Now as the 15th anniversary of the earthquake—that caused 63 deaths and $5.9 billion worth of property damage—approaches, San Jose's Office of Emergency Services wants residents to know that it's the teamwork between government and private citizens that can best handle disasters.

However, San Jose Director of Emergency Preparedness Frances Edwards said citizens need to remember that during the first 72 hours of a major disaster they will be on their own as the city mobilizes its emergency response teams in its Emergency Operations Center.

San Jose has had an emergency operations center—the disaster headquarters for the city's and county's public and private emergency personnel—since 1991. Its location is not publicized to avoid becoming a terrorist target, Edwards said. This discretion is common practice in cities that have emergency operations centers.

The emergency preparedness office, however, is strategically located in the city manager's office so it can coordinate with all city departments, she said.

As part of the city's ongoing emergency preparedness efforts, San Jose emergency personnel plan to participate on Oct. 14 in a discussion with other city managers throughout the county about communication logistics.

But Edwards said, "It starts with residents. The keystone to emergency preparedness is having emergency kits at home and in the car with water, food and prescription drugs."

Edwards said that neighborhoods can handle almost all of their needs if properly prepared, which enables emergency personnel to deal with hazardous material spills or building collapses in the critical first few hours.

"We have one firefighter for every 5,000 people," Edwards said. "We need the public to do self-help to deal with smaller dangers."

She added that the city has trained 1,700 residents in first aid, light search and rescue and disaster firefighting through the San Jose Prepared! education program. Classes are free to San Jose residents and begin again in January 2005.

The city also has 140 volunteer members of Radio Amateurs in Civil Emergency Services ready to assist with communications during a crisis.

In the event of a disaster, San Jose also has 25 public information officers who are available to relay information to the media, Edwards added.

Additional communications from the city would be available via the city website or city television channel, if they are operational, she noted.

Almost all of the local radio and television stations can digitally receive updates from the Emergency Alert System, which can then be converted into public service announcements or run as a news strip at the bottom of the television screen, she said.

To help neighborhoods prepare, Edwards said she and the San Jose Prepared! Coordinator, Dr. Earl Stevens, give a two-hour presentation to churches, school and community groups that request it.

Besides preparing for earthquakes, the city has also been federally funded to receive training for terrorist attacks since 1997, Edwards said.

"We've had seven years of specialized training about how to deal with weapons of mass destruction," she said. As the 11th largest city in the United States, San Jose is part of the Urban Area Security Initiative, which funds terrorism-response training to the 25 largest cities in the nation.

While terrorism has became the watchword, city officials don't want people to forget about other potential calamities.

"Even though terrorism is a big deal, earthquakes are a bigger cost of life and property," said Campbell Police Capt. Russ Patterson, press information officer for the county's emergency preparedness.

He added that California maintains an "all hazards" approach, preparing for fires, floods, earthquakes and terrorism.

"We need to be prepared for the worst," Patterson said. "And the worst is earthquakes. There's a 75 percent chance the Big One will happen in the next 20 years."

He said families should have an out-of-state contact, who all members can call after a disaster to check in, and a central meeting place.

Patterson said that having flashlights and batteries and medical, food and water supplies is crucial.

"The government can't do it all ourselves," he said.

Patterson agreed with Edwards that a little extra training to help others in need doesn't hurt and helps relieve stress after a disaster.

"One of the things that helped us recover from Sept. 11 was volunteerism," Patterson said.

For resources on how to prepare and respond, visit www.fema.gov, www.ready. com, www.santaclaravalley.redcross.org, and www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/oes/. For more information on San Jose Prepared!, call 408.277.4985.