Tsunami Inundation Zone Mailing Project - County of San Diego, California

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The Tsunami Inundation Zone Mailing Project was a collaborative effort to enhance the region’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from a tsunami by communicating directly with people who live and work in coastal areas that might flood during a tsunami. The County of San Diego spearheaded a project to create evacuation zone maps for each of its 10 coastal cities. Using tsunami inundation zone maps produced by state experts, a contractor worked with County and coastal cities to design city-specific tsunami maps showing potential flood areas and evacuation routes. The maps used common symbols and terms that also align with the state’s tsunami preparedness public information. The County mailed the brochures to all residences and businesses that would be in tsunami flood zones in the in the worst-case scenario. It was the first time the County had targeted the homes and businesses that would potentially be affected by a tsunami with local evacuation routes and information about how to prepare for and respond to tsunamis. The County mailed the brochure on March 26 and held a widely-covered news conference to inform the public about maps and the region’s tsunami risk. 2. Problem/ Need for the Program The California Office of Emergency Services and the California Geological Survey has mapped the worst-case scenario tsunami inundation zones along San Diego’s 70 miles of coastline. More than 30,000 year-round residents and business lie within those boundaries. Warning times for approaching tsunamis can range from several hours, if the wave is caused by a distant event, to only minutes if caused by a local earthquake or landslide. Regardless of how much notice is given in advance of an approaching tsunami, effectively mitigating its impact requires taking steps to make sure residents know their local flood zones and how to evacuate to safe ground. In addition to raising awareness among those who reside or work within the tsunami inundation zones, it is also imperative to raise awareness about who would not be impacted by an approaching tsunami. If people knew they were not threatened as a tsunami approached, this could potentially reduce panic and unnecessary evacuations, thereby helping to keep evacuation routes clear for those who truly needed to move to safer ground. The Tsunami Inundation Zone Mailing Project is a proactive effort to put potentially life-saving information directly into the hands of those who need it: those who live and work inside the tsunami inundation zones. Rather than simply hoping that residents and employees in the zones take notice of posted tsunami warning signs, this project consolidates general tsunami information, inundation maps and evacuation routes and sends the information directly to people where they live and work. 3. Description of the Program In February 2013, Office of Emergency Services (OES) Director Holly Crawford received an email from Claudine Jaenichen, a professor and design researcher at Chapman University in Orange County. Ms. Jaenichen, who had served two years in Search and Rescue for the Santa Barbara Sheriff Department, was conducting academic research focused on the design of evacuation instructions and outreach materials meant for the public (e.g. maps, public information campaigns, etc.). California. The main objective of Ms. Jaenichen’s team was to determine whether they could develop standardized design guidelines for evacuation material to residents, tourists, students, commuters, etc. As part of this effort, Ms. Jaenichen was offering to provide design materials for San Diego using the most recent tsunami mapping models provided by the California Geological Survey. Soon after Ms. Jaenichen’s initial contact, in an unrelated move, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors took action directing OES to work with its partner cities and agencies to develop and use more common language and symbols on GIS and mapping efforts. Ms. Jaenichen’s offer provided a perfect opportunity to implement the new Board directive, while working to better protect the life and safety of our coastal communities. The County held discussions with Ms. Jaenichen to formalize a proposed project for the region’s coastal cities. In August 2013, the County brought together the region’s 10 coastal cities to meet with Ms. Jaenichen and pitch the proposal: The consultant would work with each city to design their respective brochures and the County would pay to have the brochures printed and mailed to each resident and business within the impacted zones. Over the course of the next several months, the County worked with Ms. Jaenichen and the coastal city representatives on the design and content of the brochures. Each brochure included general tsunami information, as well as city-specific maps, evacuation routes, contacts and social media links. Each city’s map and brochure uses common terms and symbols for items such as flood zones and evacuation routes. Both the California Geological Survey and CalOES reviewed the final brochures to ensure alignment and consistency with statewide efforts. Sample – City of Coronado While the brochures were being designed, the County met with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to discuss the project, most specifically seeking guidance on how to craft a mailing targeting only those addresses within the tsunami inundation zones. Based on that guidance, the County utilized the USPS’s Every Door Direct Mail website to identify carrier routes in the potentially affected areas. The County then sought bids from several mailing house vendors to price the printing of the brochures and the rental of the specific address lists associated with the identified carrier routes. Following selection of a vendor, OES worked with County Counsel, Purchasing and Contracting and Mail Operations to garner final approval for the project. On March 26, 2014, tsunami brochures were mailed out and the project unveiled at a Tsunami Preparedness Week 2014 media event. Presenters included OES Director Holly Crawford, and Rick Wilson from the California Geological Survey. The news conference was covered by at least 10 local media outlets, including all local TV news stations. The wide coverage raised awareness about the mailing and San Diego’s coastal tsunami threat, while emphasizing to residents who do not live or work in inundation zones that they should not evacuate during a tsunami. 4. Responding to Economic Downturn N/A 5. Use of Technology Completion of this project required the use of a variety of technologies. The project was based on the on the California Geological Survey’s GIS and mapping models. Google Chrome was used to view the tsunami inundation zone maps. The designer used design and production software to create the brochures. The USPS Every Door Direct Mail Website was used to identify the potentially affected carrier routes. Address list databases were used to gather the specific business and residential addresses – including individual apartment residences – associated with the identified carrier routes. Email was used throughout the process to finalize the design, secure the vendor, and process the orders, etc. Social media links were included in the brochures themselves and used as part of the launch. The County’s online County News Center and two social media accounts were used to promote the new mailer. County News Center story: http://www.countynewscenter.com/news/do-you-live-tsunami-flood-zone 6. Cost of the Program There was no cost to the County or the coastal cities for the actual design of the brochures, as the designer conducted the project using grant funds. All travel and research costs were covered by the grant. A total of 33,737 brochures were mailed, and a few of the coastal cities purchased extra copies, bringing the total print run to 41,737. Total cost of the project was $17,153. The cost breakdown includes: 1. Mailing Services ($2,276.94) 2. Address List Rental ($519) 3. Printing ($6,598) 4. Postage ($7,759.51) State Homeland Security Grant Program funds were used to pay for this project. 7. Results/Success of the Program For the first time, the County of San Diego and its coastal city partners have directly targeted the citizens and businesses most at risk of being impacted by a tsunami. Government officials, first responders and the citizens themselves now have a better understanding of which of our communities are most in danger of a tsunami, what these communities can do to help prepare for a tsunami, and where they can go if a tsunami hits our coast. Because of the Tsunami Inundation Zone Mailing Project, the County and its coastal city partners have proactively reached out to the more than 33,000 residents and businesses inside the boundaries of the region’s tsunami inundation zones. The mailer provides them with the information and tools they need to be more aware of the potential dangers they face, and also to better prepare for, respond to and recover from a tsunami if one should occur. Just as importantly, our businesses and residents now have a better understanding of which communities are not directly in danger of a tsunami. Instead of an entire county of approximately 3.2 million people reacting to a potential disaster that might impact only 1 percent of our population, we have taken steps to ensure that only those truly in danger will act. By reducing the probability of panic within and beyond our coastal communities, and thereby reducing the likelihood of non-impacted people taking action, we can help keep evacuation routes clear for those who truly need to move to safer ground. 8. Worthiness of an Award The Tsunami Inundation Zone Mailing Project is a significant first step in increasing the safety of our coastal community businesses and residents. The maps and evacuation routes created for the brochures can also be used to create signs and kiosks along our coast to better protect people who visit our beaches, including residents and tourists from around the world. Because of the Tsunami Inundation Zone Mailing Project, the people who live and work within the region’s tsunami inundation zones are now better informed – and safer – than they were before. The project is also a laudable example of various agencies and entities working together effectively and efficiently to serve a common public.