Notice from the Clerk

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

California Central Participates in Second Annual
Great Southern California Shakeout Earthquake Drill

On October 15, 2009, the Los Angeles, Riverside and Santa Ana Divisions of the U.S. District Court, Central District of California participated in the Great Southern California Shakeout Earthquake Drill. Over 6.9 million Californians participated in the earthquake drill, the largest ever. http://www.shakeout.org The 500 member staff of the U.S. District Court participated along with circuit judges, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, probation and pretrial services offices in both the “drop, cover and hold on” earthquake drill and a shelter-in-place (SIP) exercise.

According to district judge Dale S. Fischer, “everyone was working in chambers at the time of the drill. We all got under our desks - as that appeared to be the safest place. We noticed that the speakers in chambers were not working. We went to the courtroom (with our emergency supplies) for the SIP. The floor wardens checked the floor and insured that everyone came to my courtroom - which was the SIP zone.”

Judge Fischer, who serves on the court’s security committee, believes that it is important the everyone participate in such drills because nothing ever is flawless. She says that “the drills insure that we identify any potential problems (such as the nonfunctioning speakers). It also allows us to verify that everyone knows his or her responsibilities in case of an emergency. Judicial participation is particularly important, as in the event of an emergency during a court session, everyone will expect the judge to take charge - and he or he should be familiar with the procedures to be followed.”

Robert Nadres is a floor warden in the Spring Street Courthouse. He says that approximately 90% of the participants in his zone did arrive in their particular SIP with the required backpack of emergency supplies. This is a big improvement since the last SIP drill where only about 10% of the participants came prepared with their backpacks.

Seismology experts have predicted that a magnitude 7.8 earthquake will eventually hit Southern California, one of several types of disasters to which the area is prone.. The drill is part of the Central District’s long term Continuity of Operations and Emergency Planning process. The Court is planning another drill in the Spring.

Subject:		Contact:	Last Updated:
Notice from the Clerk	Court's Participation in 10/19 Earthquake Drill	Clerk of Court	10/22/2009