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Beverly Hills' Earthquake Safety Video Wins Emmy by Belinda Yu - canyon-news.com |
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BEVERLY HILLS -- Two to 10 miles below ground, a hidden fault stretches some 30 miles across California from northern Orange County through downtown L.A. and Beverly Hills. U.S. Geological Survey and Southern California Earthquake Center researchers predict that an earthquake along the Puente Hills Fault would be catastrophic to Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange Counties, killing up to 18,000 people and causing $250 billion in damages. Although scientists indicate that a full rupture of the Puente Hills fault occurs only once in 3,000 years, other sources of seismic activity can be unpredictable. With Californians facing quakes, floods and forest fires, a surprising number are unprepared for natural disasters-- 70 percent, estimates the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. The earthquake safety video, "Earthquake Survival: Beverly Hills," addresses this need. The four-minute video, a joint effort by the city's Cable Television Office and the Office of Emergency Management, shows people exactly how to stay safe when an earthquake strikes. "The City Council takes emergency management very seriously," said Pamela Mottice-Muller, Emergency Management director. "People need to learn how to take care of themselves. More self-sufficiency in our community will give our nation strength." A talented Cable TV production team created "Earthquake Survival." The Cable TV staff, directed by Richard Gale, acted in the same film they helped produce. "Earthquake Survival: Beverly Hills" is based upon the hit TV reality show "Survivor." It has the feel of a real movie, using special effects, music and lighting to show what can happen to five ordinary citizens during an earthquake. As the survivors make their way through an office building, dodging exploding windows and falling debris, they show the viewer what happens when safety advice is ignored. "In Southern California people have been inundated with information on emergency preparedness," said Mr. Gale, who also wrote the script, produced and edited. "We wanted to find a different angle... to do something attention-getting to keep the viewers' interest." Emergency planning is no laughing matter. Yet "Earthquake Survival: Beverly Hills" is highly entertaining, engaging viewers through humor --not something you might expect in a program about possible death and destruction. "[Using humor] was a gamble that, fortunately, paid off," said Mr. Gale from his office in Beverly Hills. That gamble resulted in one of the highest honors that can be achieved in television: an Emmy Award. In August 2005, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded director Richard Gale and City Cable TV staff members with an Emmy for "Earthquake Survival"--the first Emmy won by the station in its 23-year history of operation. "It's extremely exciting for me and everyone [at Beverly Hills Network 10]," said Mr. Gale. "It means a lot to us because it lets us know that we're doing a good job." The video mentions safety tips that people may already know, such as having extra food, water and batteries on hand, but also offers information that may not be as widely disseminated. "It's a documented fact that many fatalities from earthquakes happen because people in buildings tend to run outside as soon as they feel an earthquake coming on," said Mr. Gale. He added, "Since buildings tend to collapse outward, people die from falling debris. Staying indoors is often the safer thing to do." "I'm so glad that [the video] has gotten this recognition [by the Academy]," the director said. "This video was made for Beverly Hills but is intended for and can be utilized by people all over California and anywhere that earthquakes are an actual threat." For more information on emergency planning, or to watch a clip from "Earthquake Survival: Beverly Hills," visit www.beverlyhills.org, go to the pulldown menu, and click on "Emergency Preparedness." For a free brochure on "10 Ways You Can Be Disaster Prepared," call the CA Office of Emergency Services at 916-845-8400 or email ipa@oes.ca.gov |