(continued from emergency justification form)
The EOC was activated during severe winter storms on January 3, 2023, after a local geologist noticed the seismic shifting of the hillside above 15 homes located on Seaview Drive. With an immediate response, City Manager Shasa Curl declared an emergency and enacted the Emergency Operations Center to keep an eye on the developing situation. The first consultant stated that the 15 homes should be evacuated until they know more about the situation. Police and fire went door to door knocking and notifying residents that they had to evacuate since time was of the essence.
Due to the fact that the Hyatt in nearby Emeryville had a block of rooms available to handle the size of the group and because the Police Department had a rate lock for hotel rooms at the Hyatt, the Hyatt was quickly chosen as the hotel to house the 15 families displaced by the emergency order. The emergency order was confirmed at the January 9, 2023, council meeting and resolution 1-23 was passed. The resolution stated that the emergency order would end at a later agreed upon date, at which point the residents would be able to return to their homes on Seaview Drive. The ending date was January 28, 2023.
Further details are included in the attached Agenda Report presented to council January 9, 2023. Thank you.
January 9, 2023
City Manager's Office
DATE: January 9, 2023
TO: Mayor Butt and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shasa Curl, City Manager
Dave Aleshire, City Attorney
Angel Montoya, Fire Chief
SUBJECT:
Approve the City Manager’s proclamation of a local
emergency due to flooding in Richmond and large
landslide on a hillside on Seaview Drive
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact related to this item.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
On January 3, 2023, the City Manager, in her capacity as Director of Emergency Services, proclaimed a local
emergency due to heavy flooding from severe winter
storms and a geologic hazard/landslide on the slope
above the Seacliff development in Richmond. The City
Council must approve this proclamation of local
emergency within seven days of making such a
proclamation or else it will lapse.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution ratifying the proclamation of a local emergency in the City of Richmond issued by the city
manager (Director of Emergency Services) on January 3,
2023, due to heavy rains, flooding, and a large landslide on a hillside on Seaview Drive that forced the evacuation of residents in the impacted area – City Manager’s Office (Shasa Curl 510-620-6512)
AGENDA
REPORT
January 9, 2023
DISCUSSION:
The entire Bay Area, including Richmond , has experienced heavy rains and flooding, including an atmospheric river, throughout December of 2022 , and is still experiencing a parade of storms the first two weeks in January. On January 3, 2023, it was reported that a hillside on Seaview Drive, with an APN of 560-330-041, was showing signs of a significant landslide as a result of the December rains and atmospheric river.
As a result of a possible landslide, the City’s consultant NCE and subconsultant Cal Engineering & Geology, Inc. evaluated photos provided by the City of the landslide and aerial imagery available on Google Earth Pro of the hillside above Seacliff Drive. They determined that “there is a large landslide on the hillside that has definitive evidence of a head scarp in the area near the top of the ridge and lateral margins that extend down to Seaview Drive and possibly beneath and beyond Seaview Drive.” The head is the upslope portion of the landslide, and the scarp is the steeply inclined failure surface with exposed rock and soil. The consultants strongly recommended that the eight (8) homes on Seaview Drive and the seven (7) homes on Seacliff Way immediately west of and closest to Seacliff Drive be evacuated until the landslide could be more thoroughly evaluated. The consultants recommended the evacuations be done immediately to reduce the potential for life safety issues that could result for movement of the landslide, particularly considering the forecasted amount of rain that was to fall that night and over the next several days.
Based on this information, on the evening of January 3, 2023, the City Manager, in her capacity as Director of Emergency Services, proclaimed a local emergency , and the City of Richmond Emergency Operations Center (“EOC”) was activated to support the incident and additional incidents throughout the City due to the severe winter storms [Attachment 1, Emergency Proclamation]. The EOC is still activated and City staff members, including Fire and Police Department personnel, are staffing the EOC in the basement of the Richmond City Hall located at 450 Civic Center Plaza.
Due to additional storms approaching with anticipated heavy rainfall, and out of abundance of caution, residents of Seaview Drive and Seacliff Way were asked to evacuate, which included a total of 15 impacted homes. Fire and Police personnel knocked on doors within the impacted area to inform residents of the potential danger and provided evacuation notices with instructions. Of the 15 households, City personnel were unable to contact three (3) households, two (2) were out of town and ten (10) families decided to evacuate (with their pets). Due to heavy utilization of Red Cross throughout the State, City staff members were proactive and able to secure temporary shelter at the Hyatt Place in Emeryville for evacuated residents. These residents remain out of their homes until the Seacliff Homeowners’ Association completes remediation efforts to ensure the area is safe for reentry. City staff continues to monitor the situation, and as of January 5, 2023, have extended access to hotel rooms through January 9, 2023.
January 9, 2023
The Director of Emergency Services (City Manager) may request the City Council to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a "local emergency” if the City Council is in session, or to issue such proclamation if the City Council is not in session. Since the City Council was not in session at the t ime, the City Manager declared the local emergency by proclamation. Whenever a local emergency is proclaimed by the Director, the City Council must ratify the proclamation within seven days thereafter or the proclamation will lapse [Richmond Municipal Code Section
2.20.060]. The proposed resolution is approving the proclamation of the emergency order so that it can remain in effect while the Seacliff Homeowners’ Association continues remediation efforts, and a determination is made that the residents may safely return to their homes [Attachment 2].
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Proclamation Declaring a Local Emergency Attachment 2 – Resolution Ratifying the Proclamation Declaring a Local Emergency
ATTACHMENT