Earthquakes on the California coast — are cities, businesses ready?


This NASA satellite image shows areas in Japan which experienced loss of electricity after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Yellow indicates lights that were functioning in both 2010 and 2011. Red indicates power outages detected on March 12, 2011.

NASA satellite image shows areas in Japan which experienced loss of electricity after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Yellow indicates lights that were functioning in both 2010 and 2011. Red indicates power outages detected on March 12, 2011.


The potential impact of a major earthquake and tsunami on California’s coastal communities and businesses will be the topic of a March 21 conference at Chapman University, one year after Japan’s 2011 Tohoku-Sendai disaster.

The conference, titled “The Great Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 - Lessons for California,” will bring together business leaders, city officials and guest speakers for an ever-timely discussion about the state’s disaster readiness in the event of earthquakes and the repercussions that follow. The event’s programs and speakers will provide insight and education for both businesses and the general public on the lessons learned from the Tohoku-Sendai earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster.

“Every business along the Pacific Coast has a vested interest in disaster preparedness and recovery,” said Menas Kafatos, Ph.D., dean of Chapman’s Schmid College of Science and Technology. “The same holds for the general public. Learning from Japan’s experience is crucial given the similarities in population and nuclear energy production here.”

Implications for California’s businesses are the focus of the event with experts speaking on a range of topics, including an overview of the Tohuku earthquake and its impact on the nuclear power industry, Japan’s recovery efforts, earthquake prediction advances, risk management and disaster preparedness.

Experts from Chapman University’s
Schmid College of Science and Technology
,
UCI
,
UC Davis
and businesses related to emerging technologies and energy services, as well as emergency preparedness will discuss the science and economic implications and risks if or when such a disaster struck Southern California. Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait and Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang will also participate in a panel discussion.

The conference will run from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Chapman University’s Beckman Hall, Room 404.

The Chapman University Technology Group, a business partnership run by
OCTANe
and Chapman are co-hosting this event. The event is open to the public and registration is required. For more information and to register, please visit
event website
.

Dawn Bonker

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