Politics & Government

County to Further Study Tsunami Siren

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approves a motion seeking more information on the scope and costs of a tsunami siren warning system.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion seeking more information on the scope and costs of a tsunami siren warning system for county coastal areas.

The motion co-sponsored by Supervisors Don Knabe, whose district includes Hermosa Beach, and Zev Yaroslavsky seeks feedback from experts on siren systems to determine the cost of implementing and maintaining a siren warning system.

And, it also asked for cost comparisons for installing a siren system in either unincorporated coastal areas of the county or deploying it along the entire county coastline.

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The board in March on the feasibility of a tsunami siren warning system in the wake of the deadly tsunami that ravaged Japan.

Japan was struck March 11 by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that generated a tsunami with waves reaching 40 feet high that rolled into populated coastal areas, killing thousands and creating a nuclear crisis.

Find out what's happening in Hermosa Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The county's Office of Emergency Management report was returned May 18 to the board and was based on the findings of a working group that included the county's emergency office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the county Department of Public Works.

The report analyzed conventional siren operations, siren activation, and the findings of a mass notification siren warning system test conducted by the sheriff's department in 2007—it also found that the California Emergency Management Agency has been conducting a survey of state coastal areas and the use of siren warning systems.

Knabe and Yaroslavsky's motion Tuesday asked the Office of Emergency Management to proceed with the evaluation by the siren experts after CalEMA completes its survey. The motion also asked for the identification of possible funding sources.


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