SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC 4) – At first glance, it comes across as quirky animation (really more a collection of still images superimposed) mixed with a stream of well researched facts provided by the Utah Seismic Safety Commision. And its message is unmistakably sober. Here’s a sample of the stark narrative:
"Eighty per cent of the region's 2.7 million people live and work in the region. Today (the day of an overdue 7.0 earthquake) these families and many others across the region will be separated.”
The four-minute 39-second video is described as a visceral journey through a Wasatch Front earthquake scenario that chillingly takes place in the dead of winter sometime in the near future. It gives the viewers a sense of what will be happening on Utah’s streets and businesses and inspires them to prepare for a faster recovery.
Ryan Longman, Manager of the Be Ready Utah campaign run through the state Department of Emergency Management tells ABC 4, “The purpose of the video was not to frighten people, but to make them aware of what could happen here with a large earthquake. (And) not just leaving them with what's going to happen to you, but how to prepare and not be scared."
The narrative continues under simplistic but powerful images of imaginary falling debris and tumbling animated word signs like ‘Help’: “The largest earthquake to hit Utah has just begun. The rupture travels approximately 25 miles along the Wasatch fault. Some people react appropriately. Others don't. Over 10-thousand buildings collapse. The shaking lasts a full minute in some areas."
The remainder of the video then offers survival strategies: having a family meeting place, an emergency plan, and other preparedness measures as we wait day by day for Utah's Big One.
The video ends with these words: “Empower yourself, be prepared.”
It’s the latest online effort from Be Ready Utah’s ongoing education campaign and a lead-up to next April’s
Great Utah Shake Out promotion where Utahns will be encouraged to respond to an imaginary earthquake.
