Editorial: UCLA should take responsibility for natural disaster preparedness
By Editorial Board
June 4, 2015 12:56 a.m.
“San Andreas” came crashing into theaters last week as a multimillion dollar PSA of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s questionable acting skills and how woefully unprepared we are for a catastrophic temblor, even on UCLA’s campus.
And while the images in “San Andreas” of collapsing skyscrapers and a tsunami smashing into the Golden Gate Bridge are a bit of Hollywood movie magic, the cost of a major earthquake hitting Los Angeles is very real.
In 2008, a United States Geological Survey report estimated 1,800 deaths and $213 billion in economic losses if a magnitude-7.8 earthquake strikes on the San Andreas Fault.
To add onto the bad news, the organization recently upped its probability of at least a magnitude-8 earthquake hitting the Golden State in the next 30 years from 4.7 to 7 percent. A state study conducted in 2009 found that only 10 percent of those surveyed have even seen people performing the full range of earthquake preparedness and mitigation activities that emergency services recommend.
That lack of preparedness is concerning not just for individual Californians, but for institutions like UCLA.
While UCLA has spent billions retrofitting campus buildings and providing training for student leaders on the Hill, it hasn’t provided the very basic supplies necessary for earthquake preparedness.
In an attempt to make students both on and off campus better prepared to ride out “the Big One,” UCLA should provide free or low-cost emergency kits to the community.
Currently, the only students in the residence halls provided with emergency preparedness kits are resident assistants, but that represents only a privileged few in bright blue windbreakers.
Most basic emergency preparedness kits run under $200, a tiny portion of the costs students shoulder to live on campus in the first place, and a small investment by UCLA for some peace of mind.
Additionally, a majority of UCLA students live off campus, without the small comfort of resident assistant safety kits or stabilized buildings.
Last year, a Los Angeles Times study unearthed more than 1,000 local buildings that are at risk of collapsing in a major quake. Eight of the buildings were located in Westwood and include both residential and commercial buildings.
Providing low-cost or discounted emergency kits through some university resource like the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center would mean more students are prepared for a natural disaster.
To drive the point home, UCLA should also incorporate emergency preparedness skills into student orientations, so all Bruins are exposed to basic earthquake safety.
“San Andreas” may be a computer-generated bonanza built on shaky foundations, but it represents a very real danger to Californians. UCLA should take that real danger into greater account.
