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Tsunami Awareness Week to be proclaimed in Ventura County
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Monday, March 26th, 2012
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department On March 27, 2012, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors will proclaim March 25th through March 31st as Tsunami Awareness Week in Ventura County. Tsunami Awareness Week is a nationwide effort to encourage individuals to be prepared for tsunamis through education and awareness. “Tsunamis are a potential risk to residents and visitors along the Ventura County coast,” said Dale Carnathan, Program Administrator for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. “Since 1812, there have been at least nine recorded tsunamis that have caused local damage.” The County of Ventura has done a tremendous amount of work in the last year in regards to tsunami preparedness including: • A direct-mailing of a “How to Survive a Tsunami” brochure was distributed to 7,926 resident and business addresses within the local tsunami-hazard area. • The Ready Ventura County program was launched to assist residents in preparing, responding and recovering from a local emergency or disaster in our community. • The Ventura County Operational Area Tsunami Evacuation Plan was updated and was approved by the Ventura County Emergency Planning Council. • The County of Ventura installed 80 tsunami-hazard signs in the un-incorporated areas of the county. The County of Ventura will also be receiving their TsunamiReady certification from the National Weather Service at the Ventura County Emergency Planning Council meeting scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on April 11, 2012. The TsunamiReady Program, developed by the National Weather Service, is designed to help coastal communities reduce the potential for disastrous tsunami-related consequences. Through this effort, emergency response agencies and residents are better prepared to save lives through better planning, education and awareness. “Many residents and visitors live, work and play near the coast,” said Carnathan. “It is important for everyone to know if they are in a tsunami hazard zone.” The one-year anniversary of the devastation in Japan is also a good reminder for local residents to “drop, cover, and hold on” during an earthquake and to know the warning signs of a potential tsunami. “Strong ground shaking, a loud ocean roar, or the water receding unusually far exposing the sea floor are all nature’s warnings that a tsunami may be coming,” said Carnathan. For more information of how to prepare, please visit the Ready Ventura County website at www.readyventuracounty.org. This website will display current information in the event an emergency, educate residents on the hazards in our area, and provide a resource on how to prepare, respond and recover from a disaster in our community. Nature of Incident: Tsunami Awareness Week to be proclaimed in Ventura County |
