Articles
9 February 2012

Shakin’ Up Utah

by Jamie Huish Stum

09 February 2012—

Beneath Maralin Hoff’s tidy business suit and manicured nails lies the alterego of a local superhero. Seen all over town in her supervehicle of choice—a minivan stuffed with 72 hour emergency kits--Hoff is better known as the Earthquake Lady.

A member of the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Homeland Security Division, Hoff became interested in earthquake safety after doing a presentation on preparedness for a training seminar in 1995. Her jam packed date book now includes more than 300 presentations per year to businesses, churches, organizations and schools.
Officially dubbed the “Earthquake Lady” by the Red Hills Middle School class of ’97 in Richfield, Hoff says she wants people to realize that preparedness is simple.
 “Preparedness should be a part of our lives,” she says. “It does not cost an arm and a leg to be prepared.”
Hoff’s tips for workplaces include lining shelves with rubber gripper to keep binders and heavy books from falling as well as storing bottled water and a 72-hour kit under a desk.
“We see these things happen all over our world and yet people believe that it’s not going to happen to us,” she says. “But everything happens in Utah. We have floods, fires, avalanches and earthquakes.”
Utah logs more than 700 earthquakes per year, mostly small tremors. And as long as they’re coming, the Earthquake Lady will be on the go, spreading the word.


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