The problem of assuring government operational continuity following ea
rthquakes has been given little research attention. Recent earthquake
experience has documented that government organizations without a publ
ic safety mission do incur damaged facilities and routinely see increa
ses in public demands following an earthquake. Impediments to service
delivery associated with such damages can be minimized if agencies add
ress earthquake plan elements likely to enhance postimpact functioning
, including: the potential to relocate operations, protection for the
workplace, possession of an organizational inventory, emergency instru
ctions for employees, the ability to use volunteers, and communication
capacity. Factors associated with the adoption of these plan elements
were studied in one county government and its municipal county seat i
n the southwestern United States. A census of departments within these
jurisdictions was asked to complete a questionnaire reporting the lev
el of planning activity relative to each of these plan elements. It wa
s found that the overall level of preparedness was low, but statistica
lly significantly related to agency size, perceived risk, and informat
ion seeking. The implications of these findings underscore the potenti
al for disruption to government service delivery and permit the identi
fication of potential avenues for increasing levels of preparedness.