Santa Barbara County Fire Department has tips on how to stay prepared for earthquakes on the Central Coast

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- April is California's Earthquake Awareness Month and Santa Barbara County Fire Department (SBCFD) has tips on how to keep your home and loved ones ready for a quake emergency.

The Central Coast, like most of California, is a region of earthquakes both minor and at times, historic. The Central Coast is 15 miles from The San Andreas fault and The San Gregorio fault follows the coast offshore.

It is important for everyone to have a plan, to be prepared, and keep each other safe. The good news is staying prepared may help decrease damages and help communities stay alert.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department will be speaking to us today with some tips on how to prepare your home and loved ones in case of a quake emergency.

The Governer's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) encourages people to create a family or home plan and even download the "MyShake App", which is available for Apple and Android devices.

The App will help with early prevention, alerts, and maps of hazardous areas. Also, if you want to verify if you are in a quake zone, you can go to https://myhazards.caloes.ca.gov/ and enter your location for more information.

Stay tuned for more on Your News Channel and remember to "Drop, Cover, and Hold on".

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