Whittier Narrows Earthquake
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In the fall of 1987, a fairly large earthquake struck the Whittier Narrows fault in Southern California. The damage from that quake showed that the California State University at Los Angeles is located near the Whittier Narrows fault line (Kimball, 1988, p. 54). During that earthquake, a facade fell from a campus parking structure and crushed a young female student to death. In addition, severe structural damage was sustained in the university's library building. If another large earthquake were to hit the Whittier Narrows fault or any of the other surrounding faults, further damage and injury to human life could result. It is important that the staff and students at CSULA be prepared to deal with this type of emergency. One of the reasons for this importance is the fact that the university is a vital social and economic institution within the Los Angeles community. As noted by one writer, damage at a local university can be devastating because in such a case the institution and its research facilities might be "seriously diminished as a center of higher education for months or even years" following the quake (Bolt, 1991, p. 173). However, an even more important consideration than that of saving the buildings at CSULA is that of saving the lives of the students, teachers and staff. In particular, if a large quake were to hit while classes were in session, there would be an increased potential for human casualties. In the aftermath of a large earthquake, emergency f
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curred. It is also important that the university be prepared in advance with a plan for responding in such a situation. It is only through adequate preparation that the potential damages and injuries of an earthquake can be minimized. Organization is the key to this type of preparation. In the journal Public Management, Bruce Altman and Ken Weller have described the criteria for a "model action plan" in preparing for response to a major earthquake. These include: getting commitment from decision makers; using committees to identify hazards; organizing all the parties involved to network ideas and share mutual aid; and using established groups to present self preparedness programs" (Altman and Weller, 1989, p. 23). The decision makers at California State University are, of course, the members of the administration. In order for an earthquake preparedness plan to work, it is important that it be directed from the top. The committees for identifying hazards and networking ideas would be formed among the students, teachers and staff, as well as among the administrative personnel. Dormitories, classrooms and educational departments can all be bases for the organization of committees. The established groups for helping in tra
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Approximate Word count = 2488
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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