Expert panel to discuss quake preparedness

What should you do to protect yourself and others if an earthquake like those that hit Haiti, Chile and China strikes Clark County?

And could that even happen?

A chance to find out will come on the afternoon of May 4, in the First Tuesday event of the Vancouver Planning Commission at City Hall.

From 4 to 6 p.m., four experts will speak in a panel discussion called “Earthquakes: Measure the Hazard and Mitigate the Impacts”:

• James Roddey is information officer for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, and a well-informed, thought-provoking speaker, according to a bulletin from the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, known as CRESA, which operates the countywide 911 system.

• Jay Wilson, mitigation planner for Clackamas County, Ore., Emergency Management, is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject in this area.

• Elizabeth Vaughn is continuity planner for Clark County and will discuss ways of keeping businesses in operation when services may be disrupted.

• Cheryl Bledsoe, emergency management division manager with CRESA, will address how folks can be prepared for disasters — and ways to receive emergency alerts and information about response efforts here.

One easy way to keep in touch with emergency officials is to visit http://www.cresa911.org. On the home page, you can read the agency’s latest emergency blogs and sign up to receive emergency messages for your area by e-mail and on cell and VoIP phones.

John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.