Tsunami Preparedness Week: Cayucos identified as one of California’s most vulnerable communities
CAYUCOS, Calif. - As California officially observes Tsunami Preparedness Week this week, one of the most vulnerable communities in the state is located on the Central Coast.
The small coastal town of Cayucos in San Luis Obispo County is listed by the California Geological Survey (CGS) as being especially prone to sustaining severe impacts from a potential tsunami.
"As a coastal community, we know that in Cayucos there is a tsunami risk," said San Luis Obispo County Second District Supervisor and Cayucos resident, Bruce Gibson. "The state's recently updated the inundation maps, so we know that an earthquake in certain parts of the Pacific is potentially going to create a tsunami."
According to its most recent CGS tsunami hazard area maps, Cayucos could experience flooding caused by a tsunami to reach about 50 feet in a few locations in the downtown area.
The CGS stated the entire area east of the Cayucos Pier and on the ocean side of South Ocean Avenue may be exposed to hazards in extreme tidal events.
"Cayucos has been identified by the state maps as being particularly vulnerable to a tsunami," said Anita Konopa, San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Coordinator. "The maps are interesting in that they provide several different layers of threat based on the size of the tsunami that can go up to that area, and obviously topography and other factors are included in the assessment, and the risk of what is happening, but absolutely, there are areas that can go that high."
In order to help inform the community about the dangers of tsunamis, San Luis Obispo County has a current mitigation and response plan in place.
"The great thing in San Luis Obispo County is we have a really robust alert system," said Gibson. "Specifically, the edge of the inundation zone is marked with signage and we're hopeful that during, preparedness week, folks take a minute and learn where those the edges of that zone are. We also have the siren system that's connected with the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. We also have reverse 911, along with other forms of emergency alert. So in these days now, folks can get the word on their cell phones and give them some time because one of the good things about this tsunami response in this area is that the sources of the tsunami, the earthquakes that would cause a tsunami are a great distance away up on the Oregon and Washington coast and up in Alaska. I feel like we've got a really great system in place and folks are aware of that system and know what to do."
Konopa added the San Luis Obispo County is also ramping up its public outreach in Cayucos community.
"San Luis Obispo County right now is actually working on becoming a 'tsunami ready community,' which is a designation through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that ensures that we've done everything we can to make the community as prepared as possible, so the signs that are up, letting people know about the tsunami hazard areas, as well as a lot of public outreach that is happening and will be happening. We're going to be communicating with the schools, working with them on evacuation drills, going to community events, and letting the public know what's going on. We have a lot of information on readyslo.org. We'll continue to push out information via social media and just ensure that everyone in the community who's listening to what we have to say and understands what the risk is and what it means. It's really important with tsunamis and with any type of emergency, the more you have prepared in advance, the better prepared we're going to be should something happen."
The county is also taking part in Tsunami Preparedness Week, not only informing Cayucos about the potential hazards and safety efforts, but also for everyone else who lives, works, and visits its coastal communities.
"Tsunami Preparedness Week is a state led effort to try to get communities throughout California who are in tsunami hazard areas to understand the hazard and what they can do to prepare," said Konopa. "Here in San Luis Obispo County, we are doing a public information campaign trying to educate the community on what a tsunami is, how they would find out about a tsunami, and what they can do before and during a tsunami to be as safe as possible."
