The City of Long Beach will host its consecutive Tsunami Preparedness Week from March 25 to March 29, and city officials are inviting the community to events and activities throughout that week in an effort to educate the public about tsunami preparation.
“When a tsunami is imminent, residents can generally reduce the likelihood of injury by quickly moving to higher ground or inland,” said Reggie Harrison, director of the City of Long Beach Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications. “Tsunamis are actually a series of waves, and the first one might not be the largest, which is why it is important to know the warning signs of a tsunami.”
Tsunami-preparedness activities in March will include:
• The Long Beach Tsunami Walk and Resource fair, which will be held on Saturday, March 23, at the Will Rogers Mini Park (Appian Way and Nieto Avenue). The event will begin at 9am, followed by a press briefing at 10am and a walk scheduled for 10:30am. City staff and tsunami experts from various agencies will educate participants on how to prepare for a tsunami, the natural warning signs of a tsunami and what residents and businesses can do to protect themselves. The event will end with a fair that concludes at 12:30pm.
• Distribution of the Tsunami Preparedness Guide (available in English and Spanish), as well as presentations to residents and businesses in the tsunami inundation/flood zone on tsunami preparedness.
• Emergency notifications testing during Tsunami Preparedness Week by Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications staff to residents in the tsunami inundation/flood zone who have signed-up to receive AlertLongBeach emergency notifications. Residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertLongBeach at alertlongbeach.com to receive a voice, email or text message on their computer or mobile device in the case of a disaster or emergency.
• Tsunami preparedness content shared on the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications social-media channels.
City officials said they encourage all residents to be prepared and self-sufficient for up to seven days following a disaster by creating an emergency supply kit filled with items that are needed daily. Residents are also encouraged to join the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) or take classes through the American Red Cross to learn basic emergency medical procedures. For additional information on tsunamis, inundation zones and other disaster-preparedness topics, visit longbeach.gov/disasterpreparedness.
