5 things you can do to prepare for an earthquake in Sonoma County

With the 110 year anniversary of the Great San Francisco 1906 Earthquake this month and the tremors of the 6.0 Napa earthquake of 2014 in recent memory, the Bay Area is no stranger to earthquakes. 1. Stock up on emergency supplies. Dedicate a corner of your garage to a few cases of water bottles and a backpack of the essentials such as a First Aid kit, a flashlight and a change of clothes. It is also recommended to keep a small emergency kit in your car. See the Red Cross emergency supplies check list here. 2. Bolt tall pieces of furniture to the wall. Items such as bookshelves, china cabinets and dressers can be major hazards during an earthquake. Securing large furniture to the walls can prevent these items from falling over. 3. Put important documents in a safe place and keep secure copies. Keeping your important financial and personal documents in a safe will lessen the likelihood of losing them in the event of a disaster. Officials also recommend keeping copies of these documents in another safe place should the first documents be destroyed.4. Have the structure of your home evaluated for earthquake weakness. FEMA suggests that some weaknesses may be the structure not anchored to the foundation, weak crawl spaces and other building issues. See their recommendation here.5. Get earthquake insurance. California, the Bay Area in particular, is prone to earthquakes. To protect your home and property, it is suggested you get earthquake insurance. According to the California Earthquake Authority, there is a 76 percent chance that a 7.0 or greater earthquake will strike Northern California in the next 30 years.

Just this month, a map was released by federal geologists, revealing that the Rodgers Creek fault cuts straight through Santa Rosa with a wider fault zone than originally thought. And the concern over earthquakes has increased, as well, due to several 6.4 to 7.0 earthquakes making headlines around the world in the last two days, particularly in southern Japan.

With all this recent news of seismic activity, many are left to wonder what actions to take if a massive earthquake hits Sonoma County. Here are five things you can do today to help increase the safety of your family should the unimaginable happen.

What are some of the things your family has done to prepare for an earthquake? Leave your suggestions in the comments.