Just After the Earthquake

1
Just After the Earthquake Working
Group Presentation
Chile Observatories Earthquake Readiness
Workshop Hotel La Serena Club Resort La Serena,
IV Region Chile December 3rd 4th 2007
2
Just After Issues

• Plan Train Act. How well people have
  planned and trained how
• well people have reacted in the immediate
  aftermath set the scene
• for this stage of the response

• The grade of response should be appropriate to
  the grade or
• magnitude of the event

• Benchmarking and comparing operational notes
  are excellent
• initiatives, but it is critically important to
  create plans that are
• based firmly in the reality of your
  Observatorys specific
• operational circumstances e.g. closeness of
  work sites to
• family members of staff development stage of
  the organization
• size of the organization daytime, nighttime,
  weekend operations etc

• We have assumed were dealing with a major/high
  risk event

• We have defined just after as the period from
  when the shaking stops
• (at least of the building, if not our own!) to
  the stage when
• intermediate response steps are beginning to
  get underway

• We should adopt the same emergency response
  concepts when dealing
• with non-seismic disasters e.g. fire

3
Just After Issues

• Define the event value of seismic
  monitoring and displays in the
• absence of such, consider the worst case
  scenario to begin with

• Who is in charge? decision criteria for
  choosing response leaders
• the importance of leadership planning
  (neither on its own is
• sufficient) consider a team focus, substitutes
  where necessary,
• concentrate on leadership characteristics/prefer
  red outcomes
• rather on formal leadership roles create a
  flexible/adaptive
• decision-making structures

• SITUATION ASSESSMENT 1 People focused
  Count them, Who?
• Where? Dead? Injured? Missing? Panicking? Not
  available?

• Technical Focus Direct, simple observations
  where possible (pick up
• the phone for a dial tone, radio with
  batteries, TV, web etc

• Note that in some ways in doesnt matter how
  earnest your people
• focused efforts or your technical focused
  efforts are, if you dont
• employ a communications focus. Without one,
  your efforts will be
• frustrated

4
Just After Issues

• Launch only the most critical actions after the
  first situation
• assessment e.g. gas, electricity, fuel spills,
  major structural issues,
• most fundamental telescope checks

• Work to a response skills inventory/check list

• Work to a resources required inventory/check
  list

• Do what you can.....with what youve
  got........NOW

• The more practically based and intelligent
  pre-planning will help by
• by helping people work on auto-pilot (drill
  based) in high stress
• situation

• SITUATION ASSESSMENT 2 then ACTIONS 2

• SITUATION ASSESSMENT 3 then ACTIONS 3 and
  so on..........

5
ONLY BITE OFF WHAT YOU CAN CHEW IMPORTANCE
OF PRACTICAL BASED ACTIONS CONTINUOUS
REVIEW (the graph below depicts only one type of
response, of many possible responses)
EVALUATE
EVALUATE
EVALUATE
EVALUATE
EVALUATE
EVALUATE
TECHNICAL ISSUES
ACT
ACT
ACT
ACT
ACT
ACT
ACT
SOPHISTICATION / DEPTH OF ANALYSIS
PEOPLE ISSUES
REPORT
REPORT
REPORT
REPORT
REPORT
REPORT
TIME
REMEMBER THAT AFTERSHOCKS MIGHT THROW YOUR
PLANS OFF SO PLAN FOR AFTERSHOCKS