Long Beach TowersLong Beach TowersApril 26, 2010 EarthquakeApril 26, 2010 Earthquake

Part I: Crisis Communications PlanPart I: Crisis Communications Plan

CSULB: EMER548 – REDSCOPe Final Group ProjectCSULB: EMER548 – REDSCOPe Final Group ProjectLandon Phillips, Dawn Essenmacher, Chris Kurtz, Andy Tran, Tim NordquistLandon Phillips, Dawn Essenmacher, Chris Kurtz, Andy Tran, Tim Nordquist

Statistical InformationStatistical InformationBldg A – International Towers Bldg A – International Towers

(400 units, Primary Command Center , Evacuation Center with kitchens and (400 units, Primary Command Center , Evacuation Center with kitchens and restrooms with capacity for 1600 evacuees)restrooms with capacity for 1600 evacuees)

Bldg B – Villa Riviera Bldg B – Villa Riviera (230 units, a historic landmark, earthquake retrofit in 1994)(230 units, a historic landmark, earthquake retrofit in 1994)

Bldg C – Ocean Place Bldg C – Ocean Place (200 units, 55+, many residents are chronically ill and wheelchair bound)(200 units, 55+, many residents are chronically ill and wheelchair bound)

Bldg D – Seventeen Hundred Ocean Bldg D – Seventeen Hundred Ocean (240 units, heliport on roof, Back-Up Command Center and Evacuation Center (240 units, heliport on roof, Back-Up Command Center and Evacuation Center with kitchens and restrooms with capacity for 1600 evacuees)with kitchens and restrooms with capacity for 1600 evacuees)

Bldg E – Ocean View Apts Bldg E – Ocean View Apts (186 units)(186 units)

Bldg F – Ocean Tower Bldg F – Ocean Tower (268 units)(268 units)

• All Buildings range from 21 to 33 StoriesAll Buildings range from 21 to 33 Stories• 5 stories of underground parking under each building5 stories of underground parking under each building• 1500 Residents in all 6 buildings1500 Residents in all 6 buildings

Crisis Communication PlanContents

Endorsements/Agreements:•Signed endorsement from the President of the Homeowner’s Association•Written agreements for information release authorizations

Contact Lists:•Emergency Response Team, Emergency Response Partner’s, Regional and Local Media

Emergency Response Team – Line ResponsibilitiesCommunications Director (Designated Spokesperson) : HOA PresidentDirector of Emergency Operations (Incident Commander): HOA Vice President: Liaison Officer (Coordinates with response entities): HOA SecretaryAssistant Director of Emergency Operations: Building Security DirectorSecurity Operations: Security Director

Internal Information Verification/Approval Procedures:Prior to release, all information shall be verified and approved for release by:

1.Director of Emergency Operations (HOA President)2.Assistant Director of Emergency Ops (HOA Vice-Pres)3.Liaison Officer (HOA Secretary)

PRIMARY COMMAND CENTER/EVACUATION CENTER: Bldg A – International Towers (1600 Capacity with restrooms and kitchens)ALTERNATE COMMAND CENTER/EVACUATION CENTER: Bldg D – Seventeen Hundred Ocean (Heliport and 1600 Capacity with restrooms and kitchens)STAFFING: Emergency Response TeamCOMMUNICATIONS: Phone/Internet/TV lines pre-installedFUNDING: HOA Emergency FundEQUIPMENT: Computers/Printers from HOA OfficeSUPPLIES: Paper, pens, etc. from HOA OfficeFOOD/WATER: Pre-Stored Emergency Supply in HOA Office

Crisis Communication PlanCommand Center/Evacuation Center

Pre-Crisis StageCommunication Plan

Education and Training•Residents

– Explain hazards produced by earthquakes, how to prepare for these including for the special needs populations, and expectations and roles of community leaders.

– Regularly inform of new codes, regulations, and responses along with local community trainings within and outside Long Beach Towers’ community

•Home Owners Association, Leaders, and Employees– Educate on leadership roles and provide training to fulfill those roles, including from

response agencies and special needs considerations

Involvement•Community of Residents

– Include them in the planning process including finding the best ways to communicate, testing pre-determined messages, and including them in regular scheduled earthquake drills and exercises

•Outside Agencies and Organizations– Ensure forming of partnerships, contact and resource lists, MOUs, and earthquake

exercises with outside response agencies and organizations

Initial StageCommunication Plan

• Acknowledge the crisis and related tragedies• Gain credibility by quickly giving accurate information• Inform the residents of the risks• Give the residents options that they can act upon

• Suggest the action that is best advised

• Inform residents where to get additional information• Closed circuit television channel

• Advise residents of the organizations commitment provide continued communications.• Follow through with future communications

Maintenance StageCommunication Plan

•Spokesperson for Initial Phase shall continue until alternate is phased in•Continue Daily Press Briefings as long as there is media interest•Recorded messages will be looped on building closed circuit TV channel viewable by all tenants•Emergency Management Team will conduct daily briefings with all staff and floor captains•Goals and Objectives:

•Provide information to tenants so they understand the risks•Provide information so tenants will understand and support response actions•Listen to feedback from tenants and correct any misinformation

•Provide Recommended Courses of Action

Resolution StageCommunication Plan

• Briefing with Home Owner’s Association• Reinforcement of public health message• Floor Captain meetings to evaluate progress & recovery

efforts still being conducted twice a day• Synopsis:

• City, State, and Federal response• Organizational Efforts• Obstacles Encountered• Improvements for the future disasters

• Persuade the public to support public policy• Promote the activities and capabilities of the organization,

externally and internally

Evaluation StageCommunication Plan

Post Crisis Review 1. Secure loose ends such as verifying information 2. Recognition of key personnel involved in responding 3. Crisis communication review 4. Media coverage assessment to make sure that the media has accurate and factual information 5. File and update information as appropriate to be ready for the next possible incident

Goals and ObjectivesWhen the crisis is over the following should be reviewed with the President of the Homeowners association and all leaders involved:•Evaluate communication plan performance •Document, formalize, and communicate lessons learned•Determine specific actions to improve crisis systems or the crisis plan.•Determine specific actions to improve crisis communication and crisis response capability•Evaluate the effectiveness of risk messages and communication channels.•Test the clarity and understanding of the message with a representative segment of the target audience.•Integrate risk communication with risk assessment and risk management activities in order to increase the effectiveness of risk analysis and ensure proper utilization of resources/recovery tools.

Long Beach TowersLong Beach TowersApril 26, 2010 EarthquakeApril 26, 2010 Earthquake

Part II: Timeline of Media Updates Part II: Timeline of Media Updates Enacting Crisis Communications PlanEnacting Crisis Communications Plan

CSULB: EMER548 – REDSCOPe Final Group ProjectCSULB: EMER548 – REDSCOPe Final Group ProjectLandon Phillips, Dawn Essenmacher, Chris Kurtz, Andy Tran, Tim NordquistLandon Phillips, Dawn Essenmacher, Chris Kurtz, Andy Tran, Tim Nordquist

Pre-Crisis Stage

General Earthquake Information Seminar: August 15, 2009•Inform and train residents of Long Beach Towers

– 5 page booklet on general information and recommendations for residents– Multiple events and seminars being created and found for residents

• Local area organizations’ trainings• Subject specific informational meetings and seminars• Regularly scheduled drills and exercises

•Educate and train leadership of the community and employees– Know own roles and expectations of those roles– Receive training and education to fulfill the expected roles– Subject specific informational seminars and trainings– Plan and participate regularly scheduled drills and exercises

Pre-Crisis StageEarthquake Preparedness Discussion Forum: November 10, 2009•Welcome•Reason for discussion forum with local area organizations•Improvements that the Long Beach Towers community would like to see

– More involvement with local area organizations in drills and exercises– Create pre-determined messages, test them, and obtain feedback– Promote “neighbor helping neighbor” theory more– More organization in communication with local area organizations and

response agencies

•Want two-way communication relationship with local area organizations•Open up discussion forum

Initial StageDay 1 – Monday April 26, 2010

1200 Hours – Initial Press Briefing• Empathetically acknowledge the crisis and related tragedies• State the known measure and epicenter of the earthquake• Secondary risks to residents:

• Large Oceanic waves which are causing flooding• Heavy rains which are adding to the flooding• Damaged roads and freeways which endanger motorists

• Residents are advised not to drive.

• The Riviera has suffered major damage• Multiple residents of The Riviera have been injured• Residents of The Riviera are being evacuated to International Towers

Initial Stage• Many vital utilities in the area have been damaged from the earthquake• Three of the six buildings do not have water• Residents are safest in their own homes

• Residents are advised to utilize any emergency kits that they prepared.

• Emergency supplies are available at the International Towers building

•Advise residents that an emergency response plan is in place•Briefly describe the plan

• Acknowledge residents fears• Advise resident to continue to monitor the closed circuit channel

Initial StageDay 3 – Wednesday April 28, 2010

2000 Hours – Aftershock Press Briefing• Empathetically acknowledge the residents continued fear and suffering• State the known measure and location of the aftershock• Effects

• The Riviera has collapsed• The Riviera residents were previously evacuated• The Ocean has suffered major damage

• Actions• Emergency crews are on scene at The Ocean• Residents of The Ocean are being evacuated to International Towers

Initial Stage• Continued risks:

• Heavy rains and flooding continues• Roads and freeways continue to be unsafe• Residents are advised not to use roadways

• Actions for residents• Continue to shelter in place• Emergency supplies and water are available at the International Towers building

• Further communication• Residents can contact floor captains for additional details• Floor captains will relay residents needs to the emergency response team

Maintenance StageDay 5 – Friday April 30, 2010

0800 Hours – Daily Briefing with Responders and Floor Captains•Brief on-coming shift of responders and floor captains so that everyone knows of the current status of the response plan. Ask for feedback of common questions, updates from response leaders, and be aware of any false information so that it can be corrected.

1000 Hours – Press Briefing•Landon Phillips, the Communications Director will introduce Tim Nordquist, the Director of Emergency Operations, who will be taking over as the spokesperson during the Maintenance Stage.•Nordquist will begin by expressing empathy for losses and shared misery. Provide assurance of commitment to their safety and to responding to their basic needs.

Maintenance Stage1000 Hours – Press Briefing (Continued)•Rescue operations are still underway at Villa Riviera and Ocean Place. Urban Search and Rescue teams are utilizing specially trained dogs and equipment to search for trapped persons.•Death toll remains at 3,000 in area. 2 deaths at Villa Riviera.•All residents of Villa Riviera and Ocean Place have been evacuated to International Towers.•Red Cross will continue dispensing of food and supplies.•Correct false rumor that flooding compromised International Towers•Provide recommendations for courses of action: Refrain from drinking tap water. It is still unsafe to return to Ocean Place.•Express recognition of fear and distress. It’s normal.•Be a role model, not of false security, but of willingness to endure.

Resolution StageDay 11 – Tuesday May 6, 2010

1000 Hours – Press Briefing•At the briefing with the Home Owner’s Association regarding:

• Good Morning, my name is Chris Kurtz, the Security Operations officer, this morning’s briefing will cover the six buildings, their damages, and the emergency services response.

• Ocean Place, Villa Riviera, and Ocean View Apartment Buildings severely damaged.• Villa Rivera residents were evacuated to the International Towers Building. Ocean View Apartment

evacuee’s were sent to a secondary evacuation center at Seventeen Hundred Ocean and a designated Red Cross reception center at the Queen Mary hotel for residents with special medical needs.

• Emergency recovery efforts still underway at Seventeen Hundred, International Towers, and Ocean Tower buildings.

•City, State, and Federal Response• City of Long Beach search and rescue teams are still sifting through the condemned Rivera

building for any survivors.• Governor of California is on-scene and touring the disaster area in addition to Red Cross

shelters.• Local and State administrators are working closely with the White House towards a

Declaration of a Disaster area for Federal assistance funding.

Resolution Stage•What went well and what can be done better

• The Emergency action plan’s implementation went well and all of the city’s emergency response units are helping in the recovery.

• Pre-Crisis disaster drills within the Long Beach Tower building helped the evacuation procedures and most likely saved lives.

• The 9-1-1 system quickly became overwhelmed with the magnitude of this quake and experienced delays in immediate service. Local administrators are currently developing possible solutions to resolve this service issue.

• Public utility and city crews should have water service restored anytime now.

• Residents are still to avoid consuming tap water until it can be certified as safe.

Resolution StageBriefing: Day 18 – Tuesday May 13, 2010 at 1000 hoursGood Morning and thank you for being here. Again my name is Chris Kurtz, The Security Operations Officer. Welcome to the Emergency Operations Center.

•Analysis of incident• Press Assistants and Media Information Officers will prepare and hand out

a frequently asked question sheet to all of you.• The FAQ sheet was prepared by experts being utilized by the City of Long

Beach in their respective fields giving us the most educated opinion possible.

•Correction: No firefighters were injured during the Villa Rivera rescue.•Goals

• An ongoing examination of how this disaster was mitigated and what can be improved upon will be prepared for the City Council as soon as practical.

•Reinforcement of our public message and attempt to maintain public support.

Evaluation StageBriefing: Day 19 – Friday May 14, 2010 at 1000 hours•Conduct a post crisis briefing with the Presidents of the Homeowners association and all other leaders involved. •An immediate review of what went right and what went wrong will be addressed to community members. •Ask for verifying for information to secure loose ends. •Review media coverage to make sure that the media has accurate and factual information. Update information as appropriate. •Suggestions for improvement will be heard from the public and officials will be addressed.•Review crisis communication with leaders to consider corrective actions.

Evaluation StageCommunity Briefing: Day 24 – Wednesday May 19, 2010 at 1000 hours•Recognition of key personnel involved in responding will be addressed.•Lessons learned from the crisis will be documented and implemented into the updated crisis communication plan.•Inform community members about recovery programs and planning tools to assist in the crisis recovery process.•Available programs for those effected by disaster include:

Disaster Housing Program, Individual Households Program, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, The Young Lawyer’s Division of the American Bar Association, Special Tax Consideration, and crisis counseling.

•Information on the available recovery planning tools will be provided and that include: land use planning techniques include acquisition, easements, annexation, storm water management, environmental reviews. Zoning recovery planning tools include special use permits, historic preservation, setbacks, density controls, wetlands protection, floodplain and coastal zone management. Building codes in recovery planning include design controls, design review, height and type, special study areas (soil stability ratings). Financial recovery planning involves special districts, tax exemptions, special bonds, development rights, and property transfer or use change fees. Information and Oversight recovery planning includes: public awareness and education programs.

Evaluation StageCommunity Briefing: Day 24 – May 19, 2010 at 1000 hours (Continued) Psychological Considerations•Address the positive and negative psychological responses that may have occurred following the crisis. •Inform and make sure to acknowledge the positive psychological response include:

resilience and coping, altruism, relief and elation at surviving the disaster, sense of excitement, greater self-worth, changes in the way the future is viewed, and feelings of strength and growth from the experience.

•Inform and make sure to address the negative psychological response of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Inform the effects of PTSD to include re-experiencing the event, avoidance/numbing, systems of increased arousal, and lasting for duration of at least one month.

•Let the community know that it is a normal, natural experience feel pain and grief following a traumatic event. •Inform the community that grief may occur and should involve mourning in order to honor the victims involved.

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