Given the events of this
past weekend in the Indian Ocean, the threat of
tsunamis is naturally on the minds of many
citizens. Tsunamis, like earthquakes and severe
storms, are one among a number of potential threats
that Santa Monica faces, but the chance of a
significant tsunami impacting our coastline is
remote because of the underlying geology in the
Southern California region. Regardless of the
threat potential, however, the city’s Emergency
Operations Center trainings and its public safety
response operations focus on and prepare for all
types of disasters, including tsunamis.
Much has been made of the
failure of Asian officials to notify and alert the
public of the impending tsunami following the
earthquake in the Indian Ocean, warnings which could
have saved the lives of many thousands of people.
There is a tsunami alerting system in place for such
events in the Pacific Ocean, implemented through the
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In the event of a potential tsunami threat,
notification is relayed from the federal government
to the California Office of Emergency Services, and
to the local government level. This system is
always being improved, and the events of this past
weekend will surely increase attention on its
capabilities. Should the City of Santa Monica be
alerted to an impending tsunami threat, city
response personnel would immediately begin the
notification process of threatened areas of impact.
Notification currently includes use of telephone
trees, emergency vehicles, the media, city website,
and other available information avenues.
The devastating events in
Asia provide an opportunity for all who live in
Santa Monica to review their preparedness levels.
Since natural disasters cannot be prevented, there
are positive actions that we call can take now to
ensure that we are prepared as individuals and as a
community to respond to and recover from whatever
events we may encounter.
It is recommended that residents and businesses keep
at least three days’ worth of food, water, medicines
and other essential items on hand at all times.
In the event of a significant disaster in our
community, the city’s emergency response and
recovery operations would be implemented. But by
taking the time to prepare and plan prior to
emergencies, everyone can improve their ability to
respond to and recover from disasters whenever they
occur.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
TSUNAMIS, PLEASE USE THESE LINKS:
