Our New Look with More Features!
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Welcome to our new and improved Cal EMA Newsletter!
We've taken your tips and suggestions and put together a more accessible, easier to read newsletter with helpful web links and more! No more downloading memory-hogging PDF's or searching web pages for the latest information. You now get the latest news and stories from Cal EMA right here. Oh, and did we mention that YOU are now in control? If your email in-box is full enough, you can remove yourself from our list by using the links at the top. It's simple and easy.
But please stick with us because each newsletter will be packed with stuff you'd want to read. We also encourage you to share this with your colleagues. Click the "Send to a Colleague" below and instantly mail them a courtesy copy. They can then join our mailing list with a simple click!
Have a suggestion for a future story? Send our editor, Tina Walker, a note. Articles selected for statewide publication are edited to 250 words and photos and helpful web links make it even better.
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Major Disaster Declaration
State and Local Governments Make the Case
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North Arroyo Blvd. in Southern CA was closed due to heavy erosion under the roadway along the creek side at this riparian cutback.  |
The new year started off with a bang, but not the way most Californians enjoy. Unusually heavy rains, high winds, record-breaking snow and debris and mud flows caused injuries, thousands to evacuate and millions in damages. In the end, Cal EMA calculated over $59 million in damages and response costs throughout the state. A figure that left Governor Schwarzenegger no other option but to ask for federal disaster help.
On March 8th, President Obama agreed, declaring a Major Disaster for Calaveras, Imperial, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Siskiyou counties. That opened the door for state and affected local governments to begin receiving federal disaster monies and continue the recovery process.
"Being able to get the federal declaration took a lot of detailed work with local governments and those jurisdictions affected worked closely with us to make a very strong case," said Steve Sellers, Cal EMA's Assistant Secretary of Prevention, Information Analysis and Operations. "Our relationship with local government has been excellent. We are there to support them, ensure we expedite processes and share as much information as possible," said Sellers.
FEMA's Michael Smith and Cal EMA's Mark Bassett  | Mark Bassett, Regional Administrator of Cal EMA's Southern Region Office was named the Deputy State Coordinating Officer for the federal disaster and has been working closely with FEMA at a special Joint Field Office (JFO) opened in Pasadena. "We've held several public assistance applicant briefings to help local governments complete the paperwork for reimbursements and are planning community meetings with the general public to help them mitigate future disasters like fires, earthquakes and more flooding," said Bassett.
More information online: Governor Schwarzengger's Letter to the President
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Shaking Ground and Swelling Seas
Californians reminded of the need to prepare for the next "big one"
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Undersecretary Frank McCarton (left) and Secretary Matt Bettenhausen greeting Governor Schwarzenegger visiting quake-damaged Humboldt County.  |
While blowing winds, heavy rains and damaging debris flows may have dominated the most recent headlines, it seems this year's earthquakes and tsunamis have most people on edge.
Just this past weekend, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake centered in Baja
California in Mexico shook buildings as far north as Los Angeles on
Sunday afternoon. It was centered about 16 miles south-southwest of
Guadalupe
Victoria, the United States Geological Service said. According to
initial news reports, high-rise buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego
rocked back and forth
as the quake hit. The earthquake shook houses in Los Angeles for roughly
a minute, and hundreds of aftershocks have followed. Governor Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a state of emergency in Imperial County and Cal EMA staff is on the scene assisting with response and recovery operations, including doing damage assessments in the still-closed historic downtown area of Calexico.
Nine days into the new year, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake offshore shook the City of Eureka and surrounding areas of Humboldt County. The quake caused millions of dollars in damage to roads, homes and businesses. It caused locals to open their emergency operations centers and Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency for Humboldt County on January 12th.
"There's no doubt that California sees more than its fair share of disasters, and this year has been no exception," said Frank McCarton, Undersecretary of the California Emergency Management Agency. "My main focus has always been on making sure the state is ready to respond," he said.
Three days after California's north coast shook, a massive earthquake measuring magnitude 7.0 hit the country of Haiti causing unimaginable death and destruction. On March 11th, a magnitude 6.9 temblor hit Chile causing a tsunami that put California's entire coastline on alert with a "tsunami advisory." Cal EMA immediately notified a wide range of coastal jurisdictions and agencies to ensure everyone had the latest information throughout the advisory.
 These events have become a grim reminder of the potential for a major earthquake here in California. The U.S. Geological Survey, USC's Southern California Earthquake Center and the State Geological Survey, recently said California is virtually certain to experience at least one major temblor by 2028.
The chance of having one or more magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquakes in the California area is greater than 99%. Such quakes can be deadly, as shown by the 1989 magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta and the 1994 magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquakes. The likelihood of at least one even more powerful quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%, and experts say such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern half of the State.
"Although it's not a comforting reminder after seeing what's happened in other countries, you couldn't ask for a better team of people at Cal EMA who have dedicated their careers to being ready for the next 'big one' on our own soil," said McCarton. He also notes that Cal EMA's success in disaster preparedness and response is built upon the day-to-day hard work and dedication of local emergency managers throughout the state.
Find out more:
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Public Communications Key in Major Earthquake Response
Cal EMA Deploys Staff to California/Mexico Border To Strengthen Crisis
Communications Efforts
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Damage to Melrose Shoe Store on 2nd Street in historic downtown Calexico  |
Immediately following the 7.2 earthquake that hit Mexicali, Mexico on April 4th, 2010, Cal EMA officials contacted impacted areas on both sides of the border to conduct needs assessment to begin emergency response efforts. For California, the small community of Calexico in Imperial County sustained significant damages to buildings and infrastructure which dramatically impacted port traffic access and tourism revenue between California and Mexico. As part of Cal EMA's contribution to the response effort, agency crisis communicators and regional emergency services coordinators were quickly deployed to assist at the border and at the Imperial County Emergency Operations Center.
"An essential key to effective response and recovery is keeping the public informed...answering questions such as "what has happened" and "what's being done" helps to educate survivors so that they can continue to protect themselves and their families..." said Assistant Secretary of Public Information, Kelly Huston. "It requires solid coordination and experience in crisis situations." Cal EMA agency communicators have received extensive training in crisis communications and have worked a wide variety of emergencies throughout the state. This team can hit the ground running with communication plans, strategies and cross disciplinary coordination skills that ultimately benefit the overall response operation.
Imperial County lead PIO Maria Peniado and Cal EMA's Tina Walker in the Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday  | During their deployment to the Calexico/Mexicali Border, Cal EMA's communicators Tina Walker and Laura Newquist conducted interviews with on-scene local and national media, coordinated with Calexico Police Department for media response and strategy, provided messaging guidance, drafted media releases and attended County official Briefings. Joanne Phillips, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator and Karla Benedicto, Emergency Services Coordinator, staff the Cal EMA Southern REOC and maintain key positions within the Imperial County EOC to coordinate resources and the response of local jurisdictions and state responders.
For more information about Cal EMA's Crisis Communications Team and Crisis Communications Training, please visit www.calema.ca.gov.
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It's Not Just a Test: "It Saves Lives"
Largest ever live code test conducted in California
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Cal EMA's Jim Goltz (center) and Kate Long (left) at a planning meeting.  |
For Jim Goltz, Earthquake and Tsunami Program Manager at the
California Emergency Management Agency, it's not just a test - it's a critical
step needed to save lives. On
March 24th he oversaw the most extensive test to date of
California's Emergency Alert System using "live" tsunami event codes in three
northern California counties.
"This is a very, very important test to make sure the final
stage of the tsunami warning process will work well in an actual emergency,"
said Goltz. Different from using
"test" codes usually heard or seen on radio and television, this "live" code
test means activating the system exactly how they would in a real incident
where a serious tsunami is threatening California's coastline.
This year's test was the result of an extensive planning
effort between the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA), the
National Weather Service (NWS) and Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino
Counties. It included a broadcast
on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio as
well as local radio and television stations, the remote activation of four
sirens, a reverse 911 telephone call test and an airplane flyover notifying
residents by loudspeaker.
 In Crescent City, where in 1964 the city was hit by a major
tsunami that killed 11 people, they conducted a local earthquake emergency
drill and had over 500 people participate in an evacuation. "People really
need to understand that feeling the ground shake is their warning. It's Mother
Nature saying 'Go! Go now'," said Lori Dengler with the Humboldt State
Geology Department. Dengler said evacuation
drills, like practicing Drop, Cover and Hold On give us the muscle memory to do
the right thing when the real event occurs.
"This was an excellent cooperative effort between the
federal, state, and local government. We've been involved with preparations for
this test for the last five months," said Goltz. In total, over 50 local, state and federal agencies and
organizations participated, including the three Native American tribes (Yurok,
Talowa and the Smith River Rancheria).
Officials involved in the drill also conducted an important
public education campaign prior to the drill in which officials aired radio and
television public service announcements and went door-to-door and told
residents their risk factors.
Coincidentally, newly updated tsunami inundation zone maps were released
statewide in December 2009 and highlight areas that would be underwater in a
worst-case scenario. That proved
useful for providing the public with resources to pinpoint their risk.
Goltz said that Cal EMA plans on doing another drill in 2011
with even more participation. "The
more we help local jurisdictions test and improve their alert and warning
systems, the better off everyone is when disaster strikes," said Goltz.
Check out the Living on Shaky Ground web site at humboldt.edu/shakyground
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Teens Put to the Test in Public Safety Academy Disaster Drill
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Search and Rescue Team Leader, Jamal Easter, triaging victims in the damaged classroom and directs team members to transport them to medical treatment area.  |
The Cordova High School campus just 10 miles east of downtown Sacramento served as " ground zero" for a mock disaster drill conducted by the Public Safety Academy for the Teen Community Emergency Response Team (TEEN CERT) Program in March. During this three hour exercise, students demonstrated their skills in light search and rescue, fire suppression and the triage and treatment of "victims" and "survivors" of this simulated emergency. The Public Safety Academy prepares students who are interested in careers in law enforcement, fire fighting, health care and other public services careers. The program is supported by Sacramento Metro CERT and Fire Department, Sacramento County Sheriff Department, and volunteers from Travis Air Force Base. "Students feel empowered knowing they are ready to help and can make a difference in an emergency" said Linda Greer, Public Safety Academy Coordinator. Teen Community Emergency Response Team (TEEN CERT) is a National Homeland Security initiative directed at making our schools and communities safer by having educated/trained youth capable of preparing and responding to disasters and emergencies. The core Teen CERT program has three main goals. First, it seeks to provide students with a knowledge base on the effects of natural and man-made disasters and their emotional, social, and economic impacts. Secondly, it aims to build decision-making and problem solving skills and strategies to help students make informed decisions regarding readiness, response & recovery and mitigation efforts to reduce loss of life and property. Lastly, Teen CERT provides students with hands-on training using reality-driven drills and exercises. For more information about CERT and TEEN CERT Programs, please visit www.citizencorps.com. |
Private Industry Now Plays an Important Role in California's Emergency Management System
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The impact of natural and man-made disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the September 11th Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center, have underscored the critical need for organized and timely exchange of information and resources between the public and private sectors. This type of collaboration is essential to community preparedness, and the ability to respond, recover, and mitigate any emergency event. Cal EMA recognizes the need for communication, coordination and cooperation among all emergency management stakeholders in California, and has been the leader in establishing the Business and Utility Operations Center to meet this need (BUOC).  Historically, information and resource sharing activities between the public and private sectors have too often taken place in an ad hoc, isolated, and reactive fashion, resulting in less than optimal assistance to individuals, families, communities, and the economy. Realizing this challenge, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved legislation (Senate Bill 546), and issued Executive Order S-04-06, giving Cal EMA greater authority to partner with private industry. Since that time, Cal EMA has signed Cal EMA has signed several memorandums of Understanding with private sector and non-profit organizations to create the BUOC, which has worked diligently to develop a strategy and operational plan to foster this critical partnership. The BUOC is intended to serve as an active operational component in the State Operations Center (SOC) which supports the Regional Emergency Operations Center's (REOCs), establishes strategic priorities for the state and ensures a unified effort in responding to disasters in the state. Current BUOC Charter Partners include: the California Grocers Association, California Resiliency Alliance (formerly the Business Executives for National Security Bay Area Business Force), and the California Utilities Emergency Association. Current BUOC Coordinating Partners include: Home Depot, Inc., Lowe's Companies, Inc., S.F. Helicopters, LLC, Target Corporation and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. For more information about this program and its guidelines, please visit www.calema.ca.gov |
Cal EMA Helps Fight the Third Most Profitable Criminal Activity
Separate Task Force Formed to Combat Firearms Trafficking
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More than 80% of trafficking victims are female.  |
Did you know that human trafficking, or modern day slavery,
is the third most profitable criminal activity following only drugs and arms
trafficking? Each year, more than
600,000 women, men and children are trafficked across international borders according
to the U.S. Department of State.
Most are subjected to sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude,
including many victims right here in California.
"It's a horrific crime that goes on and on," said Matthew
Bettenhausen, Secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency. "We recognized a big need to partner
with law enforcement to help break the cycle of exploitation," he said.
Just last month Cal EMA announced the release of a $1.6
million in grant funding to support efforts to fight human trafficking in
Orange County and $3.3 million grant to fund a new Firearms Trafficking Task
Force in San Diego.
The $1.6 million in grant
funding to fight human trafficking comes from two separate sources. The
first grant of $375,000 will go directly to the Orange County Human Trafficking
Task Force as part of the federal $3.75 million American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) stimulus funds.
The second grant of $1.2 million was awarded to the Westminster Police
Department from the State of California Children's Justice Act (CJA) funding
and will be used to train law enforcement in specifically recognizing and identifying
children who are being victimized through human trafficking.
The $3.3 million grant to establish the Firearms Trafficking Task Force was
funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and
will create a partnership task force between the California Department of
Justice, the California Highway Patrol, San Diego County Sheriff's Department
and Imperial County Sheriff's Department. This task force will work
directly with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) in identifying and disrupting the criminal organizations responsible for
the escalating violence in Mexico. In recent years, violence along the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated dramatically, due largely to the Mexican government's efforts to disrupt Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTO). U.S. officials note the violence associated with Mexican DTOs poses a serious challenge for U.S. law enforcement, threatening citizens on both sides of the border, and U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials generally agree many of the firearms used to perpetrate crimes in Mexico are illicitly trafficked from the United States across the Southwest border.
For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/calema-arms
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National Threat Assessment Identifies Continued Threats To The Homeland |
Last month, the Director of National Intelligence,
Dennis Blair, provided his annual threat assessment of the US Intelligence Community (IC) to Congress. The IC's assessment underscored, in addition
to the threats of malicious cyber activity and the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction, the continuing threat to the homeland from al-Qa'ida,
al-Qa'ida-associated groups, and al-Qa'ida inspired terrorists.
While al-Qa'ida is aspiring to attack the
United States and inflict mass casualties, al-Qa'ida associated groups, such as
al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), have focused on U.S. interests
abroad and possibly the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest flight
253. Al-Qa'ida inspired terrorists,
such as Maj. Malik Hasan, the accused Fort Hood shooter charged with 13 counts
of premeditated murder, represent the violence homegrown extremists are capable
of.
To counter these threats, California has invested in
the State Terrorism Threat Assessment System, which is comprised of four
Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Centers (RTTACs) and is supported by a
network of over 3700 Terrorism Liaison Officers (TLOs). TLOs have been trained to identify the
pre-indicators of terrorist activity and how to report suspicious
activity. The RTTACs, also known as
fusion centers, rely on the information provided by the network of TLOs and the
IC to identify and prevent terrorists from carrying out an attack in
California. Two of California's fusion
center leaders were recently recognized as the nation's best at the National
Fusion Center Conference.
For more
information visit http://tinyurl.com/calema-assessment .
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| CAP Grant Improves Data Sharing Between Cal EMA and Local Jurisdictions |
 Cal EMA's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Branch participates in several federal, state and local groups that collaborate on GIS information initiatives and data sharing efforts. And now, with the added funds gained by the recently awarded Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP) Grant, the GIS Branch will partner with the Homeland Security Regional Technology Center, housed at San Diego State University Research Foundation (SDSURF) to develop a geospatial Data Model. The current Cal-EMA data standard employs a directory/file folder structure for the storage and management of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) shape files collected for an incident. This folder structure is used to accept and store GIS data in ESRI shape file format from locals and incident management teams during an emergency, and make the data available to others throughout the state. The new model will improve the exchange and sharing of information between federal, state and local jurisdictions by "crosswalking" the existing directory structure over to the existing DHS Geospatial Data Model (GDM). Additionally, this project will bring more resources to GIS's major GIS Modernization Project, which was awarded Homeland Security Grant funds to re-engineer Cal-EMA's GIS to stand up an Enterprise GIS system which will be based on Mircrosoft's SQL Server relational database to replace the file-based system.  The CAP Grant Program is managed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), interagency committee that promotes the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis. For more information about Cal EMA's GIS capabilities or the CAP Grant Program, please visit Cal EMA on the web at www.calema.ca.gov and the Federal Geographic Data Committee at www.fgdc.gov |
New Preparedness Website Section Debuts on calema.ca.gov
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 The Cal EMA Preparedness Division launched a new and improved web site on January 30, 2010. Through a collaborative effort with COMSYS, a developer with more than 35 years of web experience, Cal EMA staff was able to deliver a new, state of the art and user friendly site to assist the people of California with their emergency and disaster preparedness plans. "Emergency preparedness is an essential "product" we are "selling" to all Californians...what better way to do so than to promote and market this product than an attractive, informative, and user friendly web site..." said Moustafa Abou-Taleb, Cal EMA Preparedness Division Chief. Whether the user is a government emergency planner seeking a copy of the State Emergency Plan, or a family browsing for tips on creating a home emergency plan, the information is abundant, and easily accessed through a variety of links and portals. The home page is welcoming, and targets user groups, such as children, households, volunteers, and at-risk populations. Special thanks to Bret Bensen, Manager of the Emergency Management Systems Unit, for all his efforts to make this site happen. For more information on how you too can be prepared for any emergency, visit the new Preparedness Division website at www.calema.ca.gov . |
Silicon Valley Disaster Management Initiative Kickoff
Secretary Signs MOU for Interoperability Mutual Aid
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 Cal EMA's Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen served as the keynote speaker for Carnegie Mellon University's launch of the Silicon Valley Disaster Management Initiative on March 26, 2010 at NASA Ames Research Park. During his speech, Secretary Bettenhausen emphasized the importance of volunteerism, community involvement and public-private sector partnerships in working collaboratively on the management of disasters in California. Other topics included the great need for tactical interoperability and the investments the state has made to help prepare for reestablishing land, mobile and internet communications as soon as possible after an emergency occurs. "We must enlist, entrust and empower to make California a safer and more prepared place for our families to live," stated Bettenhausen. "Communication is a real priority in the management of disasters, and not just for the first responder community...we in emergency management cannot forget the psychological impact of disaster and the real need for family reunification and must partner together to address this need" continued Bettenhausen.  Bettenhausen also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Golden Gate Safety Network (GGSN). The network was formed in 2002 as a voluntary confederation of San Francisco Bay Area public safety agencies and others, including Non Government Organizations (NGO), to develop effective methods of mutual aid to improve interoperability in the event of a major natural or manmade disaster. In addition to Cal EMA, the GGSN membership includes the San Francisco Communications MapLab Project (SFC MapLab) and Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley campus. |
| Cal EMA Secretary Testfies Before Congressional Committee In Support of US&R Teams |
Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen before the House Committee on Transportation
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On February 3, 2010, Cal EMA Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management on the critical role FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Program plays in our country's emergency response capacity, as well the teams' integral response to the heart wrenching international disaster in Haiti. Currently, there are 28 US&R teams that make up the national program across the United States, with eight local government based teams in California. These teams answer the need for coordinated, multi-disciplinary emergency response in the event of naturally occurring or man-made disaster. The US&R Task Force 2 from Los Angeles recently returned from several weeks in Haiti, where they found and rescued nine survivors in the rubble and performed many other critical rescue operations. In all, the U.S. US&R response is credited with rescuing 43 survivors.  "We are very proud of our US&R team and their efforts in Haiti. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti who are suffering such unbelievable human tragedy," said Secretary Bettenhausen. Urban Search and Rescue teams are part of the multi-pronged approach to public safety in the event of a disaster in California. The diversified training the teams receive prepares them to address the search and rescue emergency response for a variety of disasters, including, but not limited to, flooding, earthquake and landslide. California's US&R teams joined those from other states in responding to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the Kansas grain elevator explosion in 1998, the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina.
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The California Emergency Management Agency was created by legislation in 2008 merging the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Office
of Homeland Security (OHS) into a single, streamlined cabinet-level
agency. The men and women of this agency are responsible for overseeing and coordinating emergency preparedness, response, recovery
and
homeland security activities throughout California. For more information visit www.calema.ca.gov. |
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Secretary's Message
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Matthew Bettenhausen, Agency Secretary  | |
Recent events reiterate the
dangers we face. Catastrophic
earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, suicide bombings in a Moscow subway, the
attempted Christmas Day airline attack, and the ongoing threat of floods,
fires, mudslides, earthquakes or potential terrorism in California show us the
threats are real.
That's why the California
Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) works non-stop to build a culture of
preparedness. We want to engage and
enlist Californians in this effort and entrust and empower them to make their
families, homes, businesses and communities safer and more resilient. We will continue working closely with our
local, State and private sector partners to accomplish this.
At a time with finite financial
resources, Cal EMA works tirelessly to leverage the resources and expertise
that this great State is known for. We
are also committed to find unique funding sources from the Federal government
to help in our mission of protecting California.
Your help is vital. Taking part in the Census will go a long way
to ensure California gets the funding and resources needed and deserved. And you can play a big role by being
prepared. That way you are a part of the
solution and thus will be a survivor and life-saver rather than a victim.
Check out our new preparedness page
on our website at www.calema.ca.gov
There you can find out your risks and how you can prepare; simple, easy
steps that you can do now to prepare and protect yourself, your family and your
community.
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Contact Us
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This newsletter is published by the Office of Media Relations & Public Information
(916) 845-8456
media@calema.ca.gov
Kelly B. Huston
Assistant Secretary
Public & Crisis Communication
Jay Alan
Comms. Director
Tina Walker
Chief - Public Info.
Laura Newquist
Information Officer
Greg Renick
Information Officer
Jordan Scott
Information Officer
Jana Bullock
Senior Communications Advisor
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Comments or Corrections
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We welcome a heads up about any errors we may have made in our stories. We also encourage
reader comments and suggestions you may have about our publication. Messages can be
e-mailed to media@calema.ca.gov or by
calling the office of media relations and public information at (916) 845-8456.
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