Tips For Earthquake Preparedness

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — In the wake of a magnitude-5.8 earthquake that rattled much of the East Coast Tuesday, Los Angeles County officials reminded residents to ensure they are prepared for a quake.

County officials highlighted a number of resources available for residents to help them prepare for -- or react to -- a disaster.

Residents can register their cell phone number or email address with the county's emergency mass notification system at www.alert.lacounty.gov.

County personnel will use the system to notify residents and businesses of emergencies and the need to evacuate or take other action.

People who might need special help in a disaster -- such as people with disabilities preventing them from evacuating a building, traveling to an emergency center or sheltering in place without assistance -- can register with the county's Specific Needs Disaster Voluntary Registry at www.snap.lacounty.gov.

The website www.espfocus.org features easy-to-print information sheets to help prepare for emergencies of all kinds, including terrorist attacks. An online Emergency Survival Guide at www.lacounty.gov offers tips on dealing with the results of a quake or other disaster.

Officials also highlighted two hotline numbers:

-- The Department of Public Health's Emergency Preparedness Hotline is staffed with multi-lingual operators from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to provide information on disaster preparedness at (866) 999-5228. Staffers speak English, Spanish, Korean, Armenian, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian.

-- The county's disaster hotline at (800) 980-4990 has recorded information on emergency preparedness in English and Spanish available 24 hours a day.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)