The city of Berkeley is soliciting community feedback on its response to the tsunami warning last week that prompted brief evacuation orders following a magnitude 7.0 earthquake off the coast of Humboldt County.
A link to the survey, which was sent to subscribers of Alameda County’s emergency alert system, AC Alert, can be found here.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning from the National Weather Service, warning of immediate danger to those near the coast. The warning was canceled about 65 minutes after it was issued at 10:49 a.m.
The city issued evacuation orders for low-lying areas in West Berkeley at 11:14 a.m., broadcast warnings through its Outdoor Warning System at 11:16 a.m., and sent an alert through AC Alert at 11:20 a.m., advising residents and visitors to move east of 7th Street, according to city spokesperson Dafina Dailey.
That was based on state guidance and forecasting that showed that a tsunami could reach as far as that point and mandating evacuations in the event of a warning, Dailey wrote in an email.
A tsunami warning is the highest alert level from the National Weather Service, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which can also issue tsunami threats, watches or advisories, all considered lower-level alerts.
Dailey said the city immediately activated its Emergency Operations Center and began plans to evacuate the Berkeley Marina and coastal areas, ultimately deploying two dozen Berkeley police officers, about 15 Berkeley Fire Department staff and Marina staff to clear the area.
The California Highway Patrol closed off-ramps on Interstate Highway 80 at Gilman Street, University Avenue and Ashby Avenue.
The waterfront and Marina were evacuated by 11:45 a.m., about 25 minutes before the tsunami had been forecast to hit the San Francisco coast, but just nine minutes before the warning was canceled by the NWS.
Berkeley City Manager Paul Buddenhagen said in a statement that he was glad the threat didn’t materialize, and he thanked emergency responders for working together during the response.
“Thankfully the tsunami did not materialize. If it had, as we were warned it would, the danger to people and damage to structures would have been significant,” he said.
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