Emergency Preparedness Reminders

Dick Sugiyama, Case Management Program Director, Aging & Disability Services

_____________________________ The recent snowstorm reminded me of the importance of having a personal plan in case of an emergency, whether it is a severe winter storm, a major flood, or a sudden earthquake. As the snow began to fall, I asked myself, "Will I be able to be self-reliant for up to five days?" _________________________

In early October of this year I had the opportunity to participate in a two-day earthquake recovery exercise called "Sound Shake 2010." This countywide exercise was an opportunity for City and County disaster response teams to practice what they would do in a real emergency. The disaster scenario was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake event occurring on a Wednesday morning shortly after 8 a.m. with a number of damaging aftershocks. The damage was portrayed to be centered along the Seattle Fault Line, which basically stretches from Puget Sound, under downtown Seattle, and Mercer Island and east to Issaquah.

More Disaster Details

I reported to the Seattle Emergency Operations Center, along with representatives from virtually every City department. We were told the earthquake had inflicted widespread destruction of buildings and homes, countless fires, and heavy damage to almost all major highways, rendering many inoperable. Six thousand residents were without shelter, and there were an unknown number of fatalities. The scenario also left thousands of residents without electricity and/or running water, and local hospitals were overwhelmed with treating the injured. Food and water were in short supply, with most supermarkets closed, and small tent cities were springing up as residents were fearful of building failures due to aftershocks.

On day one of this mock earthquake response drill, I was part of the team tasked with setting up large shelters in at least six areas that needed housing. Other work groups were responsible for establishing a field hospital set up to handle the injured, clearing major streets, restoring electricity, and putting out fires.

At the end of the first day, our group was very frustrated at our slow progress in getting shelters operational. Had this been a real life situation, thousands of residents would have been homeless. I realized that during a major disaster, local government may be hard pressed to provide assistance to those in need during the first 1 - 5 days. People will need to rely on their own personal emergency plans while waiting for local government to respond.

Shelter Challenges in a Major Earthquake

The challenges we faced in opening shelters at large community centers and at the Seattle Center were many. Here are some questions that needed to be addressed:

1. Has the structure been inspected for safety?
2. Does the building have functioning heating/cooling, and running water?
3. Is it possible to have hundreds of cots and blankets, food and water supplies delivered to the shelter sites before dark today? If yes, are the roads to the shelter sites passable or not?
4. Can we organize shelter staffing for 24 hour operations, and guarantee security at these sites?