We Did It!

From Vromans Bookstore to PCC, thousands in Pasadena participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut this morning.

For my part, I was among the city staff who work in our Emergency Operations Center. We were there by 9 a.m. when the three-hour drill started this morning.

After a briefing from Fire Chief Dennis Downs and other Pasadena Fire Department officials......we went to work.

The EOC is divided into various work units, including Operations, Finance, Planning and Logistics

Staff in the Logistics Section, for example, arranges for facilities, services, resources and other support.
I'm part of the Policy Group, which advises and assists in making strategic policy decisions after an emergency or disaster.

I also oversee the PIO team, which is responsible for communicating with media and the community. (Many thanks to my team today: Joy Guihama from the Public Health Department, Catherine Hany from the Library, Ronnie Nanning from the Police Department, Erica Rolufs from Pasadena Water and Power, and Mark Yamarone from the Transportation Department.)

I don't have any photos from precisely 10 a.m. on the dot when everybody dropped, covered and held on for 60 seconds.

Ordinarily our earthquake drills are very detail-specific, right down to deciding how many backhoes to request and the triage priority for first responders.

This morning we didn't get into such minutia and instead focused on big picture and strategy due to the nature of the scenario.

It was a worthy exercise and we're better trained as a result.

Remember, if you haven't updated your emergency plan and kit yet, now's the time to do it!