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Feeling earthquake anxiety? Here's what you can do to be prepared
Feeling earthquake anxiety? Here's what you can do to be prepared

The threat of a major earthquake looms over California once again. A series of small quakes under the Salton Sea has increased the chances of seismic activity near the San Andreas fault over the next few days. You probably don’t need to get your post-apocalyptic underground bunker ready just yet, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Whether you need a refresher, or just never got the memo that your doorway isn’t the best place to be during an earthquake, read on for some tips.

see Feeling earthquake anxiety? Here's what you can do to be prepared
 
Drought's grip on Southern California to tighten with La Niña, forecasters say
After five years of withering drought, government forecasters say California is once again headed for a warm and dry winter, especially in Southern California.

The National Weather Service issued its winter outlook Thursday and predicted that La Niña conditions in the Pacific will affect the U.S. in a number of ways.

Specifically, the U.S. will likely experience warmer and drier conditions than normal in the South, and colder and wetter than usual conditions in the far north.

La Niña is a cooling of the central Pacific that warps weather worldwide and is the flip side of the better-known El Niño, according to Mike Halpert, deputy director of the weather service's Climate Prediction Center.

For the South and California, “the big story is likely to be drought,” Halpert said.
How you protect yourself when an earthquake hits might be all wrong
Your well-rehearsed earthquake response plan could be all wrong.

Sure, you might know “drop, cover and hold on” by heart. But earthquake safety experts are revising their graphics for what to do in an earthquake.

They fear the public may have missed key points on what to do in most situations when the shaking starts.

So, as California held its annual statewide “ShakeOut” earthquake drill Thursday, let’s go through the changes, and I’ll add some helpful tips throughout.