier to help his neighborhood (which is adjacent to Johnson's) make 200 72-hour kits at a group gathering. That helped 200 people better weather the 2008 quake when it hit.

Mike Stever, director of emergency management for Salt Lake City, also said in 2006 that a 7.0 quake would "give new meaning to individual and family preparation. You need to prepare your family to be on its own. The absolute minimum is 72 hours" for emergency supplies. "It could be five days or more" before government can help."

THURSDAY: A special clip-and-save chart on how to better prepare for earthquakes and other emergencies, and a poll about how prepared Utah residents now are.

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com