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Home My WebLink AboutCC AG PKT 2008-03-10 #J AGENDA STAFF REPORT e DATE: TO: THRU: FROM: March 10, 2008 Honorable Mayor and City Council David Carmany, City Manager Jeff Kirkpatrick, Chief of Police SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF TSUNAMI READY AND STORM READY PROGRAM COMPLETION SUMMARY OF REqUEST: Representatives of NOAA's NWS from their San Diego headquarters will present Certification to the Seal Beach City Council certifying that the City of Seal Beach has met or exceeded all the requirements of their TsunamiReady and StormReady disaster preparedness programs. e BACKGROUND: The California Office of Emergency SeNices (OES) identified Seal Beach within a tsunami-hazard zone. The OES identifies our danger areas as the Old Town area south of Pacific Coast Highway; Surfside; and the 1 st Street area along the San Gabriel River from the Pacific Ocean to Pacific Coast Highway. The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the June 14, 2005 tsunami alert increased Emergency Manager and Orange County resident awareness of the tsunami threat to our California coastline. The Orange County Operational Area Executive Board. in an effort to enhance emergency preparedness and pUblic education efforts, recommended participation in the National Oceanic & AtmosDheric Administration's National Weather Service (NOM) StormReadyand TsunamiReady programs. All coastal communities within Orange County are working to become StormReady and TsunamiReady. The philosophy of StormReady is to establish public education and planning, targeting individual community members to self-prepare for potentially damaging storms. The program proVides a plan for storm related notifications to local government-owned buildings commonly frequented by the public. This plan e Agenda Ilem ~ e includes information sharing weather alert radios for these locations. The TsunamiReady program provides public education and planning, as well as early warning notifications, and evacuation route signage. The Seal Beach City Council at its September 16, 2006 meeting granted permission for the police department to initiate participation In the Storm Ready and TsunamiReady programs. Collaborating with the public works department the project has been completed. Our participation in the StonnReadyand TsunamiReady programs required that we satisfy three requirements: (1) written application, verification visit(s), and local board action. The application involved an accounting of emergency technology and a brief narrative describing preparedness and planning activities; (2) after reViewing the application, the National Weather Service StormReady Chairperson assigned a team to visit the City and formally discussed the application. The National Weather Services worked with our community to ensure the StonnReadyand TsunamiReady criteria were met; and (3) once completed, a joint press conference will be held announcing Orange County jurisdictions are Storm and Tsunami-ready. e Signage for the TsunamiReady program is pre-approved by the National Oceanic & Atmosoheric Administration National Weather Service (NOAA-NWS) and the Orange County Operational Area Executive Board adopted the NOAA-NWS standards for uniform use by all coastal cities. This important signage is identical throughout Orange County coastal areas. It is designed to identify high-ground evacuation routes for residents and visitors alike. Staff identified 50 potential locations for the prescribed signage and installed the signs as prescribed. Tonight's presentation acknowledges the City's preparations and completion of all criteria to certify the City of Seal Beach as being StormReadyand TsunamiReady. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. The original $6500 allocated by Council in 2006 has been spent as programmed. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the City Council accept the NOAA and NWS Certification certifying the City of Seal Beach as StonnReadyand TsunamiReady. NOTED AND APPROVED: Da~ty Manager e Attachments: A. NOAA NWS Press Release Page 3 e ~ I~J' (.....,,~J -.. ..."" NEWS FROM NOAA NAIlONAL OCEANIC & mMOSPHERIC ADMlNlSTRlmON · US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Contact: Xxx Xxxxxxx (801) 524-xxxx, ext.xxx NOAAXX-RXXX-XX FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2008 NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DECLARES SEAL BEACH, CALIF, TSUNAMIREADV AND STORMREADV Officials from NOAA's National Weather Service today praised Seal Beach, Calif., for completing of a set of rigorous waming and evacuation criteria necessary to earn the distinction of being TsunamiReady and StormReady. 'While an expanding tsunami observation and communication network allows NOAA forecasters to monitor conditions and issue warnings, the public must know how to react to such warnings In order to complete an effective tsunami warning process," said Jack Hayes, director of NOAA's National Weather Service. ''The TsunamiReady program helps educate the public on the immediate actions necessary to stay safe." e ''Tsunami Ready arms communities with improved communication, education and safety skills needed to save lives and property," said Ed Clark, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service forecast office in San Diego, CA. 'With TsunamiReady, communities are encouraged to improve public awareness and local response to hazardous situations, associated with tsunamis before and during such an event." In addition to becoming TsunamiReady, Seal Beach is also recognized as becoming StormReady. At a ceremony in Seal Beach today, Jim Purpura, meteorologist- in-charge of the San Diego forecast office, presented special TsunamiReady and StormReady signs to city officials. The Storm Ready and TsunamiReady recognition will be in effect for three years when the city will go through a renewal process. Both community preparedness programs use a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle tsunamis, local severe weather, wave impacts, and flooding threats, and help communities inform citizens of threats associated with each. These programs are voluntary and provide communities with clear-cut advice through a partnership between the local National Weather Service offices and state, county, and local emergency managers. StormReady started in 1999 and has grown to more than XXXX Storm Ready communities in 48 states and now includes more than XX TsunamiReady communities in six states. e - more - Page 4 -2- e To be recognized as TsunamlReady and Storm Ready, a community must: . Establish a 24-hour wamlng point and emergency operations center; . Have more than one way to receive tsunami and severe weather warnings and forecasts to alert the public; . Create a system that monitors local weather conditions; . Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars; and . Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises. "The June 14, 2005 Tsunami Waming preparing the South Coast for a potential tidal wave impact served as a wake-up call for your local government. The Seal Beach Police Department was charged with the responsibility to develop an emergency management system to assist the community before, during, and after a disastrous event," said Seal Beach Police Chief, Jeff Kirkpatrick. "To that end, we have instituted our TsunamiReady and Storm Ready programs, as well as a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan, a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of 150 disaster-preparedness trained volunteers, and hired a full-time Emergency Services Coordinator, Mr. Todd DeVoe. We are truly excited to be offering more community outreach, training, and preparedness in the coming months." e "Being prepared for disasters is a top priority for us in Seal Beach. Becoming TsunamiReady and Storm Ready was a huge step for our overall preparedness program," said Todd DeVoe, Emergency Service Coordinator for the city. "Even though the threat of a tsunami is low, the impact could be catastrophic, and we must prepare for all potential disasters that could impact us in the city. We look forward to continuing to educate our citizens and visitors of the importance of this program." NOAA'S National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA's National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems, NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes. ### e On the Web: NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov NOAA's National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov TsunamiReady program: http://tsunamiready.noaa.gov Storm Ready program: http://www.stormready.noaa.gov