European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                California disaster plan coping with the coining quake by Wayne King new York times by a Sharp upswing in seismic activity and by a Federal warning that they arc essentially unprepared for the catastrophic California earthquake that most Earth scientists regard As officials in state and local agencies Are stepping up disaster Relief planning and warning californians that they would be on their own in the first devastating hours of any major a review by the Federal emergency management made Public last said that the expected major quake would constitute the worst Natu ral disaster in the nations the painting an ominous picture of destruction and inability to also made it Clear that the question was not whether such an earthquake would but in the geological Survey reported recently that significant earthquakes in those registering or higher on the Richter or those causing injury or serious increased from two in 1979 to seven last including a temblor near Eureka in so far this four quakes of minor to moderate strength have shaken Northern two in the geologists suggest that the series of quakes signals a cyclical return to heightened seismic although they say that it is not linked to the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions at mount Helens in Washington the last such period of intense activity in califor Nia was two decades the average persons reaction to All of this is difficult to Many Califon mins accustomed to cop ing with earthquake fear by ignoring it now speak in hushed tones at office elevators about being shaken awake in their Beds by yet another quaver of the at the same few californians have their property insured against and officials worry that the average citizen has done Little to according to the Federal the most Likely centers for catastrophic quakes Are the states most populated the san Frrancisco Bay area and los to test their both cities have held or Are plan Ning full scale earthquake disaster the los Angeles test was held based on the history of major earthquakes and other geologic the report estimates the probability of a devastating in the Range of 7 to on the Richter As from 2 percent to 5 percent each and greater than 50 percent in the next 20 to 30 the likelihood of an quake or one equal to the estimated Force of the 1906 quake that killed 452 people and levelled half of san Francisco is regarded As two to five chances in a Hundred each year in the los Ang Lessan Bernardino and As one Chance in a Hundred each in the san Francisco chances of less severe quakes Are proportionally the Richter scale reflects the amount of Energy re leased by an earthquake an increase of one unit in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in ground emergency personnel in los Angeles and san Francis co say that any major quake in a populous area would result in devastation similar to a nuclear build Ings would showering the streets with tons of Glass and blocking roadways with rubble accesses and Bridges would crack or and vast areas would be left without police and fire death and injury would be a quake registering along he Newport Ingle Wood fault at los Angeles at Aften Wra Rush the Federal review would kill injure and leave a severe quake along the Northern san Andreas fault at san Francisco would be Only proportionally less de assuming an quake on the san Andreas at 4 Oclock in the said Donald chief of surgery at san Franciso general youre looking at at least and in and these Are really conservative out of Hospital Beds in san would be destroyed or so youre talking in essence of treating people in a City that has no former chairman of the medical committee of the state office emergency services and a consultant on earthquake disaster observed that Lack of medical facilities would mean heartrending decisions lethal Jolt several patients died when quake collapsed two wings of a Hospital at san in 1971 twisted tracks testify to Force of 1971 California temblor in 1971 brought Down Highway overpass under construction near los Angeles for physicians who had to choose for treatment those people considered most Likely to Trunkey you also have to in a logistical Way get people to casualty collection Points and evacuate that is an incredible thing to think massive evacuation of very seriously injured peo ple under incredible transport across town no the Federal study was ordered by president Carter after he inspected the damage at mount Helens last the report terms the nation essentially unprepared for a catastrophic quake and says that preparations Are woefully inadequate to Cope with the damage and casual ties or the disruption in social fabric and governmental Structure that May faced with officials have accelerated efforts to upgrade disaster Relief capabilities and to warn the Public to be prepared for the the first thing were trying to Tell said Ralph Wright information director for the red Cross in Southern is that they must get ready for an earthquake it is going to they will be on their own for up to 72 they May not be Able to depend on the red Well need shelters and we dont even have shelter Wright and others said that evacuation in san fran Cisco and los Angeles would be complicated by Geo graphic both cities Are on the los an Geles in a Basin surrounded by mountains and san Francisco bounded on three sides by Down theres no place to evacuate he said of the los Angeles there Are 12 million people in this Basin and five roads out of the preparedness tests in san Francisco and los an Geles Are citywide exercises including simulated disaster victims descending on medical the 9 test in los Angeles began a week of events intended to make citizens More san Francisco will conduct its Drill april to los hundreds of thousands of survival charts were distributed in several giving such instruction As How to turn off Gas and electricity and where to seek shelter in the event of a and the red Cross showed a 10minute slide program to neigh Church and other geologists hesitate to say whether the upswing in seismic activity actually bodes an impending major or whether moderate quakes relieve or increase but like say the question is its the Chicken Little syndrome that the he the sky is the sky is falling but then the sky Doest and we get but most seismologists Are agreed that were looking at a big probably within the next theres no weve got to get All hell broke Loose by Robert Locke associated press in the wee hours of that fateful nature was stirring eight Miles beneath the sprawling san Fernando quietly flexing its straining and cracking against the accumulated stresses of Larry the was just getting in the Hills above the Community Ripples crossed the two dams holding Back billion Gallons of drinking at one 42 seconds past 6 All hell broke the Lon silent san Fernando fault had awakened with a the floor jumped up and the Dresser jumped up on the the kids were All the House was groaning and i thought it was coming Down on top of recalls now a san Fernando the which measured on the Richter sent Waves like Ocean Breakers rolling across the some 200 Square Miles of the san Gabriel the valleys Northern Boundary moved southward and permanently Rose several the Shock lasted just 60 but in that 64 people were dead or dying 49 of them when a Veter ans Hospital in Sylmar at the base of the mountains injuries numbered in the there were unnerving aftershocks for it was the most damaging american tremor since the mighty alaskan quake of the damage has been estimated conservatively to have totalled Large sections of los Angeles county new Olive View medical Center patients were evacuated from the sorely crippled holy Cross and Pacoima memo rial lutheran five new freeway overpasses claiming two More than apartment buildings and businesses were damaged in the los Angeles area just North of san hundreds were destroyed or the business District in Century old san Fernando looked like a bomb had gone said businessman Roy who is now nearly half the business District was destroyed outright or subsequently torn and in the Hills above cracks and landslides threatened to break up the some people were evacuated in a 20squaremile neighbourhoods became ghost one expert said at the time that another eight seconds of severe shaking probably would have collapsed a As earthquakes it was a moderate perhaps 100 times less powerful than the big one scientists say Southern California will someday a los Angeles county task Force that studied the quake still concluded that it was mainly Good Fortune that the fatalities were relatively had the quake occurred three hours the col lapsed freeways and the devastated san Fer Nando shopping area would have been the re port commission member Clarence Allen of the California Institute of an earthquake said the big Shock was the fact that a major dam almost we came so close to losing thousands of lives san Fernando has been rebuilt and Many residents say its better now than before the certainly the buildings Are stronger and the refurbished business District is neat and the veterans Hospital is now a memorial Olive View was never but holy Cross is bigger and More impressive than nearly everyone everybody was talking about recalls staff physician John but we just if you go to another you have to worry about typhoons or hurricanes or Tornado or some thing after 10 most residents still have vivid Mem Sadie Copeland of the san Fernando chamber of Commerce remembers sitting nervously on a neighbors sharing a drink of straight Bourbon at in the morning can you imagine Allen said the quake was the most studied tremor in history and data on ground motion and damage Are still used around the world to judge dams and nuclear building codes Are tougher dams Are much stronger and More carefully inspected and other preparations have been he certainly we Are not As Well prepared for the next quake As we might the 1971 commission said most deaths in the quake were in buildings erected before the year of a disastrous tremor at Long Beach which prompted tougher building it recommended that such buildings be brought up to modern Stan Dards or last the City Council of los where people live in such buildings and thousands More work in passed an ordinance requiring that old buildings be strengthened within 10 if were Lucky enough to get by 10 years without a major Earth i think Well be All right said councilman Hal Page 14 the stars and stripes february the stars and stripes Page 15