The city of Santa Barbara conducted a Tsunami Functional Exercise on Wednesday.
The exercise tested the city’s Draft Tsunami Response Plan and the communication functions within the city’s Emergency Operations Center.
The city also opened several department operating centers to test communication systems between the EOC and various departments, such as Public Works and Building and Safety. The exercise also tested the public information function on strategies for getting timely information to the public.
A Tsunami Working Group (made up of several staff members representing every city department and several outside agencies, such as CalTrans, the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Red Cross, has been working on the Draft Tsunami Response Plan and the exercise for nearly a year. The group conducted a Tsunami Table Top Exercise on June 4 at the American Red Cross.
Information gathered from the Table Top Exercise was used to produce the scenario and challenges for Wednesday’s exercise. There were more than 80 city employees and staff from the County Office of Emergency Services and about 15 volunteers involved in the exercise.
Yolanda McGlinchey is emergency services manager for the Santa Barbara Fire Department and Emergency Operations Center.