Courtesy Photo

The first sign was put up today Thursday December 1, 2011 by the City’s Street Department. Anthony Prieto, Maintenance Crew Leader, put up the first “Evacuation” and “Entering Tsunami Hazard Zone” signs at La Marina and Shoreline. In the next several months City Street Crews will put up a total of 58 signs along the affected areas of our coastline. These signs will assist the City of Santa Barbara in joining with other coastal communities in becoming a TsunamiReady Community. The signs are both directional and educational and have been provided to the City at no cost from the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA).

As part of an awareness/preparedness campaign, the City hosted two Tsunami Community Meetings on October 26, 2011 and October 27, 2011.

A map is available which shows the placement for future signs. You can see a copy of the map at the City’s Office of Emergency Services Website: www.santabarbaraca.gov/oes

“We are very excited to see these signs go up in our community. The City has been working on becoming a TsunamiReady Community and this is one of the final steps to receive this designation from the National Weather Service.” said Yolanda McGlinchey, Emergency Services Manager.

“The City of Santa Barbara will not be “tsunami-proof,” however, being a TsunamiReady Community means Santa Barbara will be more prepared for the dangers associated with tsunamis and that will ultimately save lives and reduce property damage,” said Mark Jackson, meteorologist-in-charge of the Oxnard National Weather Service office.

“The City cares that its residents, businesses, and tourists should be aware of the possible hazards associated with living, working or visiting our coastal community. We want our community to know that it is not a good idea to run to the beaches when there is a tsunami warning,” said Fire Chief Andrew DiMizio. “What we want them to do is be prepared to evacuate if necessary, and have their emergency kits ready to go.”

For more information contact the City’s Office of Emergency Services at 805-564-5711.

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