City tests plan for tsunami

Government officials gathered at the Newport Police Department on Thursday to test the city’s first tsunami-preparedness plan.

The plan was prompted in part by a June 2005 tsunami warning that left many residents wondering what to do if a giant swell were actually headed for Newport Beach.

“We have to be tsunami-ready because we are a coastal city, and even though the chance of occurrence is low, the impact is high,” said Katie Freeman, emergency services coordinator for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

The city has a plan applicable to any disaster, but the tsunami drill was the first time a specific plan was tested. The city plans to write specific plans for each type of disaster, including earthquakes and wildfires, Freeman said.

Thursday’s drill was the first step for Newport Beach to become a tsunami-ready city, as certified by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Freeman said.

Newport Beach city officials were joined Thursday by representatives of UC Irvine, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. In a Police Department room designated as the emergency operations center, officials discussed how residents would be notified and evacuated if a tsunami warning were issued.

“It’s the city’s job to educate to the residents on what the real dangers are,” Newport Beach Mayor Don Webb said.

The tabletop exercise focused on details of responding to a tsunami warning, such as notifying the public on a public address system and managing heavy traffic flows on evacuation routes.

In a room adjacent to the operations center, public information officers for the city and the police and fire departments participated in a conference call with neighboring jurisdictions to ensure a uniform press release was sent to the media.

The drill was an eye-opening look at what a tremendous task it will be to ensure the safe evacuation of people in the event of a tsunami warning, City Manager Homer Bludau said.

“Today we just scratched the surface,” Bludau said. “We raised issues that we need to work on.”

The next step for the tsunami-preparedness plan is to educate the public, officials said.

“During a time of panic, we need to make sure people are educated to make the right decisions,” Bludau said.