HomeMy WebLinkAbout0140.094Febr~ary 3, 1994
HONORABLE CITY COl;"NCIL
palo ~to, California
Members of the Council:
Northridge Zarthquake! January 17, 1994
Report in Brief
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This is an information report on the City of Palo Alto's response to the
Southern California, Northridge Rarthq~ake of January 17, 1994. Members
of the Fire and Planning and Community Environment Departments have
provided assistanc~ to Southern California cities impacted by the
6.6 ear:chquake that oCC'..lrred on Ja.n',lary 17th.
Lnspection S@rvic@s Divisign's Response
The chief Building OfficiaL Fred Herman, spent January 18 and ,January 19
touring the areas of Northridge, Santa Monica, portions of Los ~~geles
and the City of Fillmore. The purpose of observing damage relates to his
position as a member of the State Seismic Safety Commission.
Or. Priday~ Janl!ar'.f 21~ 1994 the rnapection Ser",ices Division received a
request from: the State Office of Em~rgen<:y Sen~ices (OES) for building
inspector assistancE' for the Los Angeles Area. Later in the day. two
city employeEs, Mike Baird, Supervisor, Bui Iding Inspect,ion and Felix
Dushats. Building Inspector, Specialist were dispatched to Los Ang~les.
Upon arrival they were sent by OES to the City of Los .~geles B~ilding &
Safety Department· s branch office in Van NUys.
During the five day tour of duty these two inspectors inspected 23 mlJlti
family structures l.IIith a total of 650 dwelling units. As of Monday,
January 24, 1994 the City of Los A."lgeles inspection st.aff ... including
mutual aid support., performed over 23, ooe site inspections. The
inspectors arrived back to the City of Palo Aleo on Wedneeday, Ja~uary
26, 1994 with a new perspective on the power of earthquakes.
All costs incurred in the response will be reimb~rsed to the City by the
Fed,eral Emergency Ma... .. agement Agency {FEr-'f.A,I.
C.'dR 140:94
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rir~ Dgpartment's Respons p
On Monday, January 11, 1994, Palo Alto Fire Departtr.ent paramedics Sean
Lanthier and cr..ris Shinseki ~-esponded to th~ Los Ang-eles Basin
Earthquake, Nortt-..ridge Incident, as part of the Cali!ornia Task Force III
Urban Search and Rescue (OSAR). The t~am is a 5S person unit, trained
and funded by FEMA to respond to m~jor disast~rs anywh~re in the United
States. The task force includo::s a variety of emergency disciplines
including doctors: paramedics. fire and heavy rescue personnel, and other
suppOrt staff.
California Task force rrr was deployed out of Travis Ai~ Force Base for
Los Alamitos 1L~ in Los Angeles on Mar-day, January 17, 1S~4 and returned
on Th'..lrsday, January 20, 1994. The Task Force III mission was as a
relief team fQI"" Lr?a Angeles based teams in the event the -.iisast.er
continued to grow in magnitude. The tea~ was present during 5.2 and 5.0
aftershocks. In preparation fol.· mobilization, the team conducted
helicopter training. multi-team medical and safety drills, and
operational drills with u.s. MilitCiry unit:::.. Task Force III ·,.,as not
mobilized into disaster areas before returning.
Conclusion
The Fire Department and Inspection Services Divis.ion are available at any
time to provide a more thorough overview of the Northridge eyent
including slides and commentary.
Respectfully submitted.
FRED HERMAN
Chief Building Official
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Acting Fire Chief
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KENNETH R. SCHREIBER
Director of Planning and
CODIIDWli t---.J" Environment
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City MIuvlger
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