FARMINGTON -- Since the massive Japanese earthquake hit earlier this month, Ellis Bruch's phone has done a lot of ringing.
Bruch, who works as the Davis County Sheriff's Office emergency services coordinator, said he has been inundated with earthquake-related calls since the quake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
"My phone has rung off the hook. It's kind of been at the forefront of everyone's mind."
Bruch spoke to the Davis County Commission on Tuesday about the county's efforts to prepare for a similar event and how individuals can plan ahead as well.
If an earthquake does hit the Wasatch Front, he said, it likely won't be as large as the one in Japan, which in some parts of the country, registered a magnitude of 9.0.
Bruch said an earthquake in Utah would likely be in the 7 to 7.5 range.
"That could cause quite a bit of damage," he said.
In the event of an earthquake, Bruch said, 5,000 to 7,000 Davis County residents would need immediate shelter and schools throughout the county would be used for that purpose.
"The county is prepared to mitigate the after-effects of an earthquake," he said, "but there also has to be some individual accountability."
Every home should be equipped with a 72-hour kit containing water, nonperishable food items, cooking supplies, first-aid tools, fire-starting equipment, maps, camping equipment, lighting and other necessary items, Bruch said.
"It could take up to 72 hours before roads and airports are cleared and things get moving again," he said.
"You need to have these things ready to go, because an hour after the earthquake, there won't be an ounce of food or supplies on any shelves in the supermarket."
An emergency-preparedness fair will be held March 26 near the intersection of Highway 193 and Church Street in Layton.
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