Members of the Encino Chamber of Commerce's Disaster Preparedness Committee have been handing out information packets for the past several months.

They've been talking about what to do during an earthquake and how important it is to prepare for over a year. They've been telling it to anyone and everyone who would listen, especially their own staffs and families.

So what did their loved ones do this past month when we had the 5.4 earthquake?

Let's see, one woman's husband was on the phone to a co-worker back East who sat in his chair saying, "Hey, we're having an earthquake." "No, it's not too bad." He then proceeded to hang up and call his wife to say "Honey, did you feel it? We just had an earthquake," instead of leaving the phone lines open for emergency personnel for the first 30 minutes after an earthquake.

Another person had employees who ran out of the building instead of doing the "Duck, Cover & Hold" maneuver.

The committee has learned a lot from this relatively small 5.4 (relative to the "Big One" they say is coming, which could be as big as a 7.8 magnitude). They've learned that they need to go back to basics.

That's whythe chamber is putting together a community symposium with experts in the field of emergency preparedness including Chris Ipsen, division chief of the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, Kate Long, from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and a local business owner who sells emergency supplies.

There will also be speakers from the Los Angeles City Fire Department and West Valley LAPD. The community symposium, "Earthquake 101," will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd., Encino.

To RSVP, call the Encino Chamber of Commerce's office at 818-789-4711.

Article by Diana Donovan