County of Santa Cruz

Table of Contents

General Information................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Objectives................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

Emergency Management Organization........................................................................................................................................................ 11

Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)............................................................................................................................. 11

SEMS Terms and Definitions.................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Santa Cruz County EOC Responsibilities.................................................................................................................................................. 17

Initial Response Management................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Activation Policy...................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Mutual Aid.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

Continuity of County Government............................................................................................................................................................ 30

Preservation of Vital Records.................................................................................................................................................................. 32

Plan Maintenance.................................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Table of Authorities................................................................................................................................................................................. 33

Part III – Santa Cruz County................................................................................................................................................................... 34

Hazards.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37

…..Earthquake....................................................................................................................................................................................... 37

…..Landslide.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 40

…..Flood................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42

…..Wildland Fires................................................................................................................................................................................... 44

…..Extreme Weather............................................................................................................................................................................... 46

…..Tsunami............................................................................................................................................................................................. 46

…..Hazardous Materials.......................................................................................................................................................................... 48

…..Transportation................................................................................................................................................................................... 48

…..Dam Failure....................................................................................................................................................................................... 48

…..Civil Unrest........................................................................................................................................................................................ 49

…..Terrorism........................................................................................................................................................................................... 49

Public Awareness..................................................................................................................................................................................... 49

Reference Plans........................................................................................................................................................................................ 50

Glossary of Terms..................................................................................................................................................................................... 52

Figures

Figure 1: OES Administrative Regions 14

Figure 2: Typical SEMS Organization. 15

Figure 3: County Department Emergency Response Functions. 20

Figure 4: California Mutual Aid Regions. 28

Figure 5: Santa Cruz County. 36

Figure 6: Major Earthquake Fault Zones. 38

Figure 7: Potential Liquefaction Zones. 39

Figure 8: Potential Landslide Areas. 41

Figure 9: Flood Hazard Areas. 43

Figure 10: Severe Fire Hazard Zones. 45

Figure 11: Potential Tsunami Runup Areas. 47

Part One

General Information

The Santa Cruz County Emergency Management Plan addresses the planned response to extraordinary situations associated with large-scale emergency incidents affecting the unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County. This plan closely follows the plan for the Santa Cruz Operational Area, which is an intermediate level of the state emergency organization, consisting of all the political subdivisions within the county boundaries. The Santa Cruz County Operational Area was formed under a Memorandum of Understanding between the County and the cities of Watsonville, Capitola, Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley in 1994. However, this Plan differs from the Operational Area Plan by focusing solely on the emergency management plans of County government. Because the County of Santa Cruz is a local agency within the Operational Area, the County’s plan will become an Appendix of the Operational Area Plan.

This plan:

· Establishes the purposes, authorities, objectives and goals of the emergency management organization in response to any significant emergency or disaster in Santa Cruz County.

· Identifies the organizational structure, responsibilities and operational concepts required to preserve the health and safety of County residents and visitors, property and the environment from the effects of emergencies and disasters.

· Provides a basic review of natural, cultural and technological hazards that could impact the County.

· Outlines the associated emergency plans with which this Plan interacts or which provide additional hazard-specific models for response and recovery, which may modify elements of this Plan.

This plan is designed to establish the framework for implementation of the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) in Santa Cruz County to facilitate multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional coordination during emergency Management.

This document serves as a planning reference. Departments within the County of Santa Cruz who have roles and responsibilities identified by this plan are encouraged to develop emergency Management plans, detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs), and emergency response checklists based on the provisions of this plan. This plan will be used in coordination with the Operational Area Plan, the State Emergency Plan and the Federal Response Plan.

This plan is divided into the following four parts:

Part I – Provides background information and focuses on the Santa Cruz County organization, its responsibilities and concepts for multi-hazard emergency management.

Part II – Focuses on the emergency management organization under the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). Part II is the organizational guide and provides County staff assigned to emergency response and recovery with the framework to implement SEMS.

Part III – Provides an overview of the County and addresses various hazards to which Santa Cruz County is exposed

Part IV – Discusses the various other emergency or disaster plans that support this plan. These supporting documents further describe the operation or functional response to specific threats or of specific emergency response disciplines.

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of emergency management is to ensure the effective management of response forces and resources in preparing for, responding to and recovering from the impacts of natural disasters, technological incidents and security emergencies. To carry out its responsibilities, the County Emergency Management organization will accomplish the following objectives during a disaster or emergency from any source:

· Overall management and coordination of County emergency response and recovery Management, including on-scene incident management as required.

· Coordinate with appropriate federal, state and other local government agencies, as well as applicable segments of private sector entities and volunteer agencies.

· Establish priorities and resolve any conflicting demands for support.

· Prepare and disseminate emergency public information to alert, warn, aid and inform the public.

· Gather, evaluate and disseminate damage information and other essential information.

GOALS

· Provide effective life safety measures and reduce property loss and damage to the environment.

· Provide for the rapid resumption of impacted businesses and community services.

· Provide accurate documentation for cost recovery.

· Provide for timely preparation of recovery and mitigation plans.

OVERALL CONCEPT OF MANAGEMENT

General

This County Emergency Management Plan addresses a wide spectrum of contingencies, ranging from relatively minor incidents to large-scale disasters, such as an earthquake. A buildup or warning period providing sufficient time to warn the public will precede some emergencies and allow time to implement mitigation measures designed to reduce loss of life, property damage, and effects on the environment. Other emergencies occur with little or no advance warning, thus requiring immediate activation of the County Emergency Management Plan with simultaneous mobilization and deployment of resources.

Emergency Phases

Emergency management activities are often conducted within four generally defined phases. However, because each disaster is unique, individual disasters may not include all indicated phases:

· Planning;

· Response;

· Recovery; and

· Mitigation.

Planning Phase

The Planning phase involves activities that are undertaken in advance of an emergency or disaster. These activities assess threats, develop operational capabilities and design effective responses to potential incidents.

Planning activities include:

· Completing hazard analyses;

· Designing and implementing hazard mitigation projects consistent with the hazard analyses;

· Developing and maintaining emergency plans and procedures;

· Developing mutual aid agreements;

· Conducting general and specialized training;

· Conducting exercises; and

· Improving emergency public education and warning systems.

Response Phase

The response phase includes increased readiness, initial and extended response activities. Upon receipt of a warning or the observation that an emergency situation is imminent or likely to occur, the County Office of Emergency Services and County departments will initiate actions to increase their readiness.

Incidents that may trigger increased readiness activities include:

· Receipt of a flood advisory or other special weather statement;

· Conditions conducive to wild land fires, such as the combination of high heat, strong winds, and low humidity;

· A hazardous materials incident;

· Information or circumstances indicating the potential for acts of violence or civil disturbance.

Increased readiness activities may include, but are not limited to the following:

· Briefing of key members of the Santa Cruz County organization;

· Reviewing and updating Emergency Organizational Plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);

· Increasing public information efforts;

· Accelerating training efforts;

· Inspecting critical facilities and equipment, including testing warning and communications systems;

· Warning threatened areas of the population;

· Conducting precautionary evacuations in potentially impacted areas;

· Mobilizing personnel and pre-positioning resources and equipment; and

· Contacting State and Federal agencies that may be involved in field activities.

Initial Response

The County’s initial response activities are primarily performed at the field response level. Emphasis is placed on minimizing the effects of the emergency or disaster. Support and coordination activities take place in the Emergency Management Center with operational links to field response units.

Examples of initial response activities include:

· Making all necessary notifications, including County departments and personnel, local cities and the State OES Coastal Region;

· Disseminating warnings, emergency public information, and instructions to the citizens of Santa Cruz County;

· Declaration of a local emergency;

· Conducting evacuations and/or rescue operations;

· Caring for displaced persons and treating the injured;

· Road clearing, debris removal, flood fight

· Conducting initial damage assessments and surveys;

· Assessing need for mutual aid assistance;

· Restricting movement of traffic/people and unnecessary access to affected areas;

· Developing and implementing Initial Action Plans;

· Securing incident sites

· Conducting search and rescue operations; and

· Fire suppression.

Extended Response

Extended response operations involve the coordination and management of resources and information necessary to facilitate the transition to recovery. Although not a specific action, but rather an evolutionary transition in the response timeline, extended operations generally begin 72 hours after the initial disaster incident.

Examples of extended response activities include:

· Coordination with state and federal agencies working within the County;

· Preparing initial damage assessments;

· Operating mass care facilities;

· Conducting coroner operations,

· Procuring, allocating and monitoring resources required to sustain operations;

· Coordinating mutual aide resources;

· Restoring essential services;

· Initiating advance planning activities;

· Documenting expenditures;

· Developing and implementing Action Plans for extended operation; and

· Disseminating emergency public information.

Recovery Phase

Recovery activities involve the restoration of the affected area(s) to pre-emergency conditions. Recovery activities may be both short-term and long-term, ranging from restoration of essential utilities such as water and power, to implementation of mitigation measures designed to minimize the impact of future occurrences of a given threat.

Examples of recovery activities include:

· Restoring utilities and infrastructure;

· Reinstating autonomy for displaced persons

· Reconstruction of damaged property;

· Conducting residual hazard analyses;

· Coordination of Federal, State, public and private assistance; and

· Determining and recovering costs associated with response and recovery.

Mitigation Phase

Mitigation efforts occur both before and after emergencies or disasters. The goal of mitigation is to reduce or eliminate the future impact of threats consistent with the objectives of the State or Federal hazard mitigation plan developed specifically in response to each declared disaster.

Mitigation efforts can include:

· Amending local development regulations, such as zoning ordinances, building codes, and other land use codes;

· Structural retrofitting measures;

· Forming Hazard Abatement Districts;

· Emphasizing public education and awareness; and

· Incorporating hazard mitigation into long-term development policies such as the General Plan.

SEMS Response Levels

· Field

At the field response level, emergency personnel carry out activities under the management of an appropriate authority in direct response to an incident or threat. SEMS regulations require the use of the Incident Command System at the field response level of an incident.

· Local Government

Local government includes cities, counties and special districts. Each is responsible to manage and coordinate emergency response and recovery activities within its jurisdiction.

· Operational Area

The County is the lead agency for the Operational Area unless another arrangement is established by agreement. In Santa Cruz County, the Operational Area is managed by the County’s Office of Emergency Services.

· Region

California is divided into six Mutual Aid Regions. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) manages these regions through three regional offices. The regional level manages and coordinates information and resources among operational areas within the mutual aid region, and also between the operational areas and the state level. The Santa Cruz County Operational Area is in the OES Coastal Region.

· State

The state level coordinates mutual aid among the mutual aid regions and between the regional level and the state level. It also serves as the initial coordination and communication link between the State and Federal disaster response system.

Figure 1: OES Administrative Regions

This is a brief summary of the functions found at all SEMS levels:

Figure 2: Typical SEMS Organization

Primary SEMS Function	Field Response Level	EOC
Command & Management	Responsible for the control of resources	Responsible for overall emergency policy, strategy and coordination
Operations	Coordinates response of all field operations in accordance with the Incident Action Plan	Coordinates all jurisdictional operations
Planning/Intelligence	Collection, evaluation, documentation and use of information related to the incident	Collects, evaluates and disseminates information and maintains documentation
Logistics	Provides facilities, personnel, services, equipment and materials in support of the incident	Provides facilities, services, personnel, equipment and materials
Finance/Administration	Collects cost, time and materiel data related to the incident	Collects, analyzes and evaluates all cost data associated with time, materiel, personnel and other costs of the incident

Santa Cruz County will comply with SEMS regulations and will:

1. Use SEMS when a local emergency is declared or proclaimed, or the EOC is activated.

2. Establish coordination and communications with field incident commanders either through Departmental Operating Centers (DOCS) to the EOC, when activated, or directly to the EOC.

3. Use existing mutual aid systems for coordinating fire, law enforcement and other resources.

4. Establish communications and coordination with any federal, state or local emergency response agency having jurisdiction at an incident within the County’s borders.

Public Information

Emergency public information to both the general public and the media will only be provided through the Operational Area Public Information Officer. If the EOC has not yet been activated, the Incident Commander will release information based on the facts of the incident. The Incident Commander may elect to delegate this authority to a field level Public Information Officer (PIO). All other individuals working at either the field response level or the EOC will refer inquiries from the media or general public to the Public Information Branch or the Incident Commander.

Emergency Declarations

A declaration of local emergency enables the Santa Cruz County to request state assistance under the Natural Disaster Assistance Act (NDAA). To qualify for permanent restoration assistance, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services must concur with the local emergency declaration. The Governor must proclaim a state of emergency for disaster response and permanent restoration assistance. For matching fund assistance for cost sharing required under federal public assistance programs, the President must declare a major disaster or emergency.

Coordination with Special Districts

The emergency response role of special districts is generally focused on their normal services or functional area of responsibility. During disasters, some types of special districts will be more extensively involved in the emergency response by directly coordinating, communicating, and assisting local governments.

In Santa Cruz County, overlapping boundaries complicate relationships with special districts and the local governments. For the special districts that serve the County unincorporated areas, they will coordinate and communicate directly with the County EOC.

Coordination with Private and Volunteer Agencies

Within the County, coordination of response activities with many non-governmental agencies may occur. However, the County EOC will coordinate with private and volunteer agencies that have multi-jurisdictional or countywide response roles. Coordination with volunteer and private agencies may be accomplished through telecommunications, liaison with community councils that represent several agencies, or involvement of agencies in special multi-agency groups on specific issues.

Coordination with State and Federal Field Response

There are some instances where a state or federal agency will have a field response. State agency field response may result as part of a flood fight effort, oil spill, hazardous materials accident or other hazard scenario. Federal field response could result from the same scenarios or aircraft accident.

When a state agency or federal agency is involved in field operations, coordination will be established with Santa Cruz County Office of Emergency Services. State or federal agencies operating in the field may be found in any ICS section, branch, or unit or part of a unified command. The incident will determine their location.

Santa Cruz County EOC Responsibilities

The following section discusses the basic roles and functions of each SEMS Section. Specific operational procedures for each EOC Section are developed and maintained by the Office of Emergency Services in the EOC Operations Guide. While the Operations Guide is based upon the organizational response structure described by this Plan, it is a flexible management tool reflecting the situational needs of the EOC. It is not included as an Appendix to this Plan.

Management Section

The Management section is responsible for overall coordination and administration of the incident. Management also includes certain support staff functions required to support the EOC.

· Director of Emergency Services – The County Administrative Officer (CAO) is the Director of Emergency Services and is responsible for the County’s response to and recovery from any disaster or emergency.

· EOC Coordinator – The Emergency Services Administrator is the EOC Coordinator. The EOC Coordinator is responsible for coordination and planning during any emergency; for maintaining liaison with state, federal, private sector and other disaster response agencies and organizations as needed and for managing mutual aid. In the Emergency Services Administrator’s absence, one of four designated backup staff may serve as the Deputy EOC Coordinator.

· Legal Officer – The Legal Officer is the County Counsel or his or her designee. The Legal Officer provides advice to the CAO and the EOC Coordinator in all legal matters relating to the emergency.

· Public Information Officer – The Public Information Officer (PIO) acts under the direction of the Director of Emergency Services and the Deputy Director of Emergency Services in coordinating the County’s media interactions and dissemination of information to the public. Designated staff of the County Administrative Office is assigned PIO duties.

· Safety Officer: Staffed by Risk Management, the Safety Officer acts as an advisor to the EOC Coordinator. He or she monitors the emergency organization to ensure the safety and security of all personnel involved.

Operations Section

The Operations Section directs County operational resources and coordinates mutual aid resources. In addition, the Management Sections is responsible for coordinating with incident commanders in the field. The following are typical Branches in an Operations Section, although other Branches can also be activated as dictated by the incident:

· Law: Staffed by the Sheriff/Coroner, the Law Branch directs the response activities of the Sheriff’s Office, reserves, search and rescue, evacuation and Coroner functions. In consultation with the EOC Coordinator, it also coordinates all law mutual aid requests and resources.

· Fire: Staffed by CDF/County Fire, the Fire Branch directs the response activities of County fire and mutual aid fire resources, coordinates heavy rescue missions with other Operations Section branch leaders. In consultation with the EOC Coordinator, this branch coordinates all fire mutual aid requests and resources.

· Emergency Medical Services (EMS): Staffed by the Health Services Agency, the EMS Branch functions as a liaison with medical resources throughout the County. The Branch must also manage disaster medical resources; patient distribution and evacuation; support the provision of hospital care; support out of hospital disaster-designated emergency services; coordinate pre-hospital emergency services; and support temporary field treatment sites. This Branch manages all medical mutual aid requests and resources in consultation with the EOC Coordinator.

· Health: Staffed by the Health Services Agency, the Health Branch coordinates all public health resources throughout the County. This Branch is responsible for ensuring public health, controlling outbreaks of diseases and maintaining the safe supply of food and water.

Public Works: Staffed by the Department of Public Works, the Public Works Branch coordinates repair of damage to public infrastructure (sanitation, roadways, drainage) along with estimates of associated costs. Public Works will also assist other units with traffic control, materials supply and heavy equipment as needed. In consultation with the EOC Coordinator, this branch will coordinate Public Works mutual aid request and resources.

· Human Services: Staffed by the Human Resources Agency, this Branch coordinates the mobilization, supply, operation and demobilization of care and shelter sites and coordinates registration and utilization of volunteer resources throughout the County. This will involve close cooperation with other emergency organizations such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, a variety of community based human care organizations as well as state and federal agencies involved in disaster assistance. In consultation with the EOC Coordinator, this Branch will coordinate care and shelter mutual aid requests and resources.

Because of the range of functions included in the Operations Section, Santa Cruz County will not utilize a specific Section Chief assignment. Branch Chiefs will report to the EOC Coordinator unless incident conditions warrant assignment of an Operations Chief who will, in turn, report to the EOC Coordinator .

Planning Section

The Planning Section is under the direction of the Emergency Services Administrator or his or her designee. The duties and responsibilities of the Planning Section are gathering, condensing and analyzing of all information regarding the incident. The Section is responsible for gathering damage assessment estimates, completing Initial Damage Estimates utilizing the RIMS reporting system, situation reports, conducting planning meetings, documenting EOC activities and assisting in preparation of the EOC Action Plan. The following units are typically established in the Planning Section as necessary:

· Situation Analysis Unit: Staffed by the Office of Emergency Services, this Unit’s primary role is to collect, condense and analyze all information about the incident. Situation Analysis is also responsible for maintaining the Master Incident Record and map data.

· Damage Assessment Unit: Staffed by the Assessor’s Office and the Planning Department, the Damage Assessment Unit collects data on damage to public and private property, casualties, loss of infrastructure and related information. Staff in the Unit prepares periodic damage reports to the EOC management and to the Coastal Region of OES through the RIMS reporting system.

· Documentation Unit: Staffed by the Auditor/Controller and General Services Department, the Documentation Unit maintains and files all EOC action records and maintains a history of the emergency response to provide complete documentation for the purpose of recovery of funds.

· Technical Unit: Staffed by various departments, the Technical Unit provides expert information and analysis in areas such as Geographic Information System products, analysis and liaison; stream levels and flood forecasting; hazardous materials or geologic analysis.

· Recovery Planning Unit: Staffed by various departments and lead by the Office of Emergency Services, the Recovery Planning Unit would be activated and charged with developing initial recommendations for mid to long-term reconstruction and recovery plans when the emergency incident has caused widespread significant damage to infrastructure, public and private property.

Logistics Section

The Logistics Section is staffed by the General Services Department and provides for all EOC support needs. The Section orders all resources, provides communications, facilities, transportation, supplies, equipment, fuel, food, and makes arrangements for support of mutual aid resources as necessary.

Finance Section

The Finance Section is staffed by the Auditor/Controller’s Office and provides for the tracking of time worked by all emergency personnel involved in the incident, provides cost analyses and projections, and establishes cost accounting systems to monitor and provide documentation of County expenses.

The Office of Emergency Services provides follow up support to the Finance Section on monitoring long term cost recovery.

Organizational Flexibility

The five essential SEMS functions will be established as “Sections” within the EOC and all other functions will be organized as branches, groups or units within sections. The types of functions and their relationship on one another will depend upon the size and nature of the incident. Only those functional elements that are required to meet current objects will be activated.

Figure 3: County Department Emergency Response Functions

Department	Function in Level I	Function (as required) in Level II	ADDED Functions in level III
Administrative Office	Management Oversight	Management Oversight; PIO	Incident Management, PIO
Agricultural Commissioner	Ensure a safe and accessible food supply, care for agricultural and forest lands; supply disaster entomological and veterinary assistance	Support to EOC Planning Section/Damage Assessment Unit Ag Damage Assessment and Liaison	Support to EOC Planning Section/Damage Assessment Unit Ag Damage Assessment and Liaison
Assessor		Support to EOC for damage assessment	Staff EOC Planning Section - Damage Assessment Unit
Auditor/Controller		Support for incident cost tracking; EOC Planning Section/Documentation Unit	Staff EOC Finance/Administration Section
Board of Supervisors			Policy Actions
Clerk of the Board
County Clerk/Recorder			Property Research
County Counsel		Support to EOC Management Section	Staff EOC Management Section
County Fire	Area Fire Coordinator	Staff EOC Operations Section as Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator	Staff EOC Operations Section as Fire & Rescue Branch Coordinator
District Attorney			Support Consumer Fraud Prevention efforts
Elections
Emergency Services	Incident Management	Staff EOC Management Section: Planning Section/Situation Analysis Unit	Staff EOC Management Section: Planning Section/Situation Analysis Unit
Environmental Health	HazMat Coordination	Support EOC Operations Section - Medical Branch/HazMat Unit	Staff EOC Operations Section - Medical Branch/HazMat Unit
General Services	Purchasing support	Staff EOC Logistics Section as Section Coordinator	Staff EOC Logistics as Section Coordinator
Health Services	Assess immediate medical needs and response system capacity; manage disaster medical resources; manage patient distribution and evacuation; support the provision of hospital care; support out of hospital disaster-designated emergency services; coordinate pre-hospital emergency services; and support temporary field treatment sites	Staff EOC Operations Section as Medical Branch Coordinator	Staff EOC Operations Section as Medical Branch Coordinator
Human Resources		EOC Operations Section - Care & Shelter Branch Support	Staff EOC Operations Section as Care & Shelter Branch Coordinator
Information Services		Support to EOC	Staff EOC Logistics Section - Technical Support Branch: Expansion of EOC computer stations; network support; assure telephone communication; alternate EOC setup
Parks		Support to EOC Logistics Section	Staff EOC Logistics Section/ Support Branch
Personnel		Support to EOC Logistics Section	Support to EOC Logistics Section
Planning	Structural and Geologic Threat Assessment; Field Damage Assessment; stream monitoring	Activate DOC; GIS support to EOC; stream monitoring; Structural and Geologic Threat Assessment; support to EOC Damage Assessment Unit	Staff EOC Planning Section - GIS Unit & Recovery Planning Unit; Operations Section - Stream Monitoring Unit;
Public Works	Prioritize and coordinate immediate Public Works emergency response activities such as road clearing and debris removal; establishing alternate road access, flood fighting and safety evaluation of bridges, roads and sanitation pump stations	Activate DOC; staff EOC Operations - Public Works Branch	Staff EOC Operations Section - Public Works Branch
Redevelopment Agency		Support EOC Recovery Planning	Staff EOC Planning Section - Recovery Planning Unit
Risk Management			Liaison with EOC Management Section; Support to EOC Coordinator for EOC safety issues; evaluate applicability of insurances in particular incidents
Sheriff/Coroner	Area Law Coordinator; evacuation control; traffic control; access restriction; security; coroner	Staff EOC Operations Section Law Branch	Staff EOC Operations Section - Law Branch
Telecommunications		EOC Logistics Section Support	EOC Logistics Section - Staff the Technical Support Branch
Transportation Commission	Liaison between State and Local transportation officials and coordinate information related to transportation issues	work with CAL TRANS to disseminate information regarding alternate means of transportation and provides other support duties as needed.	Staff EOC Operations Section/Transportation Branch
Treasurer/Tax Collector

Initial Response Management

Organizational Concept

The Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) will be used to manage and control response activities. During initial response, Santa Cruz County field responders will place emphasis on saving lives and property, controlling the situation, and minimizing the environmental impact of the emergency. Santa Cruz County departments, volunteer agencies, and private sector services will be utilized in initial response operations. The disaster/incident may be controlled solely by County emergency responders or with other agencies through the mutual aid system. If the resources available at the field response level are not sufficient to mitigate the situation, the Incident Commander may request that the Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center be activated to support field operations.

Emergencies

Emergency incidents will be managed in one of three modes, depending on the magnitude and scope of the incident.

Decentralized Coordination and Direction (Level I)

This management mode is similar to day-to-day operations and would be used for those emergency situations in which normal management procedures and local resources are adequate. Local public safety and emergency function coordinators provide necessary support, as established by appropriate agreements and ordinances. The County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be activated upon the discretion of the County’s Director of Emergency Services or designee. Inter-agency coordination (i.e., fire, medical, law enforcement) is accomplished via pre-established radio and telephone communications systems and procedures at the incident site and at agency dispatch facilities.

Centralized Coordination (Level II)

This mode is used for emergencies that involve several departments requiring close coordination between local, Operational Area or State resources. In these situations, the County EOC would be activated on a context specific basis. Key management level personnel from the principally involved agencies will be located in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to provide incident coordination.

An EOC is a location from which centralized emergency management can be preformed during an emergency or disaster. This facilitates a coordinated response by the Director of Emergency Services, Emergency Management staff and representatives from organizations who are assigned emergency management responsibilities.

An EOC provides a central location of authority and information, and allows for face-to-face coordination among personnel who must make emergency decisions. The following functions are performed in the Santa Cruz County EOC:

· Managing and coordinating emergency operations;

· Receiving and disseminating warning information;

· Developing emergency policies and procedures specific to the incident;

· Collecting intelligence from, and disseminating information to, the various EOC representatives, and as appropriate to other County, city, special district, state and federal agencies;

· Preparing intelligence/information summaries, situation reports, operational reports, and other reports as required;

· Preparing, analyzing and maintaining general and specific maps, information displays and other data pertinent to management of the emergency; and

· Directing, controlling and coordinating the operational and logistical support of County resources committed to the emergency.

· Maintaining contact and coordination with supporting DOCs, other local government EOCs and the Coastal Region of State OES

· Providing emergency information and instructions to the public, making official releases to the news media and the scheduling of press conferences as necessary.

EOC Location and Description

The County EOC is located in the Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Communications Center at DeLaveaga Park in Santa Cruz. The EOC is well supplied with a computer network, Internet access, telephones, dedicated fax lines, copy machines, televisions and all county communications systems. The staffing pattern is SEMS based and operational periods are determined during the initial stages of an incident. The CAO, Emergency Services Administrator or specifically designated staff may serve as the EOC Director with additional staffing provided by County Department heads (or other designated department personnel) and other supporting agencies including the California Highway Patrol, CalTrans, PG&E, American Red Cross and other organizations as needed.

Alternate EOC

The Office of Emergency Services is currently developing an inventory of multiple sites that could function as the County’s alternate EOC in different incident scenarios. The operational capabilities of the alternate EOC are similar to those of the primary EOC. Direction and control authority will be transferred from the primary EOC to the alternate EOC when deemed necessary. The Logistics Section will arrange for relocation of EOC staff members to the alternate EOC. All Section Chiefs will advise their emergency response personnel of the transition to the alternate EOC. The Management Section will coordinate notification of other local governments and the REOC.

Emergency response coordination may be conducted from the EOC or from other locations depending on the situation. The EOC may be partially or fully staffed to meet the demands of the situation.

Their activities can include but are not necessarily limited to:

· Establishing an area-wide assessment function;

· Determining resource requirements for the affected area and coordinating resource requests;

· Establishing and coordinating the logistical systems necessary to support multi-incident management;

· Establishing priorities for resource allocation.

Information is provided to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by agency dispatch facilities and/or by liaison personnel.

Centralized Coordination and Direction (Level III)

This mode of operation would be utilized in an incident impacting all or a major portion of the County. In this situation, the Operational Area Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would be fully activated and all coordination and direction activities would be accomplished through the EOC.

Activation Policy

The County EOC is activated when field response agencies need support. Activation may involve partial or full staffing, depending on the support required. The following list depicts the circumstances when the County EOC must be activated:

· A state of emergency is proclaimed by the Governor for the county;

· The County is requesting resources from outside its boundaries, except those resources used in normal day-to-day Operations which are obtained through agreements such as fire or law enforcement mutual aid; and

· The County has received resource requests from outside its boundaries, except those resources used in normal day-to-day operations, which are obtained through existing agreements such as fire or law enforcement mutual aid.

The three circumstances listed above require an automatic activation of the Santa Cruz County EOC. Other than these circumstances, the activation of the Santa Cruz County EOC must be authorized. The Santa Cruz County Director of Emergency Services, the Deputy Director of Emergency Services or Deputy EOC Coordinators are authorized to activate the County EOC.

The EOC coordinates activities and augments, but does not replace, any County department’s emergency operations. It also serves as the communications link between the State's Coastal Region Emergency Operating Center and the emergency operations centers of the Santa Cruz Operational Area member jurisdictions. It provides a single point of contact for information on the emergency situation, as well as resource needs and priorities.

Activation involves the notification of emergency response personnel, as well as notifying the affected public. The County utilizes an Emergency Response Roster to alert and activate its emergency response personnel.

Emergency Response Roster

The Emergency Alert List is to be activated and implemented when an emergency or disaster affects the County and poses a significant threat to life, property, and/or the environment. The Santa Cruz County Director of Emergency Services, the Deputy Director of Emergency Services or the Deputy EOC Coordinators are authorized to activate the roster. The Director of Emergency Services, or designee, will determine what parts of the Emergency Response Roster will be implemented, including what sections of the Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be alerted and requested to respond. Critical information and resource requests will be provided electronically to the OES Coastal Region using the Response Information Management System (RIMS) or other methods as appropriate.

RIMS Overview

California’s Response Information Management System (RIMS) is an internet-based system used to coordinate and manage the State’s response to disasters and emergencies. This system increases the level of service and efficiency by improving the ability to respond, manage and coordinate the incident; and improves the ability to respond to major disasters by communicating directly with the State’s Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region.

The following SEMS reports or resource requests will be submitted to the State’s Office of Emergency Services via RIMS during or after an emergency.

1. The Incident/Major Incident Report form will be used to immediately transmit initial information regarding the emergency.

2. The Situation Summary is a current assessment of the emergency. The report identifies major problems and immediate needs. The report should be submitted to State OES within the first four hours of an incident and updated continuously every six hours.

3. The Status Report is submitted every six hours and provides detailed data and description of the situation specific functions such as fire, law, utilities, medical and care and shelter.

4. The Initial Damage Estimate (IDE) includes the location and description of damages and provides a dollar estimate of the damage. The IDE is used to request a State or Federal declaration of emergency and should be updated and submitted every 12 hours.

5. The After Action Report summarizes the response actions and, evaluates the SEMS functions and, if necessary, provides recommendations for improvement in a specific area. This report should be submitted within 60 days.

6. Resource Requests are intended to focus requests of the State to provide specific human, technological or materiel needs that are unavailable within the county.

Incident Action Plan

The Incident Action Plan contains objectives reflecting the overall incident strategy, specific tactical actions, and supporting information for the next operational period.

The plan is developed around a specific operational period, and states the objectives to be achieved and describe the strategy, tactics, resources, and support required to achieving the objectives within the time frame of the incident.

The Planning/Intelligence Section is responsible for facilitating the action planning meeting as well as completing and distributing the action plan. Action plans are developed for a specified operational period, which may range from a few hours to 24 hours. The operational period is determined by first establishing a set of priority actions that need to be performed. A reasonable time frame is then established for accomplishing those actions.

Incident Action Plans will vary in content and form depending upon the kind and size of the incident. The Incident Command System provides for the use of a systematic planning process, and provides forms and formats for developing the Incident Action Plan. The general guidelines for use of an action plan are:

· Two or more departments are involved

· A number of organizational elements have been activated

· The incident continues into another planning or operational period

The Incident Action Plan should provide all agencies with a clear set of objectives, actions, and assignments for the next logical period of time in managing the response. It should also provide the organizational structure and the communications plan required to manage the incident effectively.

Incident Action Plans have four main elements:

· Statement of Objectives - Statement of what is expected to be achieved. Objectives must be measurable.

· Organization - Describes what elements of the SEMS organization will be in place for the next Operational Period.

· Tactics and Assignments - Describes tactics and control operations, including what resources will be assigned.

· Supporting Material- Examples could include a map of the incident, a communications plan, medical plan, a traffic plan, weather data, special precautions, and a safety message.

Damage Assessment and Situation Reporting

When a disaster occurs, it is necessary to collect and analyze information concerning the nature, severity, and extent of the situation, and to report the information through established channels. The information will be used to assess the extent of the disaster/incident and determine the appropriate level of response for the County.

The Planning Branch of the County EOC will coordinate compilation of estimates of the extent and severity of damage and transmit this information to the REOC on a regular basis during the response period.

Information needed to determine the operational problems and immediate needs of the community is critical. The specific information on dollar amounts of the damage and the economic consequences of the disaster are also important, but may not be collected until the operational problems and immediate needs are collected and analyzed as the County begins the transition to recovery and mitigation operations.

Alternate Communications

If the regular telephone lines servicing the County are not operable, alternative communication systems will be used to establish links to other county, regional and state emergency organizations.

OASIS

The Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS) has a low susceptibility to geologic hazards and is independent of the public telephone system. OASIS is intended to be a backup to the existing Santa Cruz County communication resources, which include a countywide radio system, amateur radio systems, and digital packet radio for data communications. The two major components of the system are the satellite communications systems and the high frequency radio backup.

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Alerting and warning the public may be accomplished through the Emergency Alert System, special broadcasts, or through other means. This task will be accomplished with assistance from the Public Information Officer as deemed necessary. The County of Santa Cruz is a participant in the Bay Area Local Area Emergency Alert System (EAS) plan. This enables use of the telephone, or special equipment installed in the EOC, to send messages to the public. The EAS plan is, by reference, included as a part of this plan.

Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES)/Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)

Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS)/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)/Amateur Radio Emergency Services operates on radio amateur frequencies by authority of the FCC in support of emergency communications. ACS/RACES/ARES, as a participant in the Operational Area EOC can augment existing systems, substitute for damaged or inoperable systems, and establish communications links with otherwise inaccessible areas. Special consideration will be given to using ACS/RACES/ARES to support disaster medical care and emergency public information functions. The Emergency Services Administrator will select the local ACS/RACES Officer to serve as the County OES contact for all amateur radio organizations. The State will be notified of any changes.

Mutual Aid

The foundation of California’s emergency planning and response is a statewide mutual aid system which is designed to ensure that adequate resources, facilities and other support is provided to jurisdictions whenever their own resources prove to be inadequate to cope with a given situation. The basis for the system is the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement, as provided for in the California Emergency Services Act. This Agreement was developed in 1950 and has been adopted by the state, all 58 counties and most incorporated cities in the State of California. The Master Mutual Aid Agreement creates a formal structure wherein each jurisdiction retains control of its own facilities, personnel and resources, but may also receive or render assistance to other jurisdictions within the state. State government is obligated to provide available resources to assist local jurisdictions in emergencies.

The Mutual Aid System

A statewide mutual aid system, operating within the framework of the Master Mutual Aid Agreement, allows for the progressive mobilization of resources to and from emergency response agencies, local governments, operational areas, regions and the state with the intent to provide requesting agencies with adequate resources.

The statewide mutual aid systems include several discipline-specific mutual aid systems such as fire and rescue, law, medical and public works. The adoption of SEMS does not alter existing mutual aid systems. These systems work through local government, operation area, regional and state levels consistent with SEMS.

Mutual Aid Regions

Mutual aid regions are established under the Emergency Services Act. Six mutual aid regions have been established within California. Santa Cruz County is within Region II.

Figure 4: California Mutual Aid Regions

Mutual Aid Coordinators

To facilitate mutual aid, discipline-specific mutual aid systems work through designated mutual aid coordinators at the operational area, regional and state levels. The basic role of a mutual aid coordinator is to receive mutual aid requests, coordinate the provision of resources from within the coordinator’s geographic area of responsibility and pass on unfilled requests to the next level.

Mutual aid requests that do not fall into one of the discipline-specific systems are handled through the emergency services mutual aid system by emergency management staff at the local government, operational area, regional and state levels.

Mutual aid coordinators may function from an EOC, their normal departmental location or other locations depending on circumstances. Some incidents require mutual aid but do not necessitate activation of the affected local government or operational area EOCs because of the incident’s limited scope or impact. In such cases, mutual aid coordinators typically handle requests from their normal work location. When EOCs are activated, all activated discipline-specific mutual aid systems should establish coordination and communications with the EOCs.

· When an operational area EOC is activated, operational area mutual aid system representatives should be at the operational area EOC to facilitate coordination and information flow.

· When the OES Coastal Region EOC (REOC) is activated, regional mutual aid coordinators should have representatives in the REOC unless it is mutually agreed that effective coordination can be accomplished through telecommunications. State agencies may be requested to send representatives to the REOC to assist OES regional staff in handling mutual aid requests for disciplines or functions that do not have designated mutual aid coordinators.

· When the State Operations Center (SOC) is activated, state agencies with mutual aid coordination responsibilities will be requested to send representatives to the SOC.

· Mutual aid systems representatives at an EOC may be located in various functional elements (sections, branches, groups or units) or serve as an agency representative, depending on how the EOC is organized and the extent to which it is activated.

Volunteer and Private Agencies in Mutual Aid

Volunteer agencies and private agencies may participate in the mutual aid system along with governmental agencies. For example, the disaster medical mutual aid system relies heavily on private sector involvement for medical/health resources. Some volunteer agencies such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others are an essential element of the statewide emergency response to meet the needs of disaster victims. Volunteer agencies mobilize volunteers and other resources through their own systems. They also may identify resource needs that are not met within their own systems that would be requested through the mutual aid system. Volunteer agencies with extensive involvement in the emergency response should be represented in the EOC.

Some private agencies have established mutual aid arrangement to assist other private agencies within their functional area. For example, electric and gas utilities have mutual aid agreements within their industry and established procedures for coordinating with governmental EOCs. In some functional areas, a mix of special district, municipal and private agencies, provide services. Mutual aid arrangements may include both governmental and private agencies.

Liaison should be established between activated EOCs and private agencies involved in a response. Where there is a need for extensive coordination and information exchange, private agencies should be represented in activated EOCs at the appropriate SEMS level.

Emergency Facilities Used for Mutual Aid

Incoming mutual aid resources may be received and processed at several types of facilities including marshaling areas, mobilization centers and incident facilities. Each type of facility is described briefly below.

Marshaling Area: Defined in the Federal Response Plan as an area used for the complete the assembly of personnel and other resources prior to their being sent directly to the disaster affected area. Marshaling areas may be established in other states for a catastrophic incident affecting California.

Mobilization Center: Off-incident location at which emergency serve personnel and equipment are temporarily located pending assignment, release or reassignment. For major area-wide disasters, mobilization centers may be located in or on the periphery of the disaster area.

Incident Facilities/Staging Areas: Incoming resources may be sent to staging areas, other incident facilities or directly to an incident, depending on the circumstances. Staging areas are temporary locations at an incident where personnel and equipment are kept while awaiting tactical assignments.

Policies and Procedures

Mutual aid resources will be provided and utilized in accordance with the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement. During a declared emergency, inter-jurisdictional mutual aid will be coordinated at the County, operational area or mutual aid regional level.

When activated, the Santa Cruz County EOC coordinates mutual aid requests on behalf of County departments and special districts. Requests should specify, at a minimum:

· Number and qualifications of personnel needed

· Type and amount of equipment needed, equipment that will be provided locally

· Required reporting time and location

· Reporting procedures

· Estimated duration of assignment

· Local transportation requirements; equipment that will be provided locally

Continuity of County Government

A major disaster could result in the death or injury of key government officials, the partial or complete destruction of established seats of government, and the destruction of public and private records essential to continued operation of government.

Governments at all levels are responsible for providing continuity of effective leadership and authority, as well as the direction of emergency response and recovery functions. The California Government Code and the Constitution of California provide the authority for state and local government to reconstitute itself in the event incumbents are unable to serve pursuant to Government Code, Title 2, Article 15, commencing with section 8635.F

Responsibilities

Government at all levels is responsible for providing continuous, effective leadership and authority under all aspects of emergency management. Under California’s concept of mutual aid, local officials remain in control of their jurisdiction’s emergency operations while others may provide additional resources upon request. A key aspect of this control is the ability to communicate official requests, situation reports and emergency information throughout any disaster a community might face.

Preservation of Local Government

Article 15 of the California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7 of Division 1 or Title 2 of the Government Code) provides the authority, as well as the procedures to be employed to ensure continued functioning of political subdivisions within the State of California. Article 15 provides for the succession of officers who head departments responsible for maintaining law and order, or in furnishing public services related to health and safety.

Lines of Succession for Officials Charged with Discharging Emergency Responsibilities

The first step in assuring continuity of government is to have personnel who are authorized and prepared to carry out emergency actions for government in the event of a natural, technological or other disaster.

Article 15, Section 8638 of the Emergency Services Act authorizes governing bodies to designate and appoint three standby officers for each member of the governing body. Chapter 2.26.050 of the Santa Cruz County Code, Succession of Director’s Powers and Duties, states:

A. The following persons are designated, in the order named, to succeed to all the powers and duties of the Director of Emergency Services during the absence or unavailability of the Director and of any other persons who are hereby designated with prior authority to succeed to such powers and duties:

1. Assistant County Administrative Officer;

2. Deputy Director of Emergency Services;

3. Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors;

4. Vice-chairperson of the Board of Supervisors;

5. Any other member of the Board of Supervisors.

Article 15, Section 8637 of the Emergency Services Act authorizes political subdivisions to provide for the succession of officers (department heads) having duties related to law and order and or health and safety.

General

Santa Cruz County is located on the central coast of California in the southern portion of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services’ Coastal Region. It extends from the Pacific Ocean on the west, to the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains on the east, the Pajaro River on the south and to the San Mateo County line on the north. It is adjacent to Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Benito and Monterey Counties. Santa Cruz County covers an area of 441 square miles and has a population of approximately 245,201 inhabitants according to U.S. Census Bureau, July 1999 data. Agriculture, tourism and rapidly expanding technology, manufacturing and service sectors are the major local industries.

There are two major highways that run through the County; State Highway 1, which runs north and south along the coastline and State Highway 17, which runs northeast through the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Santa Clara Valley. There are several secondary highways; State Highway 9 connects Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo Valley to Los Gatos and Saratoga in Santa Clara County. The communities of the Pajaro Valley are connected to the City of Gilroy in South Santa Clara County via State Highway 152 and to San Benito County by State Highway 129.

The County’s single rail line originates in Monterey County and roughly follows the coastline and terminates at the Lone Star Cement plant in the community of Davenport. This line is owned by Union Pacific Railroad and is utilized on a limited basis to carry lumber, coal, iron oxide and gypsum inbound and cement outbound.

The Watsonville Municipal Airport serves the general aviation community and supports modest commercial operations. It provides the only fixed runway facility in the County capable of handling large aircraft and is an essential facility in disaster response.

The County’s entire seaward boundary is included in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Sanctuary enjoys special protections to preserve the unique marine environment and species of the Bay.

Santa Cruz County, with its varying topography, mix of urban and rural areas, rapidly growing permanent, transient and recreational population is subject to a wide variety of impacts from various hazards and threats. There are three broad categories of hazards, which include: natural, technological and domestic security threats:

Figure 5: Santa Cruz County

Natural Hazards

· Earthquakes

· Landslides

· Floods

· Wildland fires

· Extreme weather/storm

· Tsunami

Earthquake

Several active and potentially active earthquake faults are located within Santa Cruz County including the San Andreas, San Gregorio, Corralitos and Zayante Faults as well as numerous fault complexes and branches of these major faults.

Even a moderate earthquake occurring in or near the areas mentioned above could result in deaths, casualties, property and environmental damage, as well as disruption of normal economic, government and community services and activities. The effects could be aggravated by collateral incidents such as fires, flooding, hazardous material spills, utility disruptions, landslides, and infrastructure collapse. After any significant earthquake, there may be short and long-term economic impacts to both the public and private sectors. Individuals can lose wages due to businesses inability to function because of damaged goods or facilities. Historically, many small businesses fail after a major earthquake due to direct loss of income and inability to remain financially viable after the recovery period. Governments as well, suffer loss of tax revenues to support essential services as property values are reduced and sales and other related taxes may take years to recover to their pre-disaster levels.

Under severe ground acceleration (ground shaking) and liquefaction, Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis reveals that in Santa Cruz County; 5% of the structures or approximately 3,884; 14% of all County roads (303 miles), and a number of essential facilities including: 6 fire stations, 9 schools, and 18 churches, all lie within ½ mile of a fault zone and could suffer major damage.

Figure 6: Major Earthquake Fault Zones

Figure 7: Potential Liquefaction Zones

Landslide

In a strong earthquake, it is extremely likely that landslides will occur simultaneously, depending on ground conditions, or even years later when slideplanes reactivated by the earthquake are set in motion by apparently unrelated events such as heavy rains. Santa Cruz County is extremely susceptible to landslides due to the topography and geological soil characteristics. Based on GIS survey analysis, 7.5% of the developed parcels (5,523), 11% of roads (233 miles), 17% of Sheriff’s facilities (2), along with 35% of non-County fire stations (3), are within or intersected by known landslide-prone areas.

Figure 8: Potential Landslide Areas

Flood

Santa Cruz County’s geography focuses rainfall into four primary watershed basins, the San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, Aptos Creek and Corralitos/Salsipuedes Creeks. While the Corralitos/Salsipuedes watershed feeds into the Pajaro River, and can be a crucial element in exposure to flooding of the Pajaro in the Watsonville area, the Pajaro’s drainage is predominantly from Southern Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey Counties.

Geographically, the San Lorenzo, Soquel, Aptos and Corralitos/Salsipuedes drainages are relatively short and steep compared to the Pajaro river drainage system; and have significantly shorter flow periods and therefore, shorter warning times for peak flow incidents.

Under a widespread heavy rain scenario (accumulation of .30 inches of rain per hour or more), severe flooding is likely in low-lying areas within a basin. Based on the 100 year flood plain (FEMA Zone A), 11 % of the developed parcels (8,359) 5% of roads (103 miles), 25% of the sheriff’s facilities (3), 30% of the fire stations (7), 9% of schools (16) and approximately 15% of the churches (32) are located within or intersected by the 100 year flood plain.

Figure 9: Flood Hazard Areas

Wildland Fire

Widespread fires, both in rural and urban environments, pose a major threat to Santa Cruz County. Based on a Geographic Information System (GIS) fire hazard analysis, 5% of the developed parcels in the County (3,538), 8.0% of roads (178 miles), 5% of the CDF fire stations (2), and approximately 4% of the churches are located within a fire-hazard area.

Figure 10: Severe Fire Hazard Zones

Extreme Weather

Because of its direct westerly exposure to weather systems coming from the Pacific Ocean and its geography, which promotes intense precipitation from storm systems, Santa Cruz County is susceptible to damage from extreme weather/storm conditions. Most commonly, extreme weather in Santa Cruz County involves heavy rain and high winds. Hazards presented by these conditions include: structural damage and damage to utility and transportation infrastructure from flooding, landslide/mudslide/debris flow, high erosion and, quite often, toppling trees.

Tsunami

The San Gregorio fault is a northwest-southeast trending fault, which begins just offshore in Monterey Bay roughly paralleling the coastline for approximately 100 miles in a northerly direction. Although relatively little studied until recently, the fault is thought to be the source of several significant earthquakes in historical times. The Cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Watsonville as well as the residential communities along the coastline would be significantly impacted from a tsunami created by an earthquake on this fault.

A tsunami generated by a Richter magnitude 6.8+ earthquake on the San Gregorio fault could arrive just minutes after the initial shock. The lack of warning time from such a nearby event will result in higher casualties than if it were a distant tsunami where the Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific Ocean could warn threatened coastal areas in time for evacuation.

The County is actively participating with a variety of local, state and national organizations in developing a tsunami threat assessment analysis along with a map of coastal inundation zones. When the work is complete, the resulting Tsunami Plan will be included by reference as a part of this plan.

Figure 11: Potential Tsunami Runup Areas

Technological Hazards

· Hazardous materials release

· Transportation accidents

· Utilities failure or damage

· Dam failure

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials are formulated, used and transported throughout Santa Cruz County. Commercial, agricultural and industrial use of hazardous materials provides an opportunity for accidental release. Because the local economy depends largely on the agricultural industry, the threat level and the possibility of a hazardous materials release cannot be ignored. There are a number of local industrial and manufacturing firms, which produce fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemical agents. These products are also locally stored and transported to other parts of the region on local roadways, thus presenting a threat to public health, safety and the environment.

The Hazardous Materials Area Plan, which addresses this issue, is, by reference, included as a part of this Plan.

Transportation

There are two major highways that run through the County; State Highway 1 and State Highway 17. There are also other secondary yet heavy-traffic routes such as State Highways 9, 129, and 152. Statistically, all of these routes combined account for 54% of the total highway accidents in the County. Should a major transportation incident occur, which could impact the County, it will most probably be along these transportation corridors.

Dam Failure

These are:

The three earth fill dams in or affecting Santa Cruz County are Sempervirens Dam, located on Sempervirens Creek, a tributary of East Wadell Creek in Big Basin State Park; Newell Creek Dam, located on Newell Creek, a tributary of the San Lorenzo River; and Hernandez Dam, located on the San Benito River, sixty-five miles south of Hollister.

A dam failure may cause loss of life, damage to property, displacement of people residing in the inundation path, as well as other threats. Damage to utilities in the inundation areas could also impact support systems in communities outside the immediate hazard area. A catastrophic dam failure, depending on the size of the dam and affected population downstream, could exceed the response capability of local governments.

The Dam threat analysis is planned for completion during 2003 and will be included by reference as a part of this plan

Domestic Security Threats

· Civil Unrest

· Terrorism

Civil Unrest

The effects of a civil unrest are varied and are usually based upon the type, severity, scope and duration of the disturbance. The effects include traffic congestion or gridlock, illegal assemblies, disruption of utility service, property damage, injuries and potential loss of life.

Terrorism

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) publication Principle Threats Facing Communities and Local Emergency Management Coordinators, most terrorist activities are bombing attacks. Principal targets include military personnel and facilities, commercial establishments, and federal government buildings and property.

The effects of terrorist activities can vary significantly, depending on the type, severity, scope, and duration of the activity. Terrorist activities may result in disruption of utility services, property damage, injuries and the loss of lives.

To date, terrorism has been targeted primarily against United States interests abroad. However, the September 11, 2001 attacks, anthrax mailings and the Oklahoma City bombing are reminders that terrorist attacks may occur anywhere in the United States. Although no confirmed terrorist attacks have occurred in Santa Cruz County, the threat remains valid. The County Office of Emergency Services is actively working with surrounding Counties, State and Federal authorities in a reanalysis of terrorism response plans given recent events. The revised Terrorism Plan is projected to be completed during 2002 and will be included by reference as a part of this plan.

Public Awareness and Education

The public's response to any emergency is based on an understanding of the nature of the emergency, the potential hazards, the likely response of emergency services, and knowledge of what individuals and groups should do to increase their chances of survival and recovery. Public awareness and education prior to an emergency or disaster will directly affect Santa Cruz County's emergency response and recovery efforts.

Santa Cruz County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) will make emergency preparedness information from local, state and federal sources available to the citizens of Santa Cruz County. Furthermore, the Office of Emergency Services will provide special emphasis on specific hazards periodically throughout the calendar year, aiding in the disaster preparation and education of the communities within the Santa Cruz County.

Part I