Emergency operations staff at epicenter of quake response

Quakebusters keep tabs on what's broken, what's not

MICHAEL BURNHAM, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- It's not a metro police precinct or a group of generals plotting strategy around the war table.

But the atmosphere is intense Wednesday at the Thurston County Emergency Operations Center.

Hunched over a table piled high with papers and maps, a man with rolled-up sleeves takes a swig of stiff coffee from a paper cup.

There's sweat on his brow, a phone at his ear.

New facts and figures, narratives of shaken mornings, seem to flood in with each tick of the clock.

"Talk to this guy; he's got yellow water," says a woman 5 feet away, a phone ringing in the background.

The highway is closed. An elevator shaft collapsed. The schools are dealing with agitated kids.

An emergency shelter is in the works.

Nerve center

This is the nerve center designed to soften the impact of a morning earthquake that left Thurston County rocking.

Not more than 30 minutes after the historic groundswell rattled Puget Sound at 10:55 a.m., the experts began pouring into the operations center.

The crack team of quakebusters includes politicians, engineers, police officers, building inspectors, and Red Cross and Washington State Patrol officials.

"This is really the coordination hub of our reaction," says county spokesman John Tennis.

When quakes and other disasters hit, the experts and officials head straight for the operations center, which acts as a clearinghouse for fast-flowing information.

Calling in

Wednesday's callers included a city official reporting a crumpled bridge, a mother wondering how she'll make it home from work and a school principal recounting how the gymnasium ceiling collapsed.

From there, callers connect with county health, building and road experts who assess the situation.

"If your water is cloudy, you should boil it for three to five minutes," a health official says.

Information is pasted and scrolled on the walls. Press releases are typed and faxed; reporters are briefed.

News of the county's calamities are sent up to the state's emergency operations center at Camp Murray.

The county operations center works as a middleman today. Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater have their own operations centers, and the cities constantly trade information with the county.

"The main focus today from callers are roads and building structure conditions," says operations center Coordinator Bette Schultz.

Update hub

The walls tell the day's story.

" ... Centennial Elementary -- DAMAGE -- students sent home ... Black Lake Bridge -- both sides cracked ... Fourth Avenue Bridge -- CLOSED," are written in thick, black marker.

"It's working as it was intended to work," Tennis says.

The Pacific Avenue facility is probably the safest place in the county during a disaster, operations center workers say.

"That was the thought that went through my mind," County Commissioner Diane Oberquell recalls from her hurried drive to the operations center just minutes after the quake.

The former Puget Power facility was gutted and reinforced to withstand events such as Wednesday's quake. The foundation is set on springs, computers are anchored to desks, and the floor is dotted with phone and plug outlets for makeshift work stations.

When phone lines fail, ham radios are used to communicate.

County officials are trained for this. But no one is spared from the real disaster.

"I shook for a good 10 minutes afterward; I was there," says Schultz, pointing beneath her cluttered office desk.

Sunset, slowdown

By sunset, the writing on the walls is thick and the flood of calls slows to drip.

Those in the noticeably less-crowded room swarm around a television set. The screen flickers with a cable station reporter's interview of elected officials and some of the operations center's less-known foot soldiers.

First comes the assessment: They spout off tales of South Sound's unforgettable morning that, no doubt, passed through this room first.

Then they recognize the operations center's efforts, and shouts and cheers fill the room.

Tense shoulders loosen.

"I am totally impressed with the response," Schultz says of the day.

"This process is running very, very well," Oberquell says.

Operations center staff will undergo emergency disaster training this spring in Virginia, Oberquell says.

Ironically, she says, the training will include a mock earthquake.

"We don't need a simulation now," she says.

Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 704-6869.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

back to main Earthquake Stories index