We do not have to look back many weeks to see all of these prophetic signs being fulfilled to some degree. Last week our daughter and her family were involved in the Southern California earthquake and many fell on the ground and there was groaning in the earth for days afterward. Last month, lightning strikes in California caused over 2000 fires, destroying homes and lives. And 'all things are in commotion' in worldwide stock markets - food and fuel prices are in commotion - and people in all nations are afraid of what the future may hold.
I have spent a little time wondering what it means for college students to be prepared for various kinds of Latter-day events, given that they are counseled by Church leaders to face the future with optimism, and at the same time to respect that big changes will sweep the earth in present and future scenarios offered by prophets, both ancient and modern.
Copyright bigstockphoto.com/Royce Bair
What can a student DO about it? Like many readers, we have family members attending campuses away from us – in Idaho and Texas . First a few facts:
1. There are several earthquake faults that pass through Utah . According to Walter Arabasz, director of the University of Utah Seismograph Stations , earthquakes of about magnitude 7.0 occur on average every 200 to 300 years somewhere on the broad Wasatch Front area. The last one was 400 years ago.
The fault going through Salt Lake moves on an average of every 1300 years and last moved over 1300 years ago. It is estimated that 75 % or more of the people living in Utah live within 15 miles of an earthquake fault. During the earthquake this week in Chino Hills, California , buildings swayed 40 miles away and the quake was felt as far away as Las Vegas . The big one expected on the Wasatch fault would be 1000 times greater in magnitude than the California quake last week. Every major college and university in Utah is located near these faults.
2. According to Idaho Geology, Idaho is ranked fifth in the nation for earthquake hazard. Only California , Nevada , Utah , and Alaska have a greater overall hazard. Yes, one of those faults goes through Rexburg. Idaho has experienced the two largest earthquakes in the contiguous United States in the last 52 years—the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake (M7.5) and the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake (M7.3).
3. We are all aware of the risk of earthquakes in Hawaii . Shortly after I began writing articles for Meridian Magazine we reported on an earthquake that affected the students at the BYU Hawaii campus. (Meridian article: BYU Hawaii was Ready for 6.6 Earthquake ) You can review the article to understand how they prepare on that campus for emergencies.
4. Faults in Northern California, Southern California, Seattle , the New Madrid fault line (which travels through Arkansas , Missouri , Tennessee , Kentucky , and Southern Illinois), Utah and even the United Kingdom are all overdue for devastating quakes. The only state in the United States that has not had an earthquake is North Dakota . Earthquakes measuring over Magnitude 6.0 are increasing. Between 1863 to 1900 there were 12 quakes world wide over 6.0; from 1901 to 1938, there were 53; 1939 to 1976 , it was up to 71. All of these are 38 year spans. However, between 1977 and July 2008, only 30.5 years, there have been 131. (source: http://earth.webecs.co.uk).
Now, as many parents are getting their college students ready to head out for the next step on their journey to independence, let's not send them out unprepared. They may not face earthquakes, but they may face blizzards, power outages, tornadoes, hurricanes, or even an apartment fire.
I have spoken with emergency officials at many colleges and universities and there are common messages to students and their parents.
First - Universities are not prepared to provide food and water for all of the enrolled students. Some campuses said they could feed most students for one day but no longer. The only school I spoke with who was prepared to feed students for a longer period of time was Southern Virginia University. They have a much smaller student population and can therefore store the food necessary for a few more days, in their cafeteria system.
Second - All are prepared to provide power with the use of generators. As we know, generators need fuel to operate. This is not as big a problem if your loved one is attending school at BYU Hawaii, but should a disaster occur during the winter months in Rexburg, Provo, or on any campus in a cold climate, students need to be prepared to provide their own warmth and light (without burning down the dorm). Although all Church schools have plans in place to gather students, when the generators run out of fuel, students will have shelter, but may not have much else. This issue is especially important for students living off campus. If roads are blocked or power lines down, they will need to remain in their own apartments and must be prepared to do so.
Third - All campuses I spoke with had provisions to care for students who are injured. They all have plans in place and personnel trained to provide basic medical care. Students should be prepared with any prescription medications they might require and also a basic first aid kit, as medical care will be given to those most in need first.
Fourth - All of the campuses hold an emergency drill at least twice a year.
Fifth - All universities are preparing for a pandemic. During the last great pandemic, 1918-1919, those who survived the best where those who stayed at home. Communities who isolated themselves from the outside world had a much lower rate of infection and death. Nevertheless, 4% of Utahns afflicted with the flu in 1918-1919 died. General conference in April 1919 was postponed until a special conference was held in June to sustain Heber J. Grant as president of the Church. Students today should be prepared to stay home at their apartments, if necessary and in case there might be quarantines. This means having a supply of food, hygiene items, cleaning supplies and a knowledge of basic medical care. BYU Idaho has become a leader in pandemic preparation.
Sixth - All schools agree: every student should have a 72 hour survival kit. All also agree that a 96 hour kit would be even better. We have all seen the Church's response to disasters around the world. It is truly amazing, but think of the challenge if the disaster includes not only 20,000 plus students but also the surrounding communities and maybe even the loss of warehouse facilities. It is naive to think the church could provide aid any faster than 96 hours, especially if they are also trying to care for their own families. We all know from the experience of Hurricane Katrina that key government agencies will take longer than 72 hours to provide aid during a large scale disaster.
Seventh - BYU Provo and BYU Idaho both expressed great concern for students driving long distances to school. Students need to be prepared with an emergency kit in their cars. I was discussing this with friends last night as we were looking over a 72 hour/auto kit I had presented as a gift. All of the adults in the room had a story about breaking down while traveling home from school. One friend related a story of her daughter who was a student at BYU Provo. She was traveling home with a friend one night from Salt Lake City to Provo . There was a terrible accident and cars spun out everywhere on Interstate 15. Her daughter's car was forced off the road into a snow drift and they were trapped in their car for more than 4 hours. A good kit with food, water, a way to stay warm and a light source would have made the experience much less uncomfortable and frightening.
What's a parent or grandparent to do?
