Loma Prieta Oral History of Gale Ogawa

	Loma Prieta Oral History of Gale Ogawa
	by Loma Prieta Oral History Project
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	Note: Due to original recording and/or condition when
	digitized: static on tape and high background noise on
	tape.

	In the wake of the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta
	Earthquake, Caltrans commissioned an oral history project
	to document the personal and professional experiences of
	Caltrans employees who worked to restore the State's
	damaged transportation system.
	When this interview of Gale Ogawa was conducted she was
	the Emergency Planner for Caltrans Division of
	Maintenance in Sacramento on special assignment to the
	Director's Office. After the earthquake her role was to
	be the liaison person with Caltrans and the Office of
	Emergency Services for the coordinating of transportation
	for the statewide response efforts. Ogawa also worked on
	obtaining Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
	authorizations that were needed for non-highway work. For
	example, the Office of Emergency Services had to get FEMA
	authorization to start Ferry service on the San Francisco
	Bay and for the parking facilities needed to support
	those operations. For two weeks the Office of Emergency
	Services was a twenty-four hour operation, and on the day
	of the earthquake Ogawa worked for twenty-six hours. She
	worked in shifts at the State Operations Center along
	with two other Caltrans employees.
	Another project she worked on was coordinating with the
	CHP at the State Operations Center to have steel girders
	from Texas to the Bay Bridge in two and a half days to
	meet deadline. The CHP provided escort for the truck
	drivers from Texas to the Bridge and to get clearances
	for night driving in certain states.
	Ogawa discusses how she felt much of the work that
	Caltrans had done was not recognized by the press and
	offers some suggestions of what could be done differently
	in the future.

	For additional information see California Revealed[1].

	References

	1. https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A67704 (link)

	Date Published: 2020-02-10 19:27:43
	Identifier: casadt_000231
	Item Size: 209946061
	Language: eng
	Media Type: audio

	# Topics
	californiarevealed
	Loma Prieta Earthquake, Calif., 1989
	California. Department of Transportation

	# Collections
	caldotemployeesaudiocollection
	caltrans
	californiarevealed
	americana

	# Uploaded by
	@california_revealed

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