Coastside not fully prepared for a tsunami, says Grand Jury

Based on a press release from the Grand Jury.

Coastside communities get a mixed grade for tsunami preparedness in a report released today by the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury [pdf].  On June 14, 2005, the Half Moon Bay city manager only found out about a tsunami warning second-hand.

The Half Moon Bay City Manager was not directly informed of the warning, nor was the local Red Cross volunteer leader; both learned of it indirectly as did other local residents.  The cause of the apparent discrepancy between what should happen according to the County OES plan and what actually happened remains unclear, although part of the problem in Half Moon Bay was that the local police commander did not follow procedures and failed to inform appropriate personnel, including the City Manager.

Also, there are no innundation maps for the Southcoast, including Pescadero. Isolated beaches such as Martins Beach, where there was loss of life in 1946, are particularly vulnerable.

On the other hand, Pacifica has a comprehensive education program, a sophisticated communication system, provisions for alerting "residents in need", and is actively researching warning systems and signage options.

The Grand Jury recommends that the Emergency Services Council (ESC) work closely with San Mateo County communities on tsunami preparations. The ESC consists of one member of the Board of Supervisors and one Councilmember from each of the participating cities. The Grand Jury specifically recommends that the county as well as the cities of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay:

• Develop an emergency tsunami response plan for each community that specifies how the public and emergency service providers are to be informed of an alert and what their responses should be.

• Educate the public on the dangers of a tsunami, how the alert system works, and what to do in the event of an alert.

• Install tsunami signage and a siren/broadcast system, including gaining approval for them from appropriate government agencies such as the Coastal Commission, CalTrans and State Parks.

• Acquire inundation maps for the entire San Mateo County coast.

• Ensure that the resources of the Regional Office of the Red Cross are sufficient and appropriately distributed.

• Acquire the resources and technology to make San Mateo County TsunamiReady by December 31, 2007.