July 1st 2009

Download a PDF Version: Shaky Ground Exercise Notes_07

BACKGROUND

After recapping the current situation on campus as of 3:30 PM on April 29, 2009 – each CSOT member was asked to identify 3-5 issues that needed to be addressed.  The goal was to quickly organize issues relevant to 5 pre-selected categories.  This led to further discussion on what action should be recommended and/or pointed out areas of concern within or across departmental disaster recovery plans.

INSTRUCTION/EVENTS – ON AND OFF CAMPUS, LIBRARY

Instruction:  classrooms must be available in DH, Bert, OMH and McKenna to open for classes. We have a spring soccer game at Interbay on Saturday.  We have not determined the structural status of the stadium and need to do so in order to decide whether the game will occur Visitors coming to campus for:  admission visit advancement events athletic events

PEOPLE RESPONSE – COUNSELING/FIRST AID/PASTORAL CARE

Advising families of status (I’m ok) Dead body concerns Who?  (Student?  Staff?) Trauma for those who found it People response:  new wave of trauma based upon dead body.  Need counseling. Controlling rumors and panic Portable signs – “First Aid Station”, “Counseling/Prayer” Need for a spiritual gathering service for all staff/faculty/students who remain Temporary first aid site shelter?  Canopy?   Ground cover? Some students are hysterical because they can’t call out (phone down; incl. mobile phones) The crowds need to have a place to go inside. Fires are burning around the city.  We know this due to radio coverage.  How do we counsel individuals who can’t decide whether to stay on campus or go to their home? Student cannot reach family member who is handicapped and in a wheelchair at home.  Student begins to lose it. Need to have emergency services (police, fire, EMT) to access the campus.  Where?  Who guides & directs? Need a place for counseling students, staff, others – who are traumatized. Call in all available SCC staff – clear out routine appointments. Work with staff, faculty, especially the SCC, University Ministry, Residence Life, Health Sciences in ID-ing emotionally impacted students. Reach out and check in on emotionally impacted students. Communicate via email and text that the SCC is available for group and 1:1 counseling services.

SHELTER/FOOD/WATER/SANITATION

Restroom outside – Waste disposal How quickly to set up Shelter – for non-Ashton students, essential staff, others for injured shelter from weather warmth Shelter:  portable awnings or tents which can be set up quickly to get people out of rain. Shelter/food easily accessible water/food stash in several locations not in major buildings. It’s winter and people are freezing (left building without coats, etc) @3:30pm…… need water and food coming… have to expedite Food:  Need basic food and water; it’s been several hours since breakfast.  Approximately 1200 people. Distribution of food/water if Gwinn will not be open until late at night or not opened? Need access to Gwinn as three days food supply is in the building and facilities are needed for food preparation If Emerson does not pass inspection where will the people on campus sleep? Housing for all students/staff Clearing the residence halls for access to house resident students.  This will allow a determination of “empty” beds for emergency use. Shelter:  Ashton accommodating 800-900 people (campus residents).  300-400 still need shelter. Several disabled students are stuck or unable to get to Ashton. If Ashton is the only building open, need to prioritize who goes in. Safety around hazardous situations. While structural assessments are underway – beginning to plan for Days 2, 3, 4 Need to engage an architect to assist with documents to facilitate permitting for repairs Requesting additional resources from both structural engineering firm and contractor to improve overall response time to needs.

COMMUNICATION AND OTHER ISSUES

Communication:  If we need to broadly communicate, we need a place and system to do so.  RBP, Gwinn work well for that.  If remain outside, suggested Tiffany Arch become the focal point for communication after the immediate danger has passed and roll call by BEC’s has been completed. Communicate – need a schedule for updates:  suggest every hour at a specific location. “Essential Staff” should be amassed somewhere to receive an institutional communication/update since they are being required to stay here. Communication:  Timeline for access to rooms – personal items Communication:  ways to correct misinformation Communication:  leadership visible presence/talk on a regular basis in Tiffany Loop Communication:  schedule “briefings” every ½ hour on the hour Ability to communicate between locations – Tiffany Loop to RBP, etc. – how is this managed so CSOT leadership can speak to one another and/or other colleagues? CIS backup web site (emergency blog) has been activated (as of 2:30pm).  May take a few hours to be accessible. CIS staff (essential) who are still on campus are pretty useless without access to facilities. Phones overloaded with calls from parents and family – communication plans with constituents. How does the outside world know what we are doing? Communication to Donors and Alumni about this event. Concerns for parents and families (unable to get thru to them) If we can’t communicate broadly, shut down campus until May 4. Communications with City Gov (a death investigation) Other will all evacuate end up in loop or stay in evacuation location for first aid and people response. How will we CSOT get info to each other from the field? Runners? Forms? Radios? Notices/updates to community and outside audiences Centralized check in Centralized check out process Other Issues Mentally unstable students (& others) can’t get to their meds (bi-polar, etc) Animal care Order of operational buildings should change – Gwinn RBP Marston Disabled students Faculties live far and wide (and some commuter students).  Can they get to campus by Monday? Is it assumed because campus is closed, that all non-residential staff can/should not work?  Who directs staff when they are able to support other departments? How/process for students serving off-campus.  Do we coordinate their return?  Keep them off? Dogs and cats from the neighborhood are roaming frantically on campus.  Some hurt badly. Looting will happen

BUSINESS OPERATIONS – essential services/staff; volunteers; priorities

Building occupation for tonight and tomorrow.  Need timeline Heavy mail volume from spring appeals will need to be received and secured. Need good system for volunteers – who should manage and where to go to obtain volunteers? Updates? All CIS servers and network is down.  Access to CIS is restarted, no opportunity for restoration. What to do with staff who won’t leave campus? How do we charge dead batteries (cell, laptop, etc) – want to re-charge multiple batteries simultaneously. Start re-supply efforts for building materials. We are still attempting to connect w/our bank.  There are several individuals that will not have paychecks in a couple days – those who don’t use direct deposit. Start refueling efforts. When we re-open what do you do with students who choose not to return to SPU?  Consider academic policies (grades for the term; academic status; leave of absence/when return) and financial policies (tuition, room and board). Verify whether First Free Methodist Church is a Red Cross first aid station --- this may be where Queen Anne Hill and other non-SPU members should receive service.