0086 Earthquake (1973)

[Music] the San Fernando Valley 6:00 a.m. February 9th almost another day most have lost sleep The Late Shift is about to call it a night the early riser is already on the freeways heading for work Captain Bill Howell of the Los Angeles Fire Department Arthur Nelson and Milton gone two technicians in a pickup truck heading out just before Dawn to install a microwave relay station in the mountains 6:00 another day [Music] Just Before Dawn a massive shock Rippling out of the mountains just north of the San Fernando Valley hitting here missing there but shaking most of southern California like an angry parent shakes a screaming child at Parker Center downtown headquarters for the Los Angeles police attention M Lee radio station is blocked by several land side unit 287 we're not reading you change your location and rebroadcast this is a sigert at Adam South to Santa Barbara East figure all signals are out use caution next door the city's nerve center for all disaster operations the emergency control center is swinging into action attack alert all unit in the city be advised you're on attack alert do not go in the watch 0 6 already on hand police chief Davis Commander kinling Bill Frank the Los Angeles civil defense coordinator sounds like we got trouble everywhere y but keep sweeping the bands the quiet spot that'll be the place that's hardest hit no one knows it yet but the quiet spot the place hardest hit lies at the Northern end of the valley in a suburb called Silmar and the little city of San Fernando the shocks magnified enormously here gas Ms are exploding broken sewer lines bubbling in the streets ruin running through the heart of [Applause] town the first to arrive at San Fernando City Hall mayor Paul mey and Margaret Moran plan civil [Music] defense outside the building looks unharmed [Music] inside where's the emergency operation plan under this man others are rallying police Rescue units the first volunteers but San Fernando is in deep deep trouble all right now look going to have to do generator's been knocked out CED out we're going to have to use this as an emergency uh command post so messages are going to come from the desk out here to you what we want to do is set up an emergency command post on the mall steal the whole mall off so have units 24 25 and 26 cover the mall area units 24 25 26 cover the mall be aware of looters no one knows how extensive the damage is but quickly volunteer rescue teams are being organized moving out to search the [Music] ruins in downtown Los Angeles state civil defense the California office of emergency services is swinging into action we're we're CAU we' like to have everybody stay home stay off the street stay out of the already the news is clicking out to the state capital in Sacramento and to Washington DC the president's office of emergency preparedness the agency responsible for coordinating all federal assistance in time of major disaster Governor Reagan I'm calling for the president he is told me to be sure that all federal resources that can be used are gotten on the ground immediately we'll be helping you in every way we can here let's move out right now I want you down there as soon as possible the situation still unclear get on out Los Angeles but obviously serious enough for George Lincoln the director to begin mobilizing disaster Specialists from all over the country dispatched top AIDS from Washington to the scene I will call the vice president tell him the situation suggest that he go on out tomorrow morning and I'll probably be with it yes sir I'll get started right [Music] away in the Pentagon the director of the defense civil preparedness agency John E Davis offers full support all right find out what they need and get it to them on Mount Lee High in the Hollywood Hills rescue trucks from the civil defense Training Center are starting down the mountain downtown police are cordoning off the danger points hey photographer please back I W again keep your man away from this West wall facing Spring Street the r is weakening and will probably give away attention all unit this is a alert message regarding the attention all units traffic on the Golden State Freeway Northbound and southbound Rockford to a 2 m South Rockford 2 mi South is dangerous due to major damage to the freeway both the Golden State and San Diego freeways to the north are in a state of collapse this is where Captain Howell barely escaped with his life and the two men in the pickup truck didn't fires everywhere [Music] coldw Canyon the fire department's Communication Center emergency calls are funneling in from everywhere except the northern Valley respond on a possible heart attack 15589 but now the first word from Silmar leaks through C right what cap uh the all of you sanitarium clap they say've got about 500 people we need to evacuate what we send them we'll send them everything we have in the area Olive View a brand new $40 million Hospital dedicated just 6 months ago this tremendous explosion the whole room is just teetering well when I walked out of the room the whole Wing had fallen off and he looked down five floors three are dead the rest of the patients being hastily evacuated head down it it just shook and Shook and Shook and the wall just opened up it scared those you know what out of me what did you do after that I ran to my bed and popped on it grabbed the all of it and held on that's all I could do now helicopters are Fanning up to find out what else has happened to the valley there's a pretty good Loom up out there the West Deputy fire chief Kenneth long okay let's check the Veterans Hospital out first before we go into ol you [Music] God look at that building that's down there all right let's drop down there in that grassy area and find out what's going on the tragedy centered here at San Fernando Veterans Hospital Long known as the garden spot of the whole Veterans Administration system two Central buildings have collapsed burying nearly a 100 patients and members of the staff under a crashing concrete group doctors and nurses are pulling victims out of the ruins digging bare-handed at the rubble trying to free the rest at 7:24 Chief Long's helicopter sets down on the lawn and a staff doctor runs out to meet him [Music] cold water from CH long do you read now CH long yes we read you loud and clear go ahead Chief long I want five task forces and three Chief officers dispatched emergency to the San Fernando veterans hospital we have people trapped they have no contact with the outside we have a serious condition here B dispatch for an emergency [Music] the fire and rescue units pour in but desperately needed is heavy construction equipment to cut through the concrete roof luckily it's close at hand in Tunga Canyon the Army Corps of Engineers has a construction crew working on a special project for the office of emergency preparedness within an hour it's been moved to Veterans the digging out begins what we need we can get the P power and see if we can F this up a little bit and pull us out we'll have to give it a try wait a minute get [Music] back not far away another crisis Van Norman Dam the huge Reservoir in the Northern Hills the concrete roadway across the tops collapsed the Earth wall behind it crumbling fast going to need some additional help on filling sandbags 11 million tons of water enough to start another Johnstown Flood and 880,000 people living in the valley just below a decision has to be made and soon if that wind doesn't change that dam is going to go in could go in a matter of minutes [Music] so all resents we are evacuating this are immediately some are willing I started worrying when I saw the first broadcast what left of the dam 2 ft of mud's not enough others less so you mean you're standing here and the Dam's right about your house and want to take a chance I have a boat in the garage too I think I'll pull that out yeah just in case you never know people in this area must leave immediately you have 1 hour to evacuate and soon everyone's moving out taking the dogs with you I believe it pretty good Talkers by for the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County too Disaster Response is a sophisticated large- scale operation both have enormous resources to call on Modern equipment good Communications thousands of firemen police other trained Professionals for little San Fernando civil defense is something else a handful of city employees and a disaster plan depending largely on volunteer help from groups like Red Cross Salvation Army the Citizens emergency Mobile [Music] Patrol and now the radio hands they've found the dead spot on their dials are moving in to fill it since early morning San Fernando's been cut off from the world but now Communications are being with and the first phone call goes downtown to the office of emergency services we're just dead no water no sanitation Communications nothing we can use any kind of mutual Aid you can send we're on our knees now people are flying in to help with the job from Sacramento Herbert Temple of the governor's staff and from Washington DC Daryl Trent deputy director of the office of emergency preparedness hi hi I'm glad you're here thank you what's the current situation it's not too good we got two major problems one is the uh possible collapse of the Van Norman Dam and the fact that the B Administration Hospital is fall in on patient probably the most damaging situation we have right now is the Van Norman Dam because there are continuing after shots and this could break how long will it take to get the water out they're now projecting uh 72 hours what about The People Under The vanorman Damp we figured it's probably 80,000 are they're going to have to come out the Red Cross has moved in and they're setting up about six emergency shelters in the area in schools and gymnasiums and not but a great deal of them will probably be absorbed by friends and relatives in the area what about the Veterans Hospital are we sure they have everything they need we probably need some helicopter evacuation and we've already taken steps to get that moving he's he's taged yeah yeah he's got taged down here on his foot and I uh taking his wrist body George and he's had demver all [Music] [Applause] twice Governor Reagan's arrived from Sacramento and rescue crews have just uncovered a pocket where some of the kitchen workers are trapped there's a Woman by the name of Helen in there that's my mother the one they've been talking to well they've been talking to her apparently she says that she's all right yeah but she could they thought that Grace was beside her but she couldn't see her well from all indications the fireman says that she seems to be all right she's even asked for a glass of water that's typical of her now wait there a minute now I'll get my leg out of the way okay that's not a nice leg right now okay we get up a little ways the pipe on your left you can stand there she come all right want to go back that's all right now the other girl that's alive yet it's about 7 fo 10 there where the light comes in we can still see don't need that how do you feel Helen come on there's your daughter honey here waiting here's your daughter [Music] Helen they get everybody be Qui sit down now just bend your [Music] slowly where's Heidi Heidi's with Jim no he took her with her and the dogs are done in that or okay it's all right it's okay day turns into night night into Nightmare in San Fernando volunteers are patrolling the wreckage on the mall and in the shelters evacuees are settling down for the [Music] night how do you feel tired I'd like to go home the second day early in the morning Air Force 2 sweeps into Los Angeles airport bringing the vice president and George Lincoln director of the office of emergency preparedness to survey the damage I just talked to President Nixon less than a half an hour ago after I finished the briefing session and he's terribly concerned he was in an earthquake himself he happened to be going to Whittier College in 1933 when the Long Beach earthquake occurred and of course he uh he remembers very well the collapse of the High School auditorium there the damage to the grade school and uh he said you don't want to be in another one if you've been in one already the presidents proclaimed the earthquake zone a major disaster area with all agencies of the federal government directed to render maximum assistance downtown both state and federal people are working hard to deliver it and a new Disaster Relief act just signed by the president has given them new tools to work with federal assistance is no longer limited to helping restore essential Community Services now it's been broadened to bring relief to individuals the disaster victims as well and six One-Stop Disaster Assistance centers are being set up where they can go to find it temporary housing rentree for those in dest need Aid on mortgages and rents for others in danger of losing their damaged homes Legal Services liberalized small business and Farmers Home Loans unemployment insurance re-employment aid for those whose jobs have been wiped out food stamps and surplus foods for the hungry help in removing debris from private [Music] property San Fernando still on its knees no water no water none no water no gas all water in the San Fernando Valley and the city of San Fernando is contaminated and are advised to boil drinking water you don't have any water at your house it's not good at all terrible at least van I said I came all the way here to get some water terrible already a call has gone in to Joseph Quinn Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles asking if San Fernando can borrow from the city's water system now go ahead and hook the up uh do everything you can to help we'll worry about the legal question later and downtown what are we doing about the situation the core of engineers are already moving in sir we are laying temporary water and sewage lines right down the center of the street now helps arriving from another source the Civil Air Patrol it's heard of San Fernando's flight and rescue Air Supply and Communications units from Wings all over Southern California are pouring in to lend a hand till the emergency's over gradually the town's gaining ground the evacuation Center has been set up at San Fernando recreation park two major relief centers have been set up in San Fernando by Salvation Army in the downtown area Red Cross in the stricken Mexican amican section to supply food clothing shelter another night in shelter van Norman's still too full for safety and the natives are getting [Music] restless it looks like the people here won't be able to return home until at least tomorrow have you heard that no I hadn't heard that that's horrible do bother you having to stay another night yes because I want to go home there's no place like home it's going to be a long time before that the situation with San Fernando is under control we're breaking up slightly we just had another one baby just roll through continual aftershocks are keeping everyone nervous on edge and the emergency control center at Police Headquarters is being overloaded with calls to relieve the strain a citizen's information center is set up by civil defense in the public works hearing room at Los Angeles City Hall control school just a moment I have a list of schools right here in a way California's been lucky it's been a mediumsized quake even minor compared to what could happen someday but if the shock had come a few hours later in the morning when schools were full and freeways crowded the death toll might have reached the thousands instead of 65 but more than 30 schools in Los Angeles alone will have to be demolished and replaced the freeways rebuilt a billion worth of damage repaired for the federal government it means a record-breaking expenditure under the new Disaster Relief act nearly half a billion to restore essential services and help people get back on their feet and a long way to go before it's done at Veterans Hospital rescue workers are into their 59th hour hey we got a live one the last five victims to be pulled out of the wreckage Frank carbonera a 68-year-old baker on the kitchen staff is rushed to the hospital his anxious family brought to his [Music] side did you ever get up any [Music] hope how do you feel now nervous and shaky you related yes my father did you ever get any I'm afraid we did last night did you yes he's been in there for 59 hours and he has such of inisa and we were really worried it was dusty and dirty down [Music] there Chicago I guess he's just a strong man I don't know what did he think about while I was down there Frank what did you think about when you were down there what were you thinking of when you were down in there I was good now finally the pumps have done their job attention folks good news that Norman Reservoir is down you're are now free to return to your homes going home but often to things like this [Music] still well now that you've lived through it all how do you feel I'm I don't think little trivial things are going to matter with the dam anymore going home and so in a different way are 36 patients and 10 members of the staff lost at Veterans Hospital Charles Preston George Salvador B Gonzalez Winfield re b l Jones Mrs Clarissa Lee Goodwin a the point a final service for old soldiers who aren't supposed to die but only Fade Away williiam H Miranda [Music] la [Music]