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Among the nation’s pioneers in needle exchange and at the forefront of high school condom distribution, Berkeley is also on the cutting edge of natural disaster prevention. 

“This is one more example of Berkeley trying to be proactive, to practice prevention,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington, one among some dozen speakers at a Friday noontime event in the City Council Chambers, feting the city’s receipt of a $300,000 federal disaster preparedness grant. 

“Our Berkeley community is particularly vulnerable to disaster,” Mayor Shirley Dean told the almost 100 people who crowded around tables in the council chambers. Berkeley suffered only a loss of 60 structures in the 1991 fire, spared greater damage by a sudden change of wind, the mayor said. 

The Hayward Fault cuts through the eastern part of the city. An earthquake on the fault could cause the loss of hundreds of lives, she said. 

The grant, called Project Impact, was given by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Dean pointed out that FEMA is playing a new “forward-looking” role. 

FEMA is “no longer content to just pick up the pieces,” she said. 

The program is intended to create partnerships that will include the business community. Dan White, from Truitt & White lumber company, spoke at the event, underscoring the disaster that could happen to a home that is not bolted to its foundation. In an earthquake, a wood-frame house could be lifted, as though it were lifted by a crane, an dropped. 

“I hope we can get people past their lethargy,” he said. 

Grant funds will be spent on a hiring a coordinator – Carol Lopes is already in place – and a part-time administrative assistant and a consultant. 

The coordinator and consultant will help bring people together. 

“We’ll have focus groups in all the sectors,” Lopes said in an interview after the luncheon. “They will envision what a disaster-resistant community looks like.” 

A community advisory committee will be formed to oversee the process, said city manager assistant Arietta Chakos. 

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The lunchtime event was not without an ironic twist. During her speech, the mayor introduced city officials and commissioners in the room, including Miyo Rodolfo-Sioson, the head of the Commission on Disability. 

Dean pointed out how Rodolfo-Sioson pushes the city on issues of accessibility. 

Meanwhile Rodolfo-Sioson, who uses a wheelchair, was hemmed into a small space at the entrance to the room, since no space had been made to maneuver wheelchairs around the tables crammed into the space. 

Chakos acknowledged the problem, noting that dozens of people let the staff know they would be attending the event at the last minute, causing the cramped conditions. 

“Technically, it was accessible,” she said.