Contact: Brian Lowe Tel: (800) 959-4053 Em: marketing@trevco.net

NORTHRIDGE ANNIVERSARY A REMINDER OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN San Diego, CA – (January 17, 2003) – In the early hours of the morning nine years ago today the earth shook violently in Northridge and just minutes later the San Fernando Valley community was left in tatters. 57 lives lost, 20 thousand more either injured or homeless and 30-billion dollars in damage. That was the result of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake that struck on this day in 1994. On the same day one year later, the Japanese city of Kobe was rocked by a magnitude 6.9 quake that caused widespread devastation. Because earthquakes strike suddenly and without warning we are almost always caught by surprise, but by being prepared we can at least reduce the extent of damage and loss to household contents. It’s not hard, time consuming nor expensive to secure the big-ticket items in a home, and it shouldn’t be difficult to find motivation to make the effort, but most of the time most of us make the mistake of putting it in the ‘to do later’ category. Today’s anniversary of the destructive Northridge and Kobe temblors should remind us all of what can happen when a major quake strikes. And it should provide us with the impetus to do something now about being prepared. The message that needs to be emphasized is that by being pro-active we can avoid the trauma and heartache, as well as the expense, of having to replace lost or broken possessions. Preventive action now could be priceless later. Another common error that a lot of us make is allowing ourselves to be lulled into thinking there won’t be an earthquake in our region. Geologists recently put that theory to bed by revealing on average, earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 have rumbled along the San Andreas Fault every 105 years. The last one was 145 years ago and while scientists don’t know precisely when the next BIG one will hit, they say we’re overdue. That’s why it’s crucial for people to be prepared. Preparedness is our best defense against earthquakes, because not only will it protect our possessions, but it might also help save the life of a loved one. # # #