Half Moon Bay – Local emergency officials vowed Thursday to quickly address gaps in tsunami warning and response procedures and to hold drills routinely.
Clearly defining terms such as “high ground” and marking evacuation routes are among the assignments for the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management in the aftermath of the Dec. 5 tsunami warning by the National Weather Service. Officials also pledged to launch a public education campaign about tsunami risks that include how to create a basic family safety plan.
“These are the things we will be working on in the coming months,” Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, director of the County’s Department of Emergency Management, told about 75 residents at a forum in Half Moon Bay on the local tsunami response. “Every year we need to practice.”
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose district includes the affected coastal areas, convened the forum to bring together residents and local emergency managers to share lessons learned on Dec. 5.
“The one thing I want to let you know up front,” Mueller said as he opened the meeting, “is that the team you see assembled here in front of you has been working tirelessly since that day … trying to figure out how we can go ahead and prepare for that next event.”
In addition to Mueller and Dhapodkar, local officials responding to questions included representatives from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, CAL FIRE CZU, the cities of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay and other agencies.
Several members of the audience said they were confused and alarmed on the morning of Dec. 5 when cell phones buzzed across Northern California with the tsunami warning from the National Weather Service. The warning, triggered by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake off the coast of Humbolt County, was canceled after about an hour.
Officials provided a behind-the-scenes look at key moments following the 10:44 a.m. quake, including the decision not to activate a string of tsunami sirens from Pacifica to Pescadero.
Minutes after the quake, the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska reported potentially damaging waves could hit the San Mateo County coast shortly after noon.
Police and firefighters quickly alerted people at coastal beaches and low-lying areas to move to higher ground.
In the County’s Emergency Operations Center in Redwood City, Dhapodkar’s team studied shake maps and monitored a string of offshore buoys for signs of a tsunami. They contacted counterparts in other coastal counties and the California Office of Emergency Services.
“We knew as we were getting more data, things were looking better and better from the National Weather Service, the Tsunami Center,” Dhapodkar said. “We were also talking to the counties north of us: Humboldt, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Marin. The tsunami sirens didn’t go off because we did not set them off.”
That was the right call, Dhapodkar said.
“We wanted to avoid triggering the tsunami sirens to prevent gridlock, panic, traffic accidents and other possible injuries to people on the coastside,” she said.
Emergency officials said their immediate goals are to:
- Improve Hazard Zone Information and Access: Update tsunami signage, clearly define hazard zones and create a digital map for the public to use.
- Enhance Tsunami Awareness and Education: Work on improving public education and outreach
- Strengthen Preparedness and Response: Create and run annual tsunami drills
Mueller thanked those who attended Thursday’s meeting as well as those who provided him feedback during a series of information-gathering events over the past two weeks and in an online survey.
Mueller encouraged attendees to take steps to prepare for tsunamis and other hazards and sign up to join Coastside CERT, which educates volunteers about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic response skills.
“What we learned in this event,” Mueller said, “is we need more of you.”
► Earthquakes and tsunamis can strike without warning. Small steps now to prepare can help reduce stress later.
► Read Tsunamis: What You Should Know – to learn more about tsunamis and how to prepare yourself and your family.
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org