Problems Reflect Need to Plan for Large Quake

Experts studying the Los Angeles riots say that disruptions in the flow of food reflect--on a smaller scale--those that could be expected during a major earthquake. And, they warn, the public and private sectors lack a comprehensive plan to deal with such an emergency.

“We’ve had a tremendous problem in getting food to people and yet what we’ve experienced in the last six weeks is no way close to what would happen if we have a major earthquake,” said Janet Workman, an independent food industry consultant who specializes in marketing and emergency food distribution.

“When people can’t get necessities, fear and anger are quick to surface,” she said. “Public calm is directly related to adequate food supplies.”

Parallels between the riots and a natural disaster that would cause more widespread damage include:

* Power outages and the resulting lack of refrigeration in homes and stores.

* Uncontrollable, widespread fires.

* Hoarding and panic buying even in undamaged neighborhoods.

* Disruptions of transportation, including curfews, for commercial retailers and residents.

An earthquake also would be likely to interrupt gasoline supplies, further hampering access to food.

None of the area’s network of 12 to 14 major food distribution centers were damaged during the riots. But the disabling of even one could cause major problems, Workman said.

The vast centers--some as large as 40 acres--are clustered mostly on the city’s Eastside but hold provisions for the entire Southern California region. Most are on small side streets, close to major freeways and they are highly automated--features that make them extremely vulnerable in a disaster.

There is particular concern that arterial damage in an earthquake could disrupt shipping in and out of the centers, said Constance Perett, assistant manager of the county Office of Emergency Services.

“The county is interested in seeing what can be done to (improve) coordination with the private sector,” Perett said. “For example, it is important to know what the trucking industry has planned and whether government can do anything to assist it.”

One macabre example of the need for coordination:

Current emergency plans assume that much of the private sector’s cold-storage facilities will be taken over by the coroner’s office for storage of corpses. Coroner’s officials and industry representatives will meet next month to weigh such plans against area residents’ food needs in a major disaster.

For more information about emergency preparedness, contact the American Red Cross at (800) 540-2000 or the Southern California Earthquake Preparedness Project at (818) 795-9055.