Northridge Earthquake Case Study
Northridge Earthquake: Response
Because the Northridge earthquake occurred in the early morning hours of the Martin Luther King holiday when traffic volume was extremely light, emergency response needs were limited, and agencies were able to focus rather quickly on mobility decisions (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002). Had this earthquake occurred during peak traffic hours the devastation would have been unprecedented. The USGS responded rapidly and efficiently to the Northridge earthquake, based on its experiences in such disaster responses. “The USGS office at the California Institute of Technology (USGS/Caltech) quickly became one of the principal organizers of scientific work by other government agencies, universities, and private …show more content…
engineering and geo- technical firms” (USGS, 2013).
The National Response Framework describes the best practices to manage natural disasters and also describes the roles and responsibilities, philosophies, and coordinating structures for providing the core capabilities which are needed to respond to an incident like an earthquake (National Response Framework, 2013). The Response mission area includes 14 core capabilities: planning, public information and warning, operational coordination, critical transportation, environmental response/health and safety, fatality management services, infrastructure systems, mass care services, mass search and rescue operations, on-scene security and protection, operational communications, public and private services and resources, public health and medical services, and situational assessment.
Planning: This core capability involves the entire community, in the development of strategic, operational, and community-based methods to be prepared for the earthquake and thus minimize damage from the earthquake. The positive steps taken by the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) after the Northridge earthquake in the utilization of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) system efficiently supported the emergency response and planning requirements of the agency.
Public Information and Warning: This core capability helps provide a coordinated, quick, and consistent information to the entire community through the use of clear, consistent, straight-forward, and culturally and linguistically suitable messages to efficiently communicate information regarding the risks of an earthquake, as well as the actions being taken to minimize the damage and the assistance being made available after the earthquake. Communication for both emergency responders and general public immediately after the Northridge earthquake was very difficult as there was power outage in most areas. There was also fire at the electrical stations. The system itself was over whelmed (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002).
Operational Coordination: This core capability helps to develop and support an integrated and coordinated operational structure and process that incorporates all important stakeholders and public/private partners. It also supports the implementation of core capabilities to prepare and protect people at the time of an earthquake. It would be very important to focus on restoring basic utilities like water, power and gas after an earthquake. FEMA helped coordinate the response of the 27 federal agencies involved in the Northridge earthquake operating the FEMA Incident Command System (ICS). This helped in getting quicker responses from different agencies (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002).
Critical Transportation: This core capability helps provide transportation to emergency responders and also provide the vital equipment needed for the response to the affected areas.
The Northridge earthquake tested the susceptibility of the structural and functional integrity of the transportation system. The response from the transportation planners and engineers was effective. An effective response involves lots of coordination between multiple agencies at many different levels of the government (Access, 2015).
Environment Response/Health and Safety: This core capability helps to confirm the availability of resources to address hazards from earthquake, in support of the responder operations. Transportation agencies helped restore the regional mobility. Because the earthquake occurred on a holiday and in the early morning hours the traffic on the freeways was extremely light. This helped emergency response needs to be very limited. Agencies were able to focus on mobility decisions very quickly.
Fatality Management Services: This core capability includes providing fatality management services, and provides temporary mortuary solutions in case of large number of fatalities. This also helps provides counselling to the bereaved. There were 33 fatalities due to earthquake which were confirmed by Los Angeles Department of Coroner. 138 injuries required hospitalization. Due to the holiday and early morning hours of the earthquake the fatalities and injuries were minimized as otherwise if the earthquake would have occurred during peak traffic hours the number of fatalities would have been much higher (Asa-C et al., 1998).
Infrastructure Systems: This core capability cross-cut with recovery mission area. It is imperative to stabilize critical infrastructure functions. Evaluate the buildings affected by the earthquake and make sure that they are safe to be in or should be evacuated. Freeways and bridges affected by earthquake should be inspected for similar reasons. Water, gas and power supplies should be the first priority to be restored so that the community is able to get its basic needs.
Mass Care Services: After the earthquake it is very important to provide shelter to the affected people. They also need water, food and medical supplies. They need to be provided medical care if required and very important to make sure they are reunited with their families.
Mass search and rescue operations: After an earthquake as mostly the buildings collapse it is vital to make sure that no one is trapped under the rubble; and if there is someone than the rescue operations have to be immediate. Time is of essence during the rescue operation and sometimes animals are used to help rescue the trapped.
On-Scene Security and Protection: To make sure that law and order is maintained for the people in the affected community. It also helps provide security and protection for responders engaged in lifesaving and life-sustaining operations.
Operational Communications: To develop the capability for effective timely communication about situational awareness between the emergency responders and the people in the impacted area.
Public and Private Services and Resources: Provide important public and private services and resources to the affected communities, to restore power to emergency facilities, fuel support for emergency responders, and access to grocery stores, pharmacies and banks.
Public Health and Medical Services: To provide immediate medical aid to the injured and provide medical support and basic life support products like shelter, food, water etc. to all people affected by the earthquake.
Situational Assessment: This core capability provides all important stakeholders with decision-relevant information involving the nature and extends of hazard and updated response status.
If this earthquake was to happen again than I would recommend making sure to restore the power, water and gas to critical facilities like emergency responders and hospitals first. The response was great for this earthquake as there were not many fatalities. If the same earthquake was to occur at peak time than definitely there would have been more fatalities and damages and more responders would have to be deployed for immediately responding to help people trapped in buildings, cars, etc. People were without water and power for few days, I would like to make sure that these basic necessities are restored at the earliest possible
time.
It is very unfortunate that we witnessed few earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador in last week. They were very high magnitude earthquakes. The one in Ecuador measured 7.8 magnitude and caused a massive disaster. Many builders have collapsed along with extensive damage to the infrastructure and bridges. Lots of people are trapped and are unaccounted for. People are struggling to get basic necessities like shelter, food and water and to make matters worse there have been incidents of looting (Reuters, 2016).
Because the Northridge earthquake occurred in the early morning hours of the Martin Luther King holiday when traffic volume was extremely light, emergency response needs were limited, and agencies were able to focus rather quickly on mobility decisions (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002). Had this earthquake occurred during peak traffic hours the devastation would have been unprecedented. The USGS responded rapidly and efficiently to the Northridge earthquake, based on its experiences in such disaster responses. “The USGS office at the California Institute of Technology (USGS/Caltech) quickly became one of the principal organizers of scientific work by other government agencies, universities, and private …show more content…
engineering and geo- technical firms” (USGS, 2013).
The National Response Framework describes the best practices to manage natural disasters and also describes the roles and responsibilities, philosophies, and coordinating structures for providing the core capabilities which are needed to respond to an incident like an earthquake (National Response Framework, 2013). The Response mission area includes 14 core capabilities: planning, public information and warning, operational coordination, critical transportation, environmental response/health and safety, fatality management services, infrastructure systems, mass care services, mass search and rescue operations, on-scene security and protection, operational communications, public and private services and resources, public health and medical services, and situational assessment.
Planning: This core capability involves the entire community, in the development of strategic, operational, and community-based methods to be prepared for the earthquake and thus minimize damage from the earthquake. The positive steps taken by the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) after the Northridge earthquake in the utilization of a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) system efficiently supported the emergency response and planning requirements of the agency.
Public Information and Warning: This core capability helps provide a coordinated, quick, and consistent information to the entire community through the use of clear, consistent, straight-forward, and culturally and linguistically suitable messages to efficiently communicate information regarding the risks of an earthquake, as well as the actions being taken to minimize the damage and the assistance being made available after the earthquake. Communication for both emergency responders and general public immediately after the Northridge earthquake was very difficult as there was power outage in most areas. There was also fire at the electrical stations. The system itself was over whelmed (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002).
Operational Coordination: This core capability helps to develop and support an integrated and coordinated operational structure and process that incorporates all important stakeholders and public/private partners. It also supports the implementation of core capabilities to prepare and protect people at the time of an earthquake. It would be very important to focus on restoring basic utilities like water, power and gas after an earthquake. FEMA helped coordinate the response of the 27 federal agencies involved in the Northridge earthquake operating the FEMA Incident Command System (ICS). This helped in getting quicker responses from different agencies (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002).
Critical Transportation: This core capability helps provide transportation to emergency responders and also provide the vital equipment needed for the response to the affected areas.
The Northridge earthquake tested the susceptibility of the structural and functional integrity of the transportation system. The response from the transportation planners and engineers was effective. An effective response involves lots of coordination between multiple agencies at many different levels of the government (Access, 2015).
Environment Response/Health and Safety: This core capability helps to confirm the availability of resources to address hazards from earthquake, in support of the responder operations. Transportation agencies helped restore the regional mobility. Because the earthquake occurred on a holiday and in the early morning hours the traffic on the freeways was extremely light. This helped emergency response needs to be very limited. Agencies were able to focus on mobility decisions very quickly.
Fatality Management Services: This core capability includes providing fatality management services, and provides temporary mortuary solutions in case of large number of fatalities. This also helps provides counselling to the bereaved. There were 33 fatalities due to earthquake which were confirmed by Los Angeles Department of Coroner. 138 injuries required hospitalization. Due to the holiday and early morning hours of the earthquake the fatalities and injuries were minimized as otherwise if the earthquake would have occurred during peak traffic hours the number of fatalities would have been much higher (Asa-C et al., 1998).
Infrastructure Systems: This core capability cross-cut with recovery mission area. It is imperative to stabilize critical infrastructure functions. Evaluate the buildings affected by the earthquake and make sure that they are safe to be in or should be evacuated. Freeways and bridges affected by earthquake should be inspected for similar reasons. Water, gas and power supplies should be the first priority to be restored so that the community is able to get its basic needs.
Mass Care Services: After the earthquake it is very important to provide shelter to the affected people. They also need water, food and medical supplies. They need to be provided medical care if required and very important to make sure they are reunited with their families.
Mass search and rescue operations: After an earthquake as mostly the buildings collapse it is vital to make sure that no one is trapped under the rubble; and if there is someone than the rescue operations have to be immediate. Time is of essence during the rescue operation and sometimes animals are used to help rescue the trapped.
On-Scene Security and Protection: To make sure that law and order is maintained for the people in the affected community. It also helps provide security and protection for responders engaged in lifesaving and life-sustaining operations.
Operational Communications: To develop the capability for effective timely communication about situational awareness between the emergency responders and the people in the impacted area.
Public and Private Services and Resources: Provide important public and private services and resources to the affected communities, to restore power to emergency facilities, fuel support for emergency responders, and access to grocery stores, pharmacies and banks.
Public Health and Medical Services: To provide immediate medical aid to the injured and provide medical support and basic life support products like shelter, food, water etc. to all people affected by the earthquake.
Situational Assessment: This core capability provides all important stakeholders with decision-relevant information involving the nature and extends of hazard and updated response status.
If this earthquake was to happen again than I would recommend making sure to restore the power, water and gas to critical facilities like emergency responders and hospitals first. The response was great for this earthquake as there were not many fatalities. If the same earthquake was to occur at peak time than definitely there would have been more fatalities and damages and more responders would have to be deployed for immediately responding to help people trapped in buildings, cars, etc. People were without water and power for few days, I would like to make sure that these basic necessities are restored at the earliest possible
time.
It is very unfortunate that we witnessed few earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador in last week. They were very high magnitude earthquakes. The one in Ecuador measured 7.8 magnitude and caused a massive disaster. Many builders have collapsed along with extensive damage to the infrastructure and bridges. Lots of people are trapped and are unaccounted for. People are struggling to get basic necessities like shelter, food and water and to make matters worse there have been incidents of looting (Reuters, 2016).