Over the past few weeks Mission Viejo council member elect Cathy Schlicht has taken a pro-active role in promoting “emergency preparedness” to our residents. I sadly report that our city staff and current council majority failed to open the tent to include the 100,000 people who call Mission Viejo their home as it related to today’s massive earthquake drill. In fact, Orange County sheriff Sandra Hutchens discussed “emergency preparedness” at the Residents Voice club meeting that we attended just last Thursday.
So while CNN reports that ” People in southern California dropped simultaneously to ground Thursday morning, huddled under tables and held on for about a minute in what is being billed as the largest earthquake drill in history” our city administration failed to advise us of this major exercise. As we like conducting self serving survey’s I wonder how many of our residents were notified by the city of this drill?
Amazing. Council member elect Schlict reminded me that in the Nov 11th city enewsletter www.missionviejolife.org the lead story was our “Sheriff’s Department asks pet owners to ‘buckle up’ their pets.” It closes by saying that information about ways to secure pets and more is available at www.barkbuckleup.com.
Not a word shared with Mission Viejo’s (limited email) distribution about the massive southern CA drill conducted today. In fact Cathy tells me that she contacted the city manager earlier today expressing her concern that we have not been advised on the drill. Cathy said her communication with city manager Dennis Wilberg included a suggestion to “add a link on the city website devoted to ’emergency preparedness’ so that residents and members of the business community would become pro-active rather than re-active to emergencies.”
You can bet that there was no instructions on today’s drill to be found on our electronic message board.
To continue with the CNN story it reads that “more than 5 million people registered to participate in the drill. It was part of the weeklong Great Southern California ShakeOut, a series of events organized by scientists and emergency officials to prepare people for a major earthquake, something scientists and researchers think is overdue in the area.
Most participants — whether in classrooms, offices or homes — were expected to take cover under tables or desks and hold on as though a devastating earthquake were rattling buildings and structures.
Despite the number of registrants, organizers have no way of knowing exactly how many people dived under furniture at 10 a.m. and waited for the imaginary seismic activity to cease.
“We wanted it to be so big that you really can’t manage it,” Mark Benthien, executive director of the Earthquake Country Alliance, said of the drill.
Gilbert comments. While others claim to support public safety, Mission Viejo council member elect Cathy Schlicht demonstrates that “actions speak louder than words.”
I surely hope to see a link to emergency preparedness information on our city web site before too long.
Larry:
“Bend over–grab your ankles” is what the city of Mission viejo administration will tell you.