Serving the community in times of trouble.

Most of Los Angeles was still asleep at 4:31 a.m. on January 17, 1994 when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the city, sending devastating shock waves through a stunned populace.

In a matter of seconds 16 Northridge apartment dwellers were crushed to death; buildings crumbled; parking lots collapsed; and homes shook violently, triggering the shattering of dishes, collectibles, and other valuables. Outside in the early morning darkness, chimneys and retaining walls toppled like dominoes in a line, alarm systems whined, electricity and some telephone service was disrupted. It was chaotic from the outset as families rushed to check on one another in the darkness.

When it was over, the death toll reached 58, and the cost totaled an astronomical $15 billion, the most costly disaster in United States history.

How does a recreation and park department plan for the unthinkable--a disaster such as an earthquake? The truth is that one never fully can be prepared for a disaster of this proportion. But fortunately--or unfortunately, one might say--for the city of Los Angeles, it had some experience in handling disasters such as riots, civil disturbances, wildfires, mudslides, and floods in recent years.

Parks and Rec Prepares for Action

Immediately following the devastating quake, which was centered in the West San Fernando Valley's Northridge community, the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks became deeply involved in perhaps its most difficult assignment in its 105-year history.

The department turned its attention from its customary mode of providing recreational opportunities and programs to residents of Los Angeles to providing public welfare and shelter services over a period of 34 days to more than 20,000 individuals at some 45 city parks, public schools, and churches.

Shortly after the quake, the department--with assistance from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and many other public and private organizations--began managing what was probably the largest camping or sheltering operation in the United States.

The Recreation and Parks Department's responsibility in any major disaster, as stipulated in the City's Emergency Operations Ordinance, is to over-see public welfare and shelter related activities. Therefore, the department's response to the Northridge earthquake was in accordance with its pre-established plan, which--in turn--had been prepared concurrently with plans for all other city departments.

The department's efforts were successful for many reasons, including:

* There was an existing mutual aid arrangement with other governmental entities.

* Flexibility on the part of federal agencies working with the city team.

* Extensive help from the non-profit and private sector.

* Active role by Mayor Richard Riordan and his staff.

* An opportunity to learn from the Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco-Oakland area and the Homestead, FL, Hurricane Andrew disasters.

Approximately two hours after the quake struck, the department activated the Public Welfare and Shelter Division desk at the City's Emergency Operations Center, located in the basement of City Hall. The department's pre-existing major earthquake response plan was implemented immediately. Additionally, pre-established plans prepared by all regions and branches of the department were implemented.

Personal Sacrifice to Help Others

Although the earthquake occurred on a national holiday, department staff who were able to do so reported to their normal assignments or to pre-established alternate work locations.

Members of the Recreation and Park Commission reacted quickly and were on the scene assisting department staff whenever possible. Some were able to bring in bilingual volunteers and others obtained donations for the quake victims.

Responding to the human needs of the 20,000 quake victims who fled their damaged homes and apartments to seek refuge in the city's parks, General Manager Jackie Tatum placed department personnel on round-the-clock shifts.

It didn't take long for the department's three regions to swing into an emergency relief mode, with recreation, maintenance, and construction personnel from all regions joining forces in a true citywide team effort. At the height of the disaster, some 700 department personnel out of the 2,000 employees were involved in some way.

"This was an extraordinary effort by some extraordinary recreation and park employees," said Ms. Tatum after the relief effort concluded. "I'm so proud of our employees for performing beyond the call of duty and working together as a team to assist victims displaced by the earthquake in our parks. Our staff certainly made it a little easier for those whose lives were thrown into total disarray," she added.

Never before in the department's history has such a disaster brought the entire recreation and park family together to work as a team. "There are so many employees who delivered during the height of the emergency, rising to the occasion and sacrificing their own personal needs at home to work long hours to get the job done," Tatum explained. "They are the unsung heroes of the city who quietly, effectively, and uncomplainingly went about their assignments during the disaster," noted Ms. Tatum.

"The fact that our employees are people-oriented helped make them very effective working with the myriad government and private agencies that set up in our parks," she added.

Some recreation directors were assigned to the late shift at unstaffed facilities without buildings, so they were forced to use their automobiles as offices. In some cases, flashlights provided the only light in the parks at night because there was no electricity for several days. Chilly night air and morning cold snaps made it uncomfortable for the tent dwellers--who numbered in the thousands--as well as for the recreation staffers who worked the night shift.

Jim Andervich, an assistant general manager in charge of the Valley region, directed the beleaguered Valley's overall relief operation in the field. Assistant General Managers Dave Gonzalez and Manuel Mollinedo coordinated the citywide team effort and assisted Andervich.

"I was very proud of the way our department responded to this crisis," said Andervich. "Everybody pitched in and did whatever was asked of them. Our maintenance staff kept the parks and hundreds of portable toilets clean and helped deliver the food and other items. Our crafts people made repairs on buildings as needed, and our recreation directors assisted the Red Cross, Salvation Army, National Guard, and other agencies on the grounds," he added.

Dick Ginevan, who directed the Valley warehouse operation, made sure tons of donated items were delivered to the quake victims scattered in tents throughout the parks.

"In my 34 years with the department, this is the greatest concentrated effort in response to any kind of disaster. We've never been in the emergency relief business, but our people did a tremendous job," Mr. Ginevan said.

Organization and Commitment Made it Work

Many employees worked 10- and 12-hour shifts, and some even clocked as many as 17 hours straight. Some refused a day off and continued working at their sites, losing track of the days and time. One employee whose recently remodeled home was a total loss in the quake continued on his work shift helping others.

Other employees who resided in the Santa Clarita area left their homes as early as 2:30 a.m. to fight traffic and get to work by 6 a.m. to tackle their relief assignments.

Frank Catania, the Department's planning and development director, was Ms. Tatum's top aide in the EOC and was praised for his major role during the emergency. He and his staff worked with all city, county, and federal agencies and handled the emergency command post around the clock in central headquarters.

Chief Park Ranger Hector Hernandez directed the department's Rangers who were also singled out for their outstanding work, especially during the early stages of the disaster when things were hectic.

Ms. Tatum and her executive staff met daily for briefings to keep all units updated on news that emanated from the Mayor's Emergency Operations Board.

Within 72 hours of the January 17th quake, the department successfully implemented its plan for sheltering evacuees from their homes. The condition of department structures needed for sheltering was assessed by staff architects, engineers, and construction professionals. Field staff was scheduled and assigned to operate, maintain and repair--around the clock--department facilities which provided shelter to the public.

Support staff was assigned such tasks as moving equipment, trucking trash, cleaning chemical toilets, soliciting donations and coordinating activities with other involved public, non-profit, and private agencies.

Recreation directors went from tent to tent passing out bilingual flyers that directed the evacuees to locations for food, shelters, and disaster application centers. In just about every case, families fled their apartments and homes without such necessities such as warm clothing, blankets, food, water, and medications. Several bilingual directors proved to be extremely valuable for many victims who had a limited knowledge of English.

Many families feared returning to their apartments because of the aftershocks that daily jolted the Valley area. Many evacuees opted to remain out-of-doors in the parks where they felt safe, rather than spending the night in either recreation centers, schools, armories, or other indoor facilities.

One of the department's special divisions, Recreation and Park Income Development unit, or RAPID, acquired and kept track of scores of donations from corporations, small businesses, and individuals. Donations covered the gamut from drinking water, clothes, and food to toys, deodorant, and pet food. There were 6,931 blankets donated, in addition to 14,019 cases of mineral water, tuna, avocadoes, oranges, juice, and batteries.

Grocery donations totaled in excess of half-a-million dollars. Fifty individuals in the educational field donated their time to conduct activities, games, and crafts for the children at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shelter sites.

When heavy rains deluged the playing fields where the tents were located, a desperate call for plastic sheets and sandbags went out and donations poured in.

Aftermath: Assessment and Future Plans

Assessing the department's response to the emergency, staff determined there was a need for ongoing training of department employees in shelter management. This was provided to all department managers and directors by the Los Angeles chapter of the Red Cross in the months following the quake. It became apparent during the response to the quake that the need for sheltering greatly exceeded the immediate capabilities of all sheltering agencies. As a result, department staff was required to manage informal shelters until the space in Red Cross and Salvation Army shelters became available.

The department now has implemented a program to provide shelter training to all full-time recreation personnel, Park Ranger staff, and maintenance supervisors. Still another area that staff identified as needing improvement is the storage of emergency supplies.

The department had a limited amount of emergency supplies stored at pre-designated shelter sites when the earthquake struck. Additional funds are needed to purchase storage containers and emergency supplies such as cots, blankets, water, and non-perishable items.

It is deemed critical that supplies sufficient for three days be stored at shelter sites. Department staff is making arrangements with donors to store non-perishable supplies left over from the earthquake response at pre-designated shelter sites.

In the aftermath of the quake, the Department estimated its dollar losses at $14.7 million, which includes the cost of repairing damage to scores of buildings. Granada Hills Recreation Center, located close to the epicenter, was damaged beyond repair and deemed unsafe for entry. City forces demolished the structure, much to the disappointment of the surrounding community. However, a new facility is on the drawing board and will be built at a cost of $2.5 million to provide recreation services to the community. Meanwhile, recreation directors at the center have set up temporary quarters at the pool building and in a trailer where they continue to conduct a limited number of activities.

Major repairs will be made to the Olympic Swim Stadium, which sustained damage estimated at $6 million. The stadium was built for the 1932 Olympics and is one of the Department's busiest pool.

What If...

Recreation and Park Commissioners posed an interesting question to department staff during a meeting shortly after the earthquake. Staff was asked to discuss the feasibility of sheltering 100,000 persons in the parks in the event of a major disaster such as an 8.8 magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas fault.

The department has the physical capacity to shelter 35,000 persons indoors at parks during a citywide emergency similar to the Northridge quake. However, every community building, senior citizen building, and large meeting facility would be needed to shelter that number of individuals. This number also assumes that all structures would be safe and habitable, which is not guaranteed in the event of a major earthquake.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has the capability to shelter a similar number of individuals at junior and senior high schools in the city. Additional public facilities such as the Convention Center, Sports Arena, and college gymnasiums also could be employed as shelters.

According to staff, it probably would be impossible to shelter 100,000 individuals indoors during an 8.8 quake. It is predicted that the extent of citywide damage from such an event at least would equal the type of damage that occurred in the west San Fernando Valley as a result of the Northridge quake.

Staff pointed out that sheltering activities in response to the described scenario would be similar to what occurred with the Northridge quake. Tents and ancillary support equipment would be erected adjacent to pre-established shelters at schools and parks. The tents would be obtained from the military, private vendors identified by the State Office of Emergency Services, and donors. The shelters would be managed by non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army and also by city forces.

The Department, along with other governmental agencies, received the highest praise for its relief effort from President Clinton, L.A. Mayor Riordan, and heads of federal agencies during their inspection tour of the city.

"It's wonderful to know that recreation and parks can enhance the quality of life not only in good times, but during the bad times...such as during the earthquake and the civil disturbances. Our employees are all superheroes," concluded Ms. Tatum.