MEDIA ADVISORY: Quake 2000

ATTENTION: ASSIGNMENT DESK

05/22/00
Contact: Marie Felde
(510) 642-3734
[email protected]


WHAT: Quake 2000, the most ambitious earthquake disaster field training and exercise ever undertaken at the University of California, Berkeley, or at any California research university. The exercise will simulate the campus's emergency response to a major Hayward Fault earthquake.   WHEN: Thursday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.   WHERE: The UC Berkeley campus.   WHO:

More than 400 campus officials, staff members and volunteers, including UC police and UC Berkeley staff, student and faculty HOME Team search and rescue volunteers.

Others participating include University Health Services professionals and first aid/triage volunteers; environment, health and safety hazardous material response personnel; building assessment teams, building trades teams such as electricians, plumbers and elevator mechanics as well as building coordinators from every campus building.

  WHY:

Recognizing that UC Berkeley sits astride the Hayward Fault, in 1997 the campus, under the direction of Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl, undertook a major seismic safety effort. The SAFER Program is a 10-point program to protect the lives and safety of students, faculty and staff, and to ensure the campus can sustain operations following a major quake. This drill is part of the SAFER Program's call to "ensure comprehensive emergency preparedness and provide training."

A major part of the SAFER Program is the 10- to 20-year, $1 billion-plus program to retrofit and strengthen 27 percent of central campus buildings. Six major building retrofit projects currently are under construction.

 

VISUALS: Trained search and rescue teams with full gear will be assigned to search buildings for lost or trapped victims and to perform rescues. At least two to three K-9 teams will be dispatched. (Note: The dogs, owned by UC Berkeley employees, have undergone hundreds of hours of training to certify them for K-9 search and rescue work. The dog/owner teams will gather outside the UC Berkeley Police Department on the south lawn of Sproul Hall about 9 a.m.)

Disaster first aid/triage teams will report to University Health Services and be assigned triage of "walking wounded" at the Tang Center or be given field packs and dispatched to emergency areas to treat injured victims.

NOTE: For more information about the Quake 2000 exercise, contact Tom Klatt, manager of emergency preparedness, (510) 642-1258.

For information on covering the exercise, contact Marie Felde, director of media relations, (510) 642-3734.

 






UC Berkeley



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