Public Shelter Program

The City utilizes a number of methods to ensure that we plan for, respond to, mitigate and recover from disaster.  One of these methods in planning for disaster is project ARK.

Project ARK, a disaster shelter program, is a cooperative effort between the City of Sunnyvale, the American Red Cross Santa Clara Valley Chapter, and four school districts within the city: Sunnyvale Unified, Santa Clara Unified, Cupertino Unified, and Fremont Union.

Project ARK provides for twelve emergency supply containers, known as ARKS, strategically placed at school sites around the City. Each ARK can support up to 300 people. The containers are 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 1/2 feet high. They contain emergency supplies, and other essential items needed to open an emergency public shelter.

Schools were chosen as disaster shelter sites for several reasons. Schools are built to a stronger seismic code than most buildings, have gyms or other areas for sleeping and feature kitchen and rest room facilities for large numbers of people.

In the event of a disaster and our citizens need to be temporarily relocated, the ARKs and the supplies within, may be used to activate an American Red Cross Mass Care Shelter.

ARKS are strategically located throughout the City at the following school sites:

• Bishop Elementary School
• Columbia Elementary School
• Cupertino Middle School
• Fremont High School
• Lakewood Elementary School
• Peterson Middle School
• Ponderosa Elementary School
• Sunnyvale Middle School