Notice to California: Tune-In During Disaster
State Leaders Convene to Discuss Emergency Alert Systems
Few words were minced Tuesday morning in Carpinteria as State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson opened an informational hearing of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and the Assembly Select Committee on Natural Disaster Response, Recovery, and Rebuilding.
“Frankly, it’s really tragic that we’re here today discussing raging wildfires that have become the new abnormal in our state,” said Jackson, who chairs the state’s Emergency Management committee. “These fires have snuffed out the lives of over 150 Californians in the past year alone, destroyed homes and property [and the] hopes and dreams of thousands. Even after an indisputable scientific study released just this past week, national leaders continue to foolishly deny the challenging conditions of our planet, recklessly and irresponsibly blaming those they do not like for something that is obviously occurring as a result of human behavior.”
Focused on evolving systems of public notification before and during disasters, the hearing gathered testimony from emergency management personnel from across the state, including Thom Porter, chief of strategic planning of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, aka Cal Fire. “The climate is changing, and we are watching that in real time,” said Porter, explaining that wildfire characteristics once unique to Southern California — low-humidity, drought-enhanced, wind-driven events that move miles in hours — are becoming more common in Northern California, as well. With that stage set, he said, “We need an informed public so we can keep everybody safe.” Added Kim Zagaris, the fire and rescue chief with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), “We need a communication system that is resilient and reliable.”
