The University is sponsoring earthquake preparedness activities, ushering in the 2006 edition of the UCSF Know the Drill campaign, hosting a safety fair and conducting a campuswide drill next week.
UCSF is offering these activities not only to raise awareness of the centennial of the 1906 catastrophic earthquake and fire, but also to remind people that earthquakes are an inevitable part of life in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In fact, the US Geological Survey predicts that there is a 62 percent likelihood of a major earthquake striking in the San Francisco Bay Area causing widespread damage before 2032.
Among UCSF's earthquake preparedness activities are:
• The UCSF Police Department Emergency Preparedness program will host a spring Earthquake Preparedness Fair on
Tuesday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Saunders Court on the Parnassus campus. Read story
here.
• The campus and UCSF Medical Center will conduct a joint emergency response drill on
Wednesday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to noon, in conjunction with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Office of Emergency Services.
UCSF Medical Center's Security and Safety unit is looking for volunteers for the April 19 disaster drill. Volunteers are needed at the medical center from 9 to 11 a.m. to pretend that they are victims from the mock earthquake. Those willing to participate in this important drill should contact
Christine Yee at 415/885-7890.
The University Store on the Parnassus campus will sell disaster preparedness kits by Earth Shakes Inc. for both departmental and individual use. The University Store has several sample kits on display in the Parnassus location for those who may want to look before buying. A limited supply of these kits is on hand for sale in the store. A web-based purchasing option for both UC departmental purchases using
low value PO numbers and for personal purchases
using credit cards has been developed with Earth Shakes.
Know the Drill
Twice a year, UCSF conducts a disaster drill. As in the past, representatives from the campus and the medical center will come together on April 19 at the Emergency Operations Center on the Parnassus campus to coordinate a response to a variety of disasters. The general drill scenario for the April 19 exercise will be based on a 6.5 magnitude earthquake centered on the San Andreas fault in the Peninsula area. Under this grim scenario, hundreds of people are injured or killed. Immediately the power fails, water mains rupture, gas lines break, overhead wires fall and litter surface streets and many building collapse. Fires have broken out and are growing throughout the city. Cell phone sites are overloaded. MUNI underground and BART systems shut down.
UCSF Medical Center will continue to test and develop its plans to care for a large influx of injured people. This surge capacity includes planning for extra space, supplies and staff resources. Campus programs will also test their emergency response to building damage, hazardous materials spills and care and shelter planning.
Posters have been placed around campus announcing the Know the Drill campaign, which encourages the faculty, staff and students to be familiar with their worksite emergency action plan, develop a family disaster plan, and participate in emergency preparedness training.
Remembering 1906
Both individuals and communities can use the 100th anniversary of the 1906 temblor as an opportunity to be ready, says Susan Garritson, bioterrorism coordinator for UCSF.
"April 18, 2006 is the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire and events are well-underway throughout the Bay Area to commemorate that disaster and remind everyone to be prepared for another major earthquake," Garritson says. "I encourage the campus community to take this opportunity to assess their family emergency plans, stock up on or refresh emergency supplies and know how their department or office is supposed to operate in a disaster."
A number of Bay Area activities focus on the deadly quake. The
1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance has compiled a calendar of events, press releases and speakers to increase public awareness of seismic hazards, promote earthquake preparedness and mitigation and explore the ways in which this major natural disaster affected the personal lives, culture, economy and development of Northern California. Activities include lectures, walks, performances, movies, exhibits, and conferences.
During the week of April 17 through 20, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the Seismological Society of America, and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services will host the
100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference at the Moscone Center. This conference includes technical, policy, and best-practice sessions, field trips, and emergency preparedness activites to help protect Bay Area residents after a catastrophic earthquake.
The UC Berkeley Bancroft Library has created an online digital archive tocommemorate the hundredth anniversary of the "Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire". It can be
viewed here.
The archive contains extensive photos and documents searchable by subject and captures photographs of emergency medical services including the well-known tent field hospital in Golden Gate Park.
Source: Lisa Cisneros
