NCJ Number
125145
Date Published
1990
Length
14 pages
Annotation
According to the California State Geologist, a catastrophic earthquake of 8.3 magnitude is likely to strike the State within the next 20 years.
Abstract
An earthquake of this magnitude would place an unprecedented demand upon government institutions, utilities, businesses, individuals, and society in general. Depending upon the time of day or night, such an earthquake could kill between 3,000 and 14,000 people and cause between 12,000 and 55,000 to require hospitalization. Members of the Law Enforcement and Security Committee of the Governor's Earthquake Task Force have determined that a disaster of this size would require a total mobilization of local law enforcement and at least a partial deployment of State military forces. Devastated areas would be cleared of any unauthorized personnel, and security perimeters and roadblocks would be established. Permission to enter or remain within controlled areas would be granted only to persons who have the proper identification and can provide officials with a valid reason for entry. Establishing the validity of such requests would be a lengthy process. However, certain industries would require immediate access to their affected facilities to initiate emergency response procedures. Likewise, industries whose function would be beneficial to recovery efforts would require swift access. This document details the identity card program which was designed to allow priority access to private industry recovery teams. Businesses and organizations targeted for the program are those directly involved in or related to five critical industry groups: banking and finance, petroleum and chemical industries, food industry, private utilities, and defense industry. 4 attachments