“The idea of a first responder changed after 9/11. And it certainly changed after Katrina. The point of all this is that you’re all first responders,” Bettenhausen said as he spoke of catastrophes, like the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989.
“Who were the folks pulling people out of houses and out of work places, helping them evacuate? It was each and every one of us,” he said. “If an earthquake were to happen here, all of us, we’d be our first responders.”
Bettenhausen also spoke of how cyber-security is related to disaster response and preparedness because the computer systems that support emergency management operations are vulnerable to techno-threats.
Natural disasters can also threaten physical locations that house these systems and networks. “I don’t need to remind all of you how interconnected we have become, how dependent we have become on computer systems,” he said, noting how Southern California fires have threatened communication towers. “It wasn’t an attack from outside, it was fire racing up those mountains.”
Bettenhausen praised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment of Teri Takai as California’s CIO and her goal to consolidate the state’s IT infrastructure since consolidated technology is easier to protect.
He also reminded listeners about today’s upcoming earthquake drill, the Great California ShakeOut, which is expected to be the largest earthquake drill ever, according to the event’s Web site. The event is scheduled to take place at 10:15 a.m. when millions of state residents will practice survival techniques like dropping to the ground, taking cover under desks or tables, and holding on to sturdy objects until a quake passes.
“Wherever you are at that time, think about what you would do to drop, cover and hold on,” he said. “How you would help — whether you’re at work or you’re home?”
[Photo courtesy of FEMA News Photo.]
