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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Cupertino residents Brandy Cook, right, and Stacey Hartman express their sorrow for the victims at a candlelight vigil.
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United We Stand
While the nation mourns, city maintains some calm
By George Moore
On the day that America's worst fears became reality and terrorism broke through its borders, the city of Cupertino and the county sheriff's office were on heightened alert. Marcia Garcia, coordinator of emergency services in Cupertino, said she spent the day gathering information and monitoring the situation.
Garcia provided the website address safe.millennium.berkeley.edu for anyone interested in finding someone or reporting the status of someone.
Carol Atwood, acting city manager, met twice with city staff and representatives of the sheriffs and fire departments to be sure they had their plans in place in the event of an emergency.
The Cupertino Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CARES) group went online in case the city was in need of its services. Vince La Porta, volunteer and lead technical person with CARES, said they activated its phone tree, calling various members and telling them to stand by in case of an emergency.
"We checked in with our members about every half hour or so and passed on information provided to us from the city," La Porta said. CARES provides communications support in times of declared emergency by the use of ham radios.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
A Sunnyvale Public Safety Officer, who didn't want his name used, holds his son during a candlelight vigil in front of City Hall.
Cupertino Mayor Sandra James said one of the things a city does for its citizens is provide law enforcement and safety, and Sept. 11 provided a real "test" to see how prepared the city really was.
"One of the things I'm very proud of for the city is how well a job we do with our safety and security issues," James said. "Hopefully, we don't have to use them, but it is assuring to know we're ready for any possibility."
Public information officer Sgt. Chuck Eastus of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department said the county and state emergency services were activated and there was a heightened readiness and preparedness, but the day proved uneventful.
"It was pretty quiet," Eastus said. "There was nothing major or minor that occurred relating to the attack back east."
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
