On the front lines in Coalinga

Abstract

I have often been asked, "As a city manager, what is the first thing you do in an earthquake?" I generally say, "Look up, something heavy might be falling on you. Actually, the first step is to declare an emergency. The city council can ratify it later. The declaration is in your emergency preparedness plan, if you can find it. Mine was under a pile of debris; but after, I turned it up, I located an old declaration from a flood disaster and inserted the word "earthquake" wherever I found the word "flood." The declaration is necessary to give the city some protection from liability, which unfortunately, it will need.