EARTHQUAKE LESSONS PAY OFF IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

After the Sylmar earthquake in 1971, the Metropolitan Water District o f Southern California established emergency planning procedures. In 19 94, the Northridge earthquake in the same area put those preparations to the test. Much of the groundwork proved helpful: an Emergency Opera tions Center was activated within 40 minutes, and reconnaissance patro ls completed their damage inspection within just 5 hours. In addition, a decision to buy heavy machining equipment paid off when crews were able to fabricate new pipe sections for the damaged Jensen Filtration Plant. Lessons learned in 1994 were that practice sessions do not dupl icate the actual experience of an earthquake; human emotional response to disaster is unpredictable; agencies can expect outside assistance and do not need large stockpiles of extra equipment; and a business re sumption plan needs to be established so office work can continue duri ng an emergency.