Disaster Response Facilities
Why do we need to strengthen post-disaster response facilities?
After a major earthquake or other disaster, San Francisco will rely on select public buildings to deploy aid, provide shelter and coordinate emergency response and recovery. It is essential that these facilities be viable and functional for these purposes and remain operational.
The City’s list of facilities that could be used for functions such as shelter, mass care and mutual aid include buildings with major seismic vulnerabilities and life-safety risks. This funding category will allow the City to make seismic improvements to such buildings, ensuring that residents can be safely protected during, and receive services after, a major disaster. Buildings will be prioritized based on their capacity to be used as an emergency response facility, anticipated damage and potential loss of life after an earthquake.
During and after a major disaster, these buildings should have the capacity to function as a disaster response asset that could serve one or more of these essential functions:
- Shelter: an existing facility, such as a school, recreation center, community center or convention center, temporarily converted to provide safe, accessible and secure short‐term housing for disaster survivors
- Local Assistance Center: a site where individuals, families and businesses can access available disaster assistance programs and services
- Commodity Point of Distribution: an accessible site where the public can pick up emergency supplies following a disaster
- Unified Command Post: a field location that can accommodate the primary functions of incident command – command, operations, planning, logistics and finance and administration
- Logistics Staging Area: a location that provides a waystation for incoming shipments that meets an array of resource requests from local government
- Base Camp/Mutual Aid Staging: a location for local and mutual aid organizations to gather prior to deployment
Golden Gate Park Kezar Pavilion
Kezar Pavilion will be completely renovated using 2020 ESER bond funding to support some of San Francisco’s most critical needs during emergency response. Its size, location in Golden Gate Park and adjacent parking lot offers the best venue to dedicate the $70 million available to upgrade a city‐owned facility for post‐disaster response. While Kezar will serve as a Recreation and Park facility in non‐disaster time, it will be designed to function within a seismically safe facility to serve multiple disaster‐response functions.
The San Francisco Emergency Operations Center will dictate the activation of the space at Kezar based on the highest needs of the incident. All emergency operations located at the rebuilt Kezar facility will be safe, secure and accessible, and will include emergency power and communications connectivity. The new design focuses on one specific potential emergency uses: an indoor congregate shelter.
An indoor congregate shelter will provide space for those displaced by the emergency to receive necessary temporary shelter and basic necessities, such as food, water, medical supplies and survival gear. The shelter will include flexible space that can accommodate individuals, families and pets as necessary, and is being designed to accommodate between 100 and 150 individuals at a time. Activation of an indoor congregate shelter at Kezar may also include the capacity for additional distribution of essential commodities to those in need who are not residing in the shelter.
Kezar Pavilion will be the sole project for the Disaster Response Facilities component of the ESER 2020 bond. The cost of upgrading the Pavilion and expanding the facility will require the entire amount allocated for this bond component and will require supplemental funding.
Project Status
The project is currently in the conceptual planning phase. The project team is in the process of refining the specific program needs to ensure both Rec and Park’s and the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management's needs are achieved. San Francisco Human Services Agency and Division of Emergency Medical Services staff have been added to the programming discussion as the Department of Emergency Management has tentatively determined that this facility would be a great asset for emergency operations of staging/sheltering for various events. Ongoing and completed site evaluation work includes a detailed site and building survey assessment, destructive material testing, hazardous materials evaluation, geotechnical soil evaluations and site utility location work.
The project team initiated community outreach spring 2024, and will continue to solicit feedback on the design and programming of the facility through fall 2024. For more information on public meetings please see the Recreation and Park Department’s website.
The project has completed the environmental review process with the San Francisco Planning Department, which includes review by the Historic Preservation Division. Additionally, the design team has presented the project to the Civic Design Review Committee for the conceptual review and will continue with the Civic Design Review process through the remainder of the design phase.
Explore the other ESER 2020 Bond Components
- Emergency Firefighting Water System
- 9-1-1 Call Center
- Neighborhood Fire Stations and Support Facilities
- District Police Stations and Support Facilities
What is the ESER bond program?
Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) is San Francisco's bond program to strategically address critical public safety needs in the City. The program identifies seismic improvements and upgrades to City-owned facilities that are needed to help safeguard San Francisco. Learn more here.
Mission
San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. Keeping San Francisco beautiful, safe and sustainable.
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