General Article
For residents of Puget Sound, being prepared for an earthquake and knowing what to do when one hits necessitates some basic training. Center faculty and staff were reminded of this during the statewide Disaster Preparedness Month earthquake drill in April. But there is more to Center-wide preparations than meets the eye.
Earthquake preparedness is a component of the center's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), coordinated by Ron Clark, Fire and Life Safety Program manager in the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Department.
In addition to mitigation activities and preparedness, the plan details response and recovery activities. Response of individuals during a quake should be to "duck, cover, hold" in a spot that gives protection, such as under a desk. Participants practiced this during the drill. Clark emphasized the importance of remaining calm and staying with a structured response during the emergency.
Recovery activities in the CEMP involve Emergency Support Functions (ESF). They include food support, emergency housing, information technology and first aid. Planning was based on the assumption that in the event of a large quake, the Center may have to house people. A three-day supply of food is available; emergency housing, including at local hotels, has been arranged; and procedures and supplies for first-aid assistance are in place.
When the tremors stop, the first things individuals want are information and communication, especially to find out about the status of family and loved ones. That's when the work of Information Technology (IT) kicks in. Ron Hood, IT Voice and Data Operations manager, coordinates IT's disaster-recovery planning, an ongoing activity that began in 2003. The plan identified telephone, voice communications and e-mail as the most popular, high-demand services.
Toll-free emergency number
A toll-free telephone number outside the disaster area has been set up for callers to get information (888-667-2020). In addition to the main telephone, an auxiliary system of telephones is installed. In case the Center's Web site is down, an outside Web site will be available http://status.fhcrc.org.
Hood advises that in an earthquake emergency, individuals should not plan on using phones. E-mail will be more reliable, but auxiliary phones are placed within the buildings in case the main phone system is down.
"The Center itself is doing a very good job in the buildings it constructed and in planning for emergency," Clark said. But he and Hood emphasize the importance of employee planning for earthquake emergencies both inside and outside the Center community. To assist employees in their family planning, EH&S offers a quarterly course. More information is available and at 206-667-4866.
Good information emerged from the April drill but refinements to the plan are ongoing. The risk of earthquakes in this region is significant because of the Seattle Fault and the Cascadia Subduction Zone. "How well you will survive is a quality of life issue. You can improve the quality of life by preparing for these events," Clark said.
An emergency-training session, which includes information about developing a family disaster plan, will be held from 9-11 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 25, in Weintraub, B1-072.
