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Everything You Should Know About Alameda’s Tsunami Protocol

What to Do

  1. Avoid the shoreline, move to the center of Alameda (see interactive map).
  2. Do not leave Alameda.
  3. Subscribe to ACAlert.org.
  4. Have a go bag and other emergency earthquake supplies ready.

Last week’s tsunami warning was startling and confusing to many residents of Alameda. After getting over the initial disbelief of the federal alert that blared through our phones, many people were not sure what to do next.

The Alameda Post talked with Sarah Henry, Communications & Legislative Affairs Officer for the City of Alameda Manager’s Office, to find out what residents should do the next time a tsunami warning is issued.

Alameda Post - a map of the tsunami flood areas in Alameda and Bay Farm
Tsunami hazard area map screenshot. Full map available on Conservation.CA.Gov.

Avoid the shoreline and move to the center of Alameda

The biggest tsunami threat to Alameda isn’t an actual giant wave hitting our shores, but flooding from the wave. In the unlikely worst case scenario event that there is an 8.0 magnitude earthquake off the Aleutian Islands (off the coast of Alaska), the tsunami wave from that earthquake would be able to move past the Golden Gate Bridge. It would bring massive amounts of water that could flood our island.



This tsunami map shows the green safe zone for Alameda, which is where residents should go in that extreme event. Henry stresses, however, that the map shows the absolute worst case scenario. “We have a playbook with many different scenarios,” she said. “Even in the very worst, the middle of Alameda is a safe ground.”

If you are in a yellow flood zone, sheltering in a second story building or higher should be safe.

Many people received alerts to move one block inland, which at the time seemed laughable, but was correct advice.

Paden Elementary and Encinal Junior and Senior High School were evacuated because of their proximity to the water. In addition, the City of Alameda contacted all the marinas in Alameda and warned them to secure their boats.

Do not leave Alameda

A surprising tip from Henry was to stay put in Alameda and not evacuate. She stressed that people should go to the middle of Alameda and not leave the island.  “If you were on high ground in the middle of Alameda and left and went to Oakland, you would be back in an inundation zone.”

Alameda residents also should avoid sitting in traffic in possible flood areas (like Webster Tube). In addition to personal safety reasons, it’s important to keep roads open for emergency vehicles.

Subscribe to ACAlert.org

Almost everyone in Alameda received the buzzing alert on their phones warning them of a tsunami. Unfortunately, this federal alert, which went out to everyone on the West Coast from Oregon to Santa Cruz, did not contain much information.

Henry advises everyone to sign up for local alerts through ACAlert.org, which will give you more specific and localized updates from Alameda County and the City of Alameda.

When the first federal warning went out, the City of Alameda opened up its Emergency Operations Center, where the City Manager, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Alameda Unified School District representatives convened to coordinate emergency responses with Alameda County, Henry said.

After the initial federal warning, AC Alert subscribers received this message from the City of Alameda: “Tsunami warning in effect. Stay out of water and away from the shoreline, beaches, harbors, marinas, and piers. Move at least 1 block inland. Everyone else should remain in place.”

AUSD was also sending messages to parents at Paden Elementary and Encinal Junior and Senior High about the evacuations.

“I feel like we were very successful in our reach,” Henry said, but she conceded that, “It was just very confusing because there were messages coming from the City, the county and the federal government.”

Preparing for the future

“Quite frankly, the real risk we have is of an earthquake,” Henry pointed out. She encourages everyone to have a go bag and prepare your household for an earthquake emergency.

The City of Alameda is also working to prepare for future disasters. “The City has a lot of resources,” Henry said. “We’re going to be setting up shelters for people that need it. We have plans for all disasters, and we’re going to be working to get everybody what they need, when they need it. For example, we have a bunch of people who are in the nursing homes, and we have plans for how to evacuate them.”

To address the recent tsunami scare, the City of Alameda is planning to hold a town hall meeting to keep people up to date on protocols, resources, and risks.

How to get more information

More resources

See the City of Alameda’s Tsunami FAQ presentation.

Learn more about general disaster preparation at the City of Alameda’s Prepare Our Island web page.

Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.

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