Utah is prepared, officials say

• Seismic upgrades were done on numerous buildings as part of emergency planning before the 2002 Winter Olympics, and a major renovation is under way on the state Capitol. However, there are currently 65,000 masonry buildings in Salt Lake County without reinforcement, most residential buildings.

• After the flooding in southern Utah earlier this year, officials say they are now better prepared to operate an "island" agency, meaning smaller command centers to help affected residents.

• And after the tornado that struck Salt Lake in April 1999, the Department of Public Safety now owns a communications van that can go into danger zones and is equipped with numerous radio frequencies that allow for effective communication.

• Primary Children's Medical Center is built to withstand a major earthquake; there are five generators in case of a power outage, and water lines enter the hospital in three different areas to minimize the possibility of total water loss, said hospital officials.

• Every local Intermountain Health Care facility gets electricity from a different source, so if one experiences a power outage, others nearby will likely be functional.

• Utah Department of Transportation officials say crews can quickly mobilize to repair roads — something perfected during the 2002 Winter Games when various departments looked at how Utah would and could respond to a disaster. During an emergency, UDOT has a list of contractors it can call for road repairs. Last month, when a truck with explosives crashed and put a 70-foot crater in U.S. 6, an outside contractor was called to do emergency repairs, and the road reopened in less than 48 hours.

• I-15 bridges in Salt Lake County have been reinforced to resist a large earthquake. But outlying and older bridges are more at risk.

• UTA is prepared to mobilize bus operators, an emergency plan that has been in place since 1990, UTA officials say. There are emergency water and food for UTA's 1,700 employees at the seven operation facilities.

• Both UDOT and UTA have communication networks tied to state and local emergency responders. However, because TRAX is powered by electricity, it would most likely not be available initially in the case of a disaster.

Preparedness by both the government and the individual will make recovery and response "a lot smoother," Jensen said, noting that September is National Preparedness Month.

"The timing's rather ironic, but at the same time I think it's a good thing because there's a lot of information out there for people to be prepared," he said.

Emergency managers advise the public to keep an emergency supply of cash, a 72-hour kit that will provide supplies for three days and a detailed plan of where all family members can meet if a disaster strikes when they are separated. While an emergency plan is often overlooked, Jensen said it is particularly important because disasters don't just happen on weekends or evenings, when most of the family is at home.

For more information on preparing for a disaster, visit Utah's Web site at www.emergencymanagement.utah.gov or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Web site at www.ready.gov.

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com