How Baja quake impacted San Diego Airport

Easter Sunday's 7.2 Baja California earthquake 39 miles (63 kilometers) SSE of Calexico, CA in the upper Baja California peninsula of Mexico, near the village of Guadalupe Victoria, affected operations at San Diego International Airport (SAN) located more than 160 miles to the northwest. Fire alarms in terminal 2 triggered a complete evacuation of the facility for over 30 minutes. TSA employees, other airport and concession staff, and all passengers were required to leave the building and wait at curbside.

According to Steven Shultz, Deputy Airport Director for Public & Community Relations, "No estimate was made of the number of people evacuated, but it was a relatively slow time of day for the airport. For passengers in the jet bridges boarding flights, the airlines decided whether to evacuate them or allow them to board the flight. All others in the terminal were evacuated. To keep the public informed about the status of the airport following the earthquake, the Airport Authority used its social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter."

CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) San Diego International Airport Terminal 2 (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW RIGHT) Steven Shultz, Deputy Airport Director for Public & Community Relations (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW LEFT) Stained glass public art at west end of terminal 2 (Photo by Joel Siegfried);  (BELOW RIGHT LOWER) FAA control tower at San Diego International Airport (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW LEFT LOWER) TSA security lanes at west end of Terminal 2 (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW RIGHT BOTTOM) Grocery store manager Jorge Lepoe walks past aisles of fallen goods at his store in downtown Calexico, California on Monday, April 5, 2010 (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

A slide show and video follows this article with additional earthquake images.

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Mr. Shultz added, "Aircraft parked on the tarmac escaped any consequences of the earthquake, nor were any planes moved away from the gates to be clear of possible overhead debris, as this was not considered a threat. No flight operations took place on the runway while the airport was inspected for damage. Operations returned to normal by about 4:15 p.m."

There was no damage to the airport's extensive collection of public art, both free standing and those built into the terminals, such as the large abstract stained glass window at the west end of terminal two. Art projects manager Susanna Hernandez Peredo also confirmed that the West End Gallery exhibition of wire and glass sculptures by Hugo Heredia, installed by Arworks San Diego survived the tremors undamaged.

The only evidence of destruction from the temblor was from ceiling tiles which had separated. There were no reports of anyone being struck by falling debris. A water leak in the area of Gate 33, was described by Mr. Shultz  as "minor". The Airport Authority maintains various emergency plans and a business continuity plan which are used for internal purposes and not posted online.

Murray Bauer, the airport's Director of Landside Operations for the past 4 years participated in a telephone interview earlier this morning. His responses are given below in bold type.

Q. Was this the worst earthquake you have experienced?

"Yes. I've worked at the airport as an aviation professional since 1976, and this was the most severe quake that I've personally experienced."

Q. How would you describe reaction by travelers and staff to this event.

"I was impressed at how well our emergency plan worked in coordinating minimal disruption to the airport. I applaud profusely everyone involved who stepped up and pitched in big time. Even though it was a holiday weekend, staff who were contacted responded immediately. Special praise goes to TSA employees, our own duty managers and maintenance crew. Travelers responded very calmly, and moved outside when the fire alarms went off. There was no panic."

Q. What triggered the alarms?

"The ceiling tiles at the west end of Terminal 2 were disturbed and shifted, as well as a large amount of overhead dust. This was probably what triggered the alarms, which turned out to be a good thing. In addition, one of the fire sprinkler heads near Gate 33 was set off by the tremors."

Q. What were your main concerns?

"It was important to repair the tiles, reset the sprinkler, and make TSA security lanes available as soon as possible. I was also concerned with bringing in staff. Fortunately, this event happened during a very light travel period, and repairs were also made quickly."

Q. How did you determine that Terminal 2 was again safe?

"First, the San Diego Fire Department responded to the fire alarms, and inspected the building. We also called in our staff structural and building engineer for an additional assessment."

Q. Did any flights operate during the evacuation of terminal 2?

No. That was an air traffic control decision because the FAA tower was also evacuated. There was approximately a 30 minute down time. Normal operations resumed shortly after 4:15 p.m.

Q. Thank you very much for your help Mr. Bauer, and good luck to you.

"Thank you. It's been my pleasure."

Unlike the minor inconvenience to airport travelers, residents of Imperial County were not as fortunate. The mostly agricultural area is 125 miles east of San Diego and less than 40 miles from the Baja earthquake epicenter. Almost all of the cities in that area lost electric power, along with extensive damage to buildings. Business owners are still cleaning up broken glass and merchandise that had fallen from shelves. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared the region a disaster area. The Imperial Valley Press has reported that few Imperial County businesses or residences were covered by earthquake insurance.

Across the border in Mexicali and elsewhere in Mexico on the upper Baja California peninsula, where most structures do not meet U.S. building codes, damage from the quake was more severe and widespread. One man died when his home collapsed on him, according to Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo. His residence was very close to the quake's epicenter, just outside Mexicali. According to Escobedo, there were reports of people trapped in more home collapses in Mexicali and rescue teams from Tijuana rushed over to the city to provide aid.

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 Video is from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA about 80 miles to the north.