PrepareAThon! 2015: Know your hazards

It’s that time again - the Spring 2015 observance of America’s PrepareAThon!, a national campaign that helps us all be a little more prepared for emergency situations.

The goal of the program is to increase the number of individuals who:

v  Understand what kinds of emergency situations or disasters could happen in their communities

v  Know what they can do to protect against them and stay safe &

v  Take any action to increase their personal or family preparedness

Do you know your hazards?

Let’s focus on a few that could happen in Monterey County:

With the prolonged drought continuing to dry out and increase potential fuel sources throughout the county, we must be aware of the increased risk for wildfires to occur and spread quickly.

In fact, Monterey County is home to 2 of the top 10 largest wildfires in modern-day California, with both the Marble Cone and Basin Complex fires each burning over 250 square miles.

“Fire season” is now a lot longer than it used to be. 

A few easy ways to be more prepared for wildfire:

*        Create “defensible space” around your home by reducing the amount of material that can burn easily. Clear away excess yard debris and other flammable materials, and try to use fire-resistant landscaping when able.

*        Review your renters or homeowners insurance policy to check coverage levels for your property and personal belongings.

*        Know your evacuation routes. How can you get out of your neighborhood and community if needed? Find a good way (and a backup route or two) and make sure everyone knows about it.

*        In a dangerous situation, your first thoughts will be about the safety of your family and friends. Know how you all can communicate – keep important numbers written down somewhere safe and designate a meeting spot for everyone to get back together.

*        Know how to stay informed. When “the call” goes out to let you know that your neighborhood is being evacuated, will you receive it? 

Alert Monterey County, our local emergency notification system, allows you to choose how and when you get messages – phone calls to landlines, cell phones and even VoIP, text or email. Go on and register your information today to keep you and your family informed.

Want more detailed information and some great resources? 

Check out this packet on wildfire preparedness 

And while we typically get a break from extreme fire conditions during our rainy periods, earthquake “season” is 24/7/365 for California residents.

As a quick reminder,  we can’t predict these events, but we can prepare for them.

Tips to get and stay ready for an earthquake

Being prepared is all about what works for you.  Think about your daily routine and all that you count on to get you through it. Who counts on you to get through theirs?

The key is being able to then take that daily routine and identify what you and your loved ones will need to be ready.

*        What information do you need access to? What if it wasn’t available? Where else could you go?

*        What “things” do you use? What do they need to continue to function? (Hint: BATTERIES)

*        What about extra clothes? Toiletries? (Hint #2: Kids GROW)

*        Health considerations? Medications?

*        Entertainment and/or comfort items?

The bottom line is that it has to meet your needs. There’s a lot of info out there on “making a plan and having a kit” but it doesn’t do or mean anything if it’s not tailored to you and your own specific requirements.

Except for water….everyone needs water.

Don’t be like Thirsty Cat:

For more resources on getting prepared, visit Ready.gov or the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services

To sign up for emergency alerts, visit AlertMontereyCounty.org

Have a great weekend!

Rain showers expected on Saturday

Overview Rain showers are expected on Saturday as a cold front moves through our area.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE

·  Moderate to High

TIMING

·  Saturday with the North Bay expecting the rainfall first. Most of the showers will end by Saturday afternoon around San Francisco Bay and by Saturday evening around Monterey Bay.

LOCATIONS

·  This will be for the entire San Francisco and Monterey Bay Region.

IMPACTS

*Current Watches/Warnings/Advisories:

·  No watches/warnings/advisories in effect at this time 

·  For all current watch/warning/advisories, http://1.usa.gov/1boSTTW

*Impact 1 (Rain) :

·  Rain showers will move through our region on Saturday. Rainfall amounts will range from a tenth to half an inch. A few isolated coastal range spots could pick up higher amounts. Please see the image attached below.

*Impact 2 (Slick Roads):

·  Roads will likely be slick during the onset of rain especially for locations that have been dry over the past week.

Monitor NWS Monterey Facebook and Twitter for further updates.

Earth Day : How harnessing data from nature helps keep communities safe

Continual advances bring endless new possibilities in all walks of life.  

With more and more options for collecting, processing, and analyzing the data that the Earth generates, the ability to interpret what it means as it relates to public safety continues to be strengthened, leading to a more informed, and ultimately safer, community.

Here's a few ways that capturing natural data can assist with emergency situations:

Continuous monitoring of seismic activity allows for fault movement to be recorded and analyzed to generate probability models and expected impacts, leading to high preparedness levels among the community. It also allows for potentially new faults or patterns to be detected and discovered.

Enhanced sensors, connectivity, and data transfer speeds allow for the possibility of a warning system that can send emergency alerts to cell phones prior to the main, damaging waves of an earthquake. This allows people to take appropriate action (duck, cover, hold) and reduces risk of injury during the shaking. 

LiDAR is used extensively in geological science and has many diverse applications, from finding new movement patterns to calculating precise geological functions, like the uplift of Mount St. Helens and assisting in creating maps with great topographic and structural detail.

Another example comes to us from wildfire monitoring. The photo above is from the Oakland Hills Fire of 1991, where numerous factors on the ground affected the operational side of the response. The satellite photo allowed command staff to get a new angle on the activity and gave them the ability to pinpoint areas of areas that had been burned over, areas that were intensely burning (including seeing hundreds of individual structures at one time), and anticipate possible future spread. 

Finally, sensors like this one monitor water flow and levels as well as other environmental factors and are able to give a status of a body of water, forecasting flooding and monitoring storm effects in real-time. Monterey County has approximately 50 of these sites, and was one of the first networks of its kind. For more on the ALERT system, visit the Monterey County Water Resources Agency page about it.

As technology continues to evolve, we can keep "listening" to clues and information to better help us be more prepared to cope with the adverse effects of emergency situations through things like planning and mitigation strategies, increasing our response capacities, and helping in recovery efforts.

Happy Earth Day!

A THANK YOU to our 911 staff for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

With an average answer time of just 6.6 seconds for over 546,000 calls last year (nearly 1500 a day!), the Monterey County Emergency Communications Department / Regional 911 Center stays busy.

In fact, the total number of work hours required to maintain minimum staffing each year is over 112,000 - with 8,760 hours in a year (24 x 365), that's the equivalent of  12.8 years of time!

No matter what, the men and women of the center stay poised and ready to answer the call anytime, providing exceptional service and serving as the vital link between the public and the agencies tasked with helping to keep them safe.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 12-18) allows us to recognize and laud these efforts, but in reality we appreciate the hard work that they do each and every day.

Please join us in extending a big THANK YOU to all of our dispatchers!

A unique force in homeland security: The Navy's Marine Mammal Program

Everyone is familiar with security patrol dogs. You may even know that because of their exceptionally keen sense of smell, dogs like beagles are also used to detect drugs and bombs, or land mines. 

However, dogs aren't that effective in assisting coastal defense efforts, especially underwater.

Sea mines are sophisticated, expensive weapons that are designed to work in the ocean where they can sink ships, destroy landing craft, and kill or injure personnel. Sea mines are made so that they cannot be set off easily by wave action or marine animals growing on or bumping into them. If undetected, sea mines can be deadly, destructive weapons.

So what's the Navy to do? 


Well, just as the dog's keen sense of smell makes it ideal for detecting land mines, the U.S. Navy has found that the biological sonar of dolphins, called echolocation, makes them uniquely effective at locating sea mines so they can be avoided or removed. Other marine mammals like the California sea lion also have demonstrated the ability to mark and retrieve objects for the Navy in the ocean. In fact, marine mammals are so important to the Navy that there is an entire program dedicated to studying, training, and deploying them. It is appropriately called the Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP). 

In addition to mine detection, the Fleet's operational Marine Mammal Systems (MMS) uses dolphins and sea lions to find and mark the location of underwater objects. Dolphins are essential because their exceptional biological sonar is unmatched by hardware sonars in detecting objects in the water column and on the sea floor. Sea lions are used because they have very sensitive underwater directional hearing and exceptional vision in low light conditions. Both of these marine mammal species are trainable for tasks and are capable of repetitive deep diving.

Some of the objects the animals find are expensive to replace. Others could present a danger to Navy personnel and vessels. The dolphins and sea lions work under the care and close supervision of their handlers and are generally trained for a particular operational capability called a "system." These human/animal teams can be deployed within 72 hours of notice and can be rapidly transported by ship, aircraft, helicopter, and land vehicles to potential regional conflict or staging areas all over the world and  regularly participate in major exercises. 

These animals are released almost daily untethered into the open ocean, and since the program began, only a few animals have not returned. 

The development, training, veterinary care and research facility that supports today's Navy Marine Mammal Program is centered in the Biosciences Division at SSC Pacific.  The Navy's work with marine mammals has been ongoing for many years, beginning in the late 1950s when the Navy began to study the unique attributes of marine mammals such as the hydrodynamics of the dolphin. By understanding how dolphins move in the water, perhaps the Navy could improve torpedo, ship and submarine designs. Soon the Navy realized that dolphins would be valuable assistants to Navy divers working in the open ocean. Unlike human divers, dolphins are capable of making repeated deep dives without experiencing "the bends," or decompression sickness. They also found that dolphins and sea lions are highly reliable, adaptable and trainable marine animals that could be conditioned to search for, detect and mark the location of objects in the water.

Today, bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions continue to perform a number of important functions such as protecting ports and Navy assets from swimmer attack, locating and attaching recovery hardware to expensive exercise and training targets, and locating potentially dangerous sea mines.

For more on this unique partnership, check out the Navy's Marine Mammal Program page

NWS Weather Briefing: Late Season Storm to Impact Region Beginning Tonight

Overview A late season Pacific storm system remains on track to impact the San Francisco/Monterey Bay area tonight through Tuesday night. This system will bring locally heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with gusty winds and small hail, and possible accumulating snowfall to elevations above 4,000 feet.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE

• High: Overall storm system and widespread rainfall.
• Low: Accumulating snowfall across the Santa Lucia Range.

TIMING

• Light rain will begin across the North Bay late this evening and will spread southward/inland overnight into early Tuesday morning. The heaviest precipitation will likely occur just ahead of and along the frontal boundary as it pushes inland early Tuesday morning. 
• Thunderstorm potential will be greatest late Tuesday morning through Tuesday afternoon.

LOCATIONS

• This system will impact all portions of the region tonight through Tuesday night.

IMPACTS

*Current Watches/Warnings/Advisories:

Winter Weather Advisory for the Following Areas:

Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest

·  For all current watches, warnings, and/or advisories:  http://1.usa.gov/1boSTTW

*Impact 1 (Rain) :

·  The greatest rainfall amounts will occur across the North Bay and coastal ranges down the coast through Tuesday night where 0.75" to 2" will be possible. Higher amounts cannot be ruled out across the higher elevations. Meanwhile, most urban areas can expected anywhere from 0.25" to 1" from this system. 

*Impact 2 (Thunderstorms and Small Hail):

·  A more unstable atmosphere will lead to possible thunderstorms with small hail and strong, gusty winds on Tuesday.

*Impact 3 (Snow Accumulations):

·  Snow will likely accumulate for locations above 4000 feet especially the Santa Lucia Range in Monterey County early Tuesday with several inches possible by Tuesday night.

  

*Impact 4 (Wind):

·  Southwesterly winds will increase through tonight as the cold front approaches. Winds of 15 to 25 mph with local gusts over 35 mph are possible for urban areas. Higher elevation locations could see gusts approaching 50 mph. Wind speeds will then diminish in wake of the frontal passage Tuesday.

Monitor NWS Monterey Facebook and Twitter for further updates.

"Hazardous Weather Outlook" for Monterey County; Two rounds of rain, possible thunderstorms, snow, & hail in next week

National Weather Service: Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
859 AM PDT FRI APR 3 2015

This outlook includes:

CAZ006-505>513-516>518-528>530-041600-

SAN FRANCISCO-COASTAL NORTH BAY...INCLUDING POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE-NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS-SAN FRANCISCO BAY SHORELINE-SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA COAST-EAST BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-EAST BAY HILLS AND DIABLO RANGE-SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS-SANTA CLARA VALLEY...INCLUDING SAN JOSE-SOUTHERN SALINAS VALLEY...ARROYO SECO...AND LAKE SAN ANTONIO-SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST-MOUNTAINS OF SAN BENITO AND INTERIOR MONTEREY COUNTY INCLUDING PINNACLES NATIONAL PARK-NORTHERN SALINAS VALLEY...HOLLISTER VALLEY...AND CARMEL VALLEY-NORTHERN MONTEREY BAY-SOU THERN MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST-

859 AM PDT FRI APR 3 2015

This "Hazardous Weather Outlook" is for the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay Area.



DAY ONE: FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT

Mostly sunny conditions with temperatures a few degrees above normal are expected.

DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

Two rounds of rain are forecast across the area. The first will be late Saturday through Sunday with the second late Monday through Tuesday. 

The second round appears to be stronger with widespread rainfall forecast. 

Snow levels will drop through the event with some accumulations likely for elevations over 4000 feet. 

In addition, thunderstorms with small hail are possible on Tuesday.

Governor Brown Directs First Ever Statewide Mandatory Water Reductions

SACRAMENTO – Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced actions that will save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state’s drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

“Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action,” said Governor Brown. “Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.”

High resolution photos of previous snow surveys are available here.

For more than two years, the state’s experts have been managing water resources to ensure that the state survives this drought and is better prepared for the next one. Last year, the Governor proclaimed a drought state of emergency. The state has taken steps to make sure that water is available for human health and safety, growing food, fighting fires and protecting fish and wildlife. Millions have been spent helping thousands of California families most impacted by the drought pay their bills, put food on their tables and have water to drink.

The following is a summary of the executive order issued by the Governor today.

Save Water

For the first time in state history, the Governor has directed the State Water Resources Control Board to implement mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California to reduce water usage by 25 percent. This savings amounts to approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months, or nearly as much as is currently in Lake Oroville.

To save more water now, the order will also:

-Replace 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought tolerant landscaping in partnership with local governments;
-Direct the creation of a temporary, statewide consumer rebate program to replace old appliances with more water and energy efficient models;
-Require campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes to make significant cuts in water use; and
-Prohibit new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless water-efficient drip irrigation systems are used, and ban watering of ornamental grass on public street medians.

Increase Enforcement

The Governor’s order calls on local water agencies to adjust their rate structures to implement conservation pricing, recognized as an effective way to realize water reductions and discourage water waste.

Agricultural water users – which have borne much of the brunt of the drought to date, with hundreds of thousands of fallowed acres, significantly reduced water allocations and thousands of farmworkers laid off – will be required to report more water use information to state regulators, increasing the state’s ability to enforce against illegal diversions and waste and unreasonable use of water under today’s order. Additionally, the Governor’s action strengthens standards for Agricultural Water Management Plans submitted by large agriculture water districts and requires small agriculture water districts to develop similar plans. These plans will help ensure that agricultural communities are prepared in case the drought extends into 2016.

Additional actions required by the order include:

-Taking action against water agencies in depleted groundwater basins that have not shared data on their groundwater supplies with the state;
-Updating standards for toilets and faucets and outdoor landscaping in residential communities and taking action against communities that ignore these standards; and
-Making permanent monthly reporting of water usage, conservation and enforcement actions by local water suppliers.

Streamline Government Response

The order:

-Prioritizes state review and decision-making of water infrastructure projects and requires state agencies to report to the Governor’s Office on any application pending for more than 90 days.
-Streamlines permitting and review of emergency drought salinity barriers – necessary to keep freshwater supplies in upstream reservoirs for human use and habitat protection for endangered and threatened species;
-Simplifies the review and approval process for voluntary water transfers and emergency drinking water projects; and
-Directs state departments to provide temporary relocation assistance to families who need to move from homes where domestic wells have run dry to housing with running water.

Invest in New Technologies 

The order helps make California more drought resilient by:

-Incentivizing promising new technology that will make California more water efficient through a new program administered by the California Energy Commission.

**Audio from the media briefing can be heard by visiting the California Natural Resources Agency (Direct link to audio)

Tsunami 101: What you need to know in Monterey County

Breathtaking views. Rocky cliffs. Beautiful beaches. Highway 1. Sunshine. Otters.

If you guessed that these are all things that you may find along Monterey County’s 99 miles of coastline, you’re right. But amidst the beauty of our coast lies something else - the potential to experience the effects of a tsunami - a “wave or series of waves generated by an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or even large meteor hitting the ocean.”  In fact, California has experienced over 80 observed or recorded tsunamis!

When people think of a tsunami, many expect to see a wave similar to a wind wave but much larger -  similar to the giant wind waves in Hawaii and Australia that have made those places world-class surfing destinations. But for most occurrences, including the 2011 tsunami which caused in excess of $20 million dollars of damage to the Moss Landing and Santa Cruz harbors, a tsunami looks more like turbulent water and is virtually undetectable to the eye until it has nearly reached the shore.

These waves are extremely powerful, capable of bringing large amounts of water inland very quickly and causing damage in areas that experience inundation.

Tsunami wave striking the upper Santa Cruz Harbor (Photo Credit: Unknown; via California Geological Survey)

How high is high ground? 

The good news is that for most local areas, safety and relief from any water and debris that can come ashore is close by - sometimes as little as just a few blocks away. By taking yourself to approximately 20 feet above sea level, the chances for danger are greatly reduced.

(For tsunami inundation maps, visit the CA Geological Survey Tsunami Inundation Maps page)

How will I know?

The National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) in Palmer, AK, is the primary warning center for the California coastline and issues four types of tsunami statements.  They include: information statement, watch, advisory, and warning.

As of January 2014, the National Weather Service has a system in place that allows messages to be sent through all wireless devices. These messages are known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and will come automatically to your device(s) as long as the appropriate settings are enabled.

A single (one time) WEA message will be sent only when a Tsunami WARNING is issued and will read:

“Tsunami danger on the coast – go to high ground or move inland.  Listen to local news. NWS.”

For tsunami information that is more specific to you & Monterey County, or for other local notifications to residents and businesses in danger of or being impacted by emergency situations like evacuations, weather, power blackouts, law enforcement operations, toxic chemical spills, missing persons, etc.,  you must register online at the A!ert Monterey County website (alertmontereycounty.org).

The notifications that you receive, how you receive them (landline, cell, VoIP, or email) and what locations you are concerned with (home, work, school, etc.) are selected by you and will not be used for any other purposes.

It is important to remember that while catastrophic events are rare and cannot be prevented, we can all help to diminish adverse impacts through taking steps to prepare and by building a strong community.

For information, visit us ( www.co.monterey.ca.us/oes  ; Twitter @MontereyCoOES) and subscribe to our Latest News.

More on tsunamis can be found at the CA Geological Survey’s tsunami info sheet

Are you "in the zone"? Tsunami inundation information

What is inundation?
Water covering normally dry land is a condition known as inundation. In the event of a tsunami, there is potential for inundation among some of the coastal communities in Monterey County. 

 

Inundation maps for Monterey County can also be found at the California Geological Survey's page located at the following link:

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/Monterey/Pages/Monterey.aspx

If you see this sign, you know you may be in an area that could become inundated. In the event of an earthquake or tsunami notification, move away from the coastline as quickly and safely as possible. 

It is important to remember that in the event of a tsunami, listen to guidance from official authorities, like your local police or fire departments.

Another way to stay informed about tsunami events and and their potential effects on Monterey County is to make sure that you are signed up to receive emergency alerts on your cell phone (through call, text message, or email). It's quick, easy, and gives you more options for getting important information.

Head on over to AlertMontereyCounty.org for more details.

Tsunami Preparedness Week, March 22-28

 California Governor Edmund G. Brown proclaims "Tsunami Preparedness Week" across the state



It's official! March 22nd through the 28th has been designated "Tsunami Preparedness Week" throughout the State.

Be sure to revisit the blog over the next few days, where we will be posting different tsunami related info.

You can also head to Twitter, where we (@MontereyCoOES) and the National Weather Service (@NWSBayArea) will have even more photos, videos and information to get you, your family and your community "TsunamiReady".

The Internet is fundamentally insecure. Protect yourself: "Cybersecurity 101", via PBS NOVA Labs

The Internet is fundamentally insecure. 

However, there are simple things you can do to protect yourself and your information. Learn what they are in NOVA’s Cybersecurity Lab.

Play the Cybersecurity Game: http://pbs.org/nova/labs

NOVA Labs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theNOVALabs
NOVA Labs Twitter: https://twitter.com/theNOVALabs

CREDITS

Writer/Director/Producer 
Alex Rosenthal

Animator 
Nick Hilditch

Narrator
George Zaidan

Music
Scorekeepers Music Library

Freesound.org SFX
209583 oven mitt impact by Zott820
191766 bamboo whip sound effect by UnderlinedDesigns
147346 refrigerator door by fuzzpapi
235796 zombie groan by indieground
167155 typing by DSPena

Prescribed Burning - Los Padres National Forest (Mar 17,2015)

Los Padres National Forest
Burn Date:	3/17/2015
Name of Prescribed Burn Project:	Los Padres National Forest Administrative Site Pile Burning
Conducted by:	Los Padres National Forest
Purpose:	Wildland Vegetation Management
Smoke Management Permit #	445-2014
North Central Coast Air Sub-Basin:	INLAND
Location	Arroyo Seco Campground
Pile Burning	5 piles, approx 3 tons piled material
Type of Fuels:	Oak, Brush
Los Padres National Forest
Burn Date:	3/17/2015
Name of Prescribed Burn Project:	Los Padres National Forest Administrative Site Pile Burning
Conducted by:	Los Padres National Forest
Purpose:	Wildland Vegetation Management
Smoke Management Permit #	445-2014
North Central Coast Air Sub-Basin:	INLAND
Location	Escondido Campground, Del Venturi Road
Type of Burning	6 Piles, approx 2 tons vegetation
Type of Fuels:	Brush