Police, firefighters, schools, lifeguards, amateur radio operators and Neighborhood Watch volunteers took part as Hermosa participated in the Great California Shake Out earthquake preparedness drill.
For the first time the recently-opened Emergency Operations Center inside the city’s Community Center building was used in a drill.
Hermosa Beach Police Lt. Tom Thompson, the lead local organizer, said a communications consultant stood by to help assess the response as many residents, and millions of people statewide, practiced “drop, cover and hold on” at 10:21 a.m. Thursday.
City staff workers came together in one room to keep operations going during the fake quake, while they received reports of fatal injuries, water and sewage problems, building collapses and other disaster scenarios.
Hermosa Beach Amateur Radio Association members were deployed and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter overflew the city twice, establishing direct communication into the Emergency Operations Center, said Kent Hartley, who spearheaded the center’s creation.
For up-to-date information on earthquake preparation, see www.shakeout.org. ER
