Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
California Will Shake It Out
By Carla M. Collado
Staff Writer
At precisely 10 a.m. today (Thursday), millions of people all over Southern California — including Long Beach — will drop, cover and hold on.
They’ll do so as part of the Great Southern California ShakeOut, a drill that simulates what would happen during and after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.
Many city departments will participate in the drill — the largest earthquake drill in United States history — including the health, police and water departments, along with schools and hospitals. At 10 a.m. Thursday, participants will duck or drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk, table or other piece of furniture and hold onto it for at least 60 seconds.
People who aren’t near a table should drop to the floor against an interior wall and protect their head and neck with their arms, avoiding windows, hanging objects, tall furniture and other heavy objects. People who are outdoors should move to a clear area away from power lines, trees, signs, buildings and cars. People who are driving should pull over to the side of the road, stop and set the parking brake, then remain inside the car until the shaking has stopped (avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines).
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Marine Department will team up with the American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach Chapter, to conduct a drill of opening and running an emergency shelter at the Whaley Park Community Center. Roughly 100 Red Cross and Parks and Recreation employees (already trained in shelter operations) will act as shelter workers and as residents who need to be sheltered, explained Ken Campbell, personnel officer for the parks department.
During the hour-long drill, they’ll practice opening the shelter, setting up cots, checking people in and segregating people based on needs, Campbell said. They will pretend to be clients such as a pregnant lady, a diabetic person and others with health needs. Health department personnel and environmental health specialists will be on hand to ensure water and sanitation needs are met, and to ensure safe food distribution, he added.
“These are real things we’ll have to deal with,” Campbell said. “The city of Long Beach has a responsibility to the citizens and we need to make sure we know what our roles are and how to perform our duties.”
At 10 a.m., Red Cross and Parks and Recreation employees will drop, cover and hold on along with the rest of the city, will perform their roll-call procedures (checking their facilities) and will then switch roles for another hour-long shelter drill. The drills should be over by 1 p.m.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geological Survey jointly released a report earlier this year called the ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario, which describes what would happen if a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southernmost 300 kilometers of the San Andreas Fault in California.
According to the report, it would kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000, cause $200 billion in damage and have long-lasting social and economic consequences.
An earthquake of that magnitude would be about 5,000 times larger than the 5.4 magnitude quake that struck Southern California this past July.
For more information on how to prepare for an earthquake, visit www.earthquakecountry.info.
They’ll do so as part of the Great Southern California ShakeOut, a drill that simulates what would happen during and after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.
Many city departments will participate in the drill — the largest earthquake drill in United States history — including the health, police and water departments, along with schools and hospitals. At 10 a.m. Thursday, participants will duck or drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk, table or other piece of furniture and hold onto it for at least 60 seconds.
People who aren’t near a table should drop to the floor against an interior wall and protect their head and neck with their arms, avoiding windows, hanging objects, tall furniture and other heavy objects. People who are outdoors should move to a clear area away from power lines, trees, signs, buildings and cars. People who are driving should pull over to the side of the road, stop and set the parking brake, then remain inside the car until the shaking has stopped (avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines).
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Marine Department will team up with the American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach Chapter, to conduct a drill of opening and running an emergency shelter at the Whaley Park Community Center. Roughly 100 Red Cross and Parks and Recreation employees (already trained in shelter operations) will act as shelter workers and as residents who need to be sheltered, explained Ken Campbell, personnel officer for the parks department.
During the hour-long drill, they’ll practice opening the shelter, setting up cots, checking people in and segregating people based on needs, Campbell said. They will pretend to be clients such as a pregnant lady, a diabetic person and others with health needs. Health department personnel and environmental health specialists will be on hand to ensure water and sanitation needs are met, and to ensure safe food distribution, he added.
“These are real things we’ll have to deal with,” Campbell said. “The city of Long Beach has a responsibility to the citizens and we need to make sure we know what our roles are and how to perform our duties.”
At 10 a.m., Red Cross and Parks and Recreation employees will drop, cover and hold on along with the rest of the city, will perform their roll-call procedures (checking their facilities) and will then switch roles for another hour-long shelter drill. The drills should be over by 1 p.m.
The U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geological Survey jointly released a report earlier this year called the ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario, which describes what would happen if a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southernmost 300 kilometers of the San Andreas Fault in California.
According to the report, it would kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000, cause $200 billion in damage and have long-lasting social and economic consequences.
An earthquake of that magnitude would be about 5,000 times larger than the 5.4 magnitude quake that struck Southern California this past July.
For more information on how to prepare for an earthquake, visit www.earthquakecountry.info.
 |
 |
|
| Health Care, Finances County Priorities | Five-Story Senior Housing Project Approved For Bixby Knolls |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
