Dennis S. Mileti, a leading disaster expert, will detail the fallout of a catastrophic quake

Dennis S. Mileti, Ph.D.

What challenges will the Coachella Valley uniquely face in the week after a major earthquake? What can you do now to reduce your risk of injury, or even death?

One of the nation’s leading disaster and earthquake experts, Dennis S. Mileti, Ph.D., former director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, explores those questions in a free presentation, The First Seven Days After the Quake, at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 at Sunnylands Center & Gardens. The lecture and question-and-answer session highlight a daylong series of events observing the annual Great California ShakeOut at Sunnylands.

Mileti, a contributor to the landmark 2008 report, The ShakeOut Scenario, which detailed the likely aftermath of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault for Southern California, takes his research a step further in his talk at Sunnylands. Mileti will note the differences a major quake would have on the east side of the San Andreas Fault versus the west side – namely the Coachella Valley as compared to the Los Angeles Basin. “Our valley will fair very differently than the rest of Southern California,” he said.

The author of Disasters by Design, a groundbreaking book on managing hazards in the United States, Mileti will also discuss some of the steps people can take to prepare for the inevitable – a catastrophic quake.

In addition to Mileti’s presentation, Sunnylands will host other ShakeOut activities on Oct. 20, including:

• • Sunnylands employees and visitors will “drop, cover and hold on” and then evacuate buildings at 10:20 a.m. to correspond with other drills around the Coachella Valley and the state. An alarm, public announcements, and staff instructions will guide guests through the drill and to nearby evacuation areas. Immediately after the drill, tours and programming will resume as scheduled.
  • Lifestream Bloodbank will be on site to collect blood donations from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Palm Desert High School medical students will practice triage procedures and talk to the public about their program
  • Animal Samaritans will discuss how to prepare and care for pets in the event of an earthquake.
  • The Rancho Mirage Community Emergency Response Team will share information regarding its emergency response program.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens is located at 37977 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage. Media interested in covering the Great California ShakeOut at Sunnylands should contact Ken Chavez.