Disaster response and crisis management [Andrew Olson]
An Interview with Troy Harris
Troy Harris, Assistant VP for Institutional Resilience, helps the college prepare for and deal with natural disasters, manage risk, and stay compliant with local and federal guidelines. In the aftermath of the Thomas Fire and recent flooding, the Horizon sat down with Harris last Friday to discuss the office, its role in recent events, and the decision made during the crises.
[Editor’s Note: The transcript has been edited for length and clarity]
When an event like the Fire comes around, what is the org. chart for the response?
We use the Incident Command System developed in the 1970s for fire agencies in California. It’s found to be flexible and adaptable to the kind of dynamics you get in these situations. It has a person in charge, and people who focus on operational issues, logistical issues, financial and planning issues…We have people given coaching, training, and practice [to the people who fill those roles].
Why wait to Thursday to distribute masks and why stay on campus?
…Before [that] point we hadn’t recognized the issue to be a particular health concern [after] consulting with our medical resources…People with certain sensitivities have more to be concerned about [but] for the general population it wasn’t harmful to regular people to breath the air…We checked with the doctors and the doctors said not to worry.
Several students and parents expressed confusion that UCSB students were released before the Westmont students?
We were not consulting with UCSB.we looked at the factors visible to us without respect to UCSB, they have their own different set of issues…we were not collaborating on that process.
Freshmen year, students were taught how to prepare a Go Kit. Why were students not told to prepare one or email instruction sent out during the Thomas Fire or before the recent flooding to prepare one of those?
… [That] wasn’t part of our conversation…We have encouraged students to build those kits, and we have a website [westmont.edu/emergency] [that gives guidance] on how to create a Go Kit, but it was never put into our protocol to make sure to mention those bags in the alerts.
Talking with parents after the fire and flood, some parents were confused why they weren’t alerted by a Westmont operated emergency alert, since students fill out emergency contact forms and this seems like a situation for an emergency contact?
We have never included parents in the distribution of emergency messaging. Some schools do; some schools don’t. We ask students to tell us how to contact you [students] in emergency that could affect you, and how to contact someone when there is an acute problem unique to you [about you] . Students are adults and we give them the messaging.
Can you describe the thought processes and discussion that led up to the decision not to have students leave campus before the rains and then the later decision to take them off-campus after the rains?
On Sunday it was determined that Westmont was not in the evac zone; where we are is across the street from it, but not in it. We didn’t then and haven’t since [been mandated] to evacuate the campus…factors in that discussion included being aware that…the watershed immediately above us is really quite small — really only 200 acres. …There’s just not enough collection capacity there to create problems from for the college in somethe kind of mass flooding [seen just a mile east of us]…I can [only] think of two instances of renegade water [on campus] the flooding was fairly minor and there was no life safety at stake…so we were confident we would not experience indentation indentation kind of flood[ing], certainly not any kind of flooding that would represent a hazard to life or safety. Based on that, we were comfortable with our presence on campus that night.
When did you start prepping?
…I remember as early as Friday looking at culverts [to make sure they were clear]. Probably Thursday or so it became clear a storm system coming our way that could be significant so we had several days…sure [to prep] the right solution so that everyone safe and well. [Preparations included: Sandbagging, designating Flood Watch duty, and outlining potential vulnerabilities. Work continued through weekend and all day Monday]
Several students expressed concern that if the water [being provided to campus] hasn’t been certified clean is there any risk using it in the shower?
We have sought advice on that, and we’ve gotten input on that question from the a recently retired engineer for the Montecito Water District, from a public health officer…and from the environmental health officer. We posed that question to them independently and it came back clear that there is not danger in showering in the water provided by the utility during this boil water phase. [Editors note: Water was later certified clearn on Saturday, 1/20]
Has your office received any comments or concerns about communication during the crisis and how have those comments been included in protocols in the future?
…I can’t think of any that jump to mind. It’s a constantly calibrating thing. We send out an message and someone will say you could have or should have included this or that and we adjust as we go. There certainly has not been an outcry. We did hear that some students would have liked to have been alerted earlier…to what position the college would take about the smoke. We took that into account as later developments unfolded.
What are the plans to deal with any future rainfall this season?
We kinda feel like we’ve been through the worst-case experience with no direct harm to the campus, so we’re not particularly alarmed about the rest of the season. There are collateral concerns of further flooding that closes the 101 [and] has inconveniences for us, but there’s little we can do to mitigate that. But as to direct impact on the campus, we are not foreseeing this [coming rain] season creating for us concerns of a potential for flooding or landslides…that would be disruptive for us.
