Lessons from Napa quake recovery

While it was not the “Big One,” the 6.0 Napa earthquake that rumbled through the region at 3:21 a.m. Aug. 24 caused considerable damage in Napa and adjacent areas.

City Manager Mike Parness, the official in charge of recovery efforts, provided a recap of what worked, what didn’t, and key lessons learned - on Nov. 5 at the North Coast Builder’s Exchange fall membership luncheon in Santa Rosa.

The briefing was attended by 70 construction industry leaders, police and emergency services officers, public officials, insurance personnel and the heads of several business organizations eager to learn what should be done to prepare for the next one.

“This was the largest quake since Loma Prieta in 1989 with an epicenter located five miles south-southwest of the city on the west Napa fault at a depth seven miles beneath the Napa Valley Marina,” Mr. Parness said.

Business disruption

“We had a hotel evacuation plan, but no idea of what to do with people standing outside. Displaced hotel guests were taken first to fire stations and then transported by bus to safe areas. While we have good emergency preparedness plans in place, most of the problems occurred during recovery.”

Some 36 businesses had major quake damage and 210 suffered minor damage. Significant water damage was also caused by ruptured lines supplying chillers and sprinkler systems.

For retailers, recovery means getting back into operation as soon as possible. For example, while Napa’s restaurants were closed after the quake, all but six reopened within 48 hours.

“The northwest part of the city and the old town areas were the hardest hit. Luckily, the quake occurred in the early morning hours when most people were in bed. Twelve hours earlier, 10,000 people were dancing in downtown commercial district streets at a public event,” Mr. Parness said.

Residential damage

Immediately apparent were cracks in roads, the smell of natural gas from ruptured pipes, views of collapsed stone clad building exteriors, and scenes of houses that shifted two to three feet off foundations. A half dozen structure fires broke out, carports fell over and six mobile homes were lost as reported in the initial assessment.

Sixty-four homes suffered major damage and 1,417 were found to have minor damage. In the Browns Valley residential area, sidewalks “tented” and road fissures ran under houses concealing additional problems.

City support centers

Napa County Health & Human Services opened a Department Operations Center (DOC) around 5:00 a.m. An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was also open by 6 a.m. the same day, but had to be relocated due to building damage.

The Red Cross opened a shelter that served 5,379 meals and distributed 1,910 items -- such as water, comfort kits and cleanup supplies. They reached out to 1,335 residents, provided 412 overnight stays and mobilized 219 volunteers.

The Napa Local Assistance Center recorded 2,700 in-person visits, and the NapaQuakeInfo.com website received over 14,400 hits, while providing quake visibility around the globe.

Impact on the water supply

Some 177 water leaks were reported, and of these, 122 were repaired within the first five days. None of the main water lines broke, but about 600 customers were without water for an extended period.

Portions of the 100-year-old sewer system also sustained leaks, but treatment plants did not go off line.

A one million-gallon water tank in Browns Valley was severely damaged and could take up to a year and a half to replace.

“We did not turn the water pressure off because this helps prevent sewage and other contaminants from entering the pipes,” Mr. Parness explained.

Reported injuries

In all, 283 people were injured and 234 were taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center and other hospitals. Eighteen were admitted, four were in critical condition and one boy died from injuries received when a home fireplace collapsed.

Some 163 structures were red-tagged - not fit for occupancy - and 1,700 received yellow tags - repairs needed before habitable.

Total damage was estimated at $362.4 million. Of this amount, $80.3 million in damages were reported by the wine industry alone.

In the public sector, two post offices were damaged along with libraries and 14 county buildings and detention facilities. Four hundred public workers had to be relocated.

What worked

“City staff members reported for work without being called. Thankfully, mutual aid agreements were already in place and teams soon arrived from around the region,” Mr. Parness added.

Some 60 building/safety inspectors and engineers came to Napa to help with damage assessment on 24,000 structures.

Local commercial building suppliers voluntarily brought truckloads of plywood to board up storefronts, plus other materials and fencing to keep the curious away from damaged downtown areas where they would go to take pictures.

The city’s garbage company set up 19 debris collection sites that handled 4,800 tons of trash. Ten percent of this total was E-waste (TVs, computers, etc.) sorted by a waste handler.

Communications and media

A geographical information system (GIS) was set up on the first day to show the locations of red and yellow-tagged structures as well as water and gas leak sites – the greatest concerns among local residents.

“Media reps came from near and far and regular press conferences were held to deliver consistent messages and updates to everyone,” Mr. Parness said.

“We learned that a staging area should be established for the press with power and water in safe areas where traffic flow will not be affected.”

Social media played a big part in helping to share information. By 4:11 a.m. word was already getting out – two hours before the city’s first EOC briefing.

Mr. Parness said the primary objective was to calm fears and help people return to normalcy. The public responded favorably. Furthermore, throughout the crisis, the continuity of government was never interrupted.

Utility company response

According to Mr. Parness, PG&E could not have performed better. “They sent in what seemed like hundreds of trucks. Over 70,000 people were without power and they had it restored in 36 hours.”

PG&E also sent crews into the streets with gas detectors and found one boarded-up house dangerously full of gas. They were able to turn off the gas and ventilate the building in time to prevent an explosion.

The AT&T central office switching system was disrupted when panels popped out cutting off power. Telecommunications workers had to engage emergency battery backup systems for telephone service.

Future planning considerations

“We learned a lot from this experience and are already making plans to cope with the next emergency, since experts say this quake did not relieve all of the stress on the fault line.”

City officials found that having a backup EOC and dispatch center is essential, along with stockpiles of MREs (meals ready to eat) and bottled water.

The dispatch center quickly overflowed with calls, and a separate call center was set up to handle assignments for volunteers as well as to control rumors and separate fact from fiction.

Steps are also being taken to have a 311 center in place that can be converted for emergency use.

Clearly defined roles will be established for public officials during an emergency, with training to guide them.

The city was overwhelmed with visits from state and national elected representatives asking local officials to provide tours and private briefings.

“These VIP tours are important as a necessary first step to obtain emergency declarations,” Mr. Parness said. “We also need to recruit and train volunteers in advance as community emergency response teams (CERT) and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), so they can be deployed quickly.”

Napa’s future To-Do list includes planning for scenarios where there is no mutual aid, such as when a massive quake or other widespread disaster can prevent distant units from responding to a single city.

“Overall, the public showed their resiliency and responded positively with acts of generosity and compassion,” Mr. Parness said. “Neighbors helped neighbors. Several took those displaced into their homes. Many supported each other with cleanup.”

Looting was virtually non-existent. There were even reports of people picking up merchandise on sidewalks and putting it in stores through broken windows and storefronts.

“This experience was a wakeup call for all of us and raised awareness,” he said.

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