Operation Chico
Encyclopedia
Operation Chico was a Civil Defense
exercise conducted December 6-7, 1958 which consisted of a strategic evacuation
of approximately 500 families from Solano County, California to the city of Chico, California
and overnight care for the evacuees. The purpose of Operation Chico was to test protection measures against atomic bomb fallout
and other major disasters.
The plan was designed to test: a) the feasibility of an evacuation route designated in 1955 for Solano County exclusive of the city of Vallejo
; b) plans for the control of a sizable group of evacuees; c) registration and assignment to billet
s of such a group; d) mass feeding facilities and operations; and e) plans and procedures for continuity of government
s of evacuated jurisdictions.
An “emergency” reception base was set up at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Chico. The evacuees were registered and assigned billets with private families for one night. The test was the first mass evacuation in the United States
in which residents were quartered away from their homes overnight. The evacuation was scheduled to occur on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor
.
The operation was observed by top national and state civil defense officials and was declared a complete success. Chico was subsequently named as the provisional capital
of California
in the event that Sacramento
needed be evacuated.
at what was then Chico State College
paid for an ad titled “A Test of What” that disputed the operation’s credibility
. There was no panic that might have altered the “successful” evacuation of Solano County and the parade-like atmosphere became a subject of controversy.
In his ad, he pointed out that the evacuation of U.S. cities following a nuclear bomb would be impossible because shortly after an alarm had been sounded, bottlenecks would completely choke up the highway
s, and there would almost certainly be widespread panic
.
He went on to say that indulging in fantasy operations such as Operation Chico would only obscure the real dangers that threaten mankind if we assumed that exercises like this would provide protection against nuclear disaster.
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
exercise conducted December 6-7, 1958 which consisted of a strategic evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
of approximately 500 families from Solano County, California to the city of Chico, California
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
and overnight care for the evacuees. The purpose of Operation Chico was to test protection measures against atomic bomb fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
and other major disasters.
The plan was designed to test: a) the feasibility of an evacuation route designated in 1955 for Solano County exclusive of the city of Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
; b) plans for the control of a sizable group of evacuees; c) registration and assignment to billet
Billet
A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....
s of such a group; d) mass feeding facilities and operations; and e) plans and procedures for continuity of government
Continuity of government
Continuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of nuclear war or other catastrophic event....
s of evacuated jurisdictions.
An “emergency” reception base was set up at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Chico. The evacuees were registered and assigned billets with private families for one night. The test was the first mass evacuation in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in which residents were quartered away from their homes overnight. The evacuation was scheduled to occur on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
The operation was observed by top national and state civil defense officials and was declared a complete success. Chico was subsequently named as the provisional capital
Temporary capital
A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a city or town chosen by a government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in retaining or establishing control of a different metropolitan area...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the event that Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
needed be evacuated.
Criticism
Carl E. Hem, assistant professor of historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at what was then Chico State College
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
paid for an ad titled “A Test of What” that disputed the operation’s credibility
Credibility
Credibility refers to the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message.Traditionally, modern, credibility has two key components: trustworthiness and expertise, which both have objective and subjective components. Trustworthiness is based more on subjective...
. There was no panic that might have altered the “successful” evacuation of Solano County and the parade-like atmosphere became a subject of controversy.
In his ad, he pointed out that the evacuation of U.S. cities following a nuclear bomb would be impossible because shortly after an alarm had been sounded, bottlenecks would completely choke up the highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s, and there would almost certainly be widespread panic
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction...
.
He went on to say that indulging in fantasy operations such as Operation Chico would only obscure the real dangers that threaten mankind if we assumed that exercises like this would provide protection against nuclear disaster.