Appendix J6.1
American River South ULDC
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan
American River Flood Control
District
Flood Safety Plan
As required by California Water Code Section 9650
January 2018
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan
January 2018
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan i
January 2018
Plan Promulgation
To Whom It May Concern:
This Flood Safety Plan (FSP), including the accompanying appendices, having been duly reviewed and approved by the American River Flood Control District (ARFCD or District) Board of Trustees, is hereby promulgated as the official Safety Plan for the District. District staff are hereby directed to use this plan as the basis for emergency response to flood events on District levees. This plan meets the Safety Plan requirements of Section 9650 of the California Water Code and the State of California Urban Levee Design Requirements 7.20. This plan is compliant with the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the National Response Framework.
The General Manager shall distribute this plan to outside agencies to ensure proper inter-agency coordination during emergency operations.
The General Manager shall review this plan annually for needed changes and updates, and is authorized to make routine updates and changes to the plan required by changes in District operations and personnel and changes to outside agency plans that affect District operations.
The District Board of Trustees shall review this plan once every four years and after any major flood event where the plan was used to guide District response. The General Manager shall maintain a record of Board plan review and approval actions in accordance with District documentation procedures and policies.
Date ______________
Resolution _____________________
Signed ________________________
President
Board of Trustees
American River Flood Control District
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan ii
January 2018
Record of Changes and Reviews
Each update or change to the Flood Safety Plan (formerly referred to as the Emergency Action Plan) should be tracked. When changes to the plan are made, document the change number, the date of the change, and the name of the person who made the change. See Section 7.1 for more information on the process for reviewing and revising the plan.
Revision No. or
Review Date
Name of Person
Performing
Review
Sections
Revised
Date of
Distribution
Name of
Approving
Authority
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan iii
January 2018
Record of Initial Distribution
Agency Name Address Date Provided
City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities
1395 35th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95822
County of Sacramento
Department of Water Resources
827 7th Street, Suite 301
Sacramento, CA 95814
County of Sacramento
Office of Emergency Services
3720 Dudley Boulevard, Suite 122
McClellan, CA 95652
City of Sacramento
Office of Emergency Services
5770 Freeport Boulevard, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95822
State of California
Department of Water Resources
1416 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Sacramento Area Flood Control
Agency
1007 7th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
State of California
Central Valley Flood Protection
Board
3310 El Camino Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95821
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan iv
January 2018
Table of Contents
Abbreviations and Acronyms vii
1 Plan Introduction 1
1.1 Purpose 1
1.2 Scope 1
1.3 Plans That Govern or Influence Flood Emergency Response within ARFCD’s Boundaries 2
2 Concept of Operations 3
2.1 Situation Overview 3
2.2 General Approach to Seasonal Flood Operations 1
2.2.1 Routine Preparedness and Infrastructure Maintenance 1
2.2.2 Monitoring and Analysis 2
2.2.3 Alerting, Activation and Initial Response 5
2.3 Public Alert and Warning 6
2.4 Emergency Response Actions 7
2.5 Flood Fight Operations 7
2.6 Evacuation 7
2.7 Recovery 8
2.8 Federal and State Emergency and Disaster Assistance 9 3 Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities 11
3.1 General Organization and Responsibilities 11
3.1.1 Levee Flood Control Operations 11
3.2 Key Designated Roles 11
3.2.1 Legal and Financial Authority 11
3.2.2 Multi-Agency Coordination Group Representation 12
3.2.3 Public Information and Risk Communications 12
3.2.4 Evacuation 12
3.2.5 Maintaining Emergency Equipment, Supplies, and Resources 13
3.2.6 Monitoring Levees, Water Conditions, Elevations, and Flood Forecasts 13
3.2.7 Emergency Staff Activation 13
3.2.8 Documentation 13
3.3 Responsibilities of Supporting Agencies 13
3.3.1 California Department of Water Resources 13
3.3.2 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 14
3.3.3 California Data Exchange Center 14
3.3.4 State of California Central Valley Flood Protection Board 14
3.3.5 City of Sacramento Department of Utilities 15
3.3.6 County of Sacramento Department of Water Resources 15
3.3.7 County of Sacramento Office of Emergency Services 15 4 Direction, Control, and Coordination 16
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan v
January 2018
4.1 Management and Control of District Operations and Coordination within the District 16
4.2 Management and Policy 16
4.3 Incident Commander 16
4.4 Management and Coordination with Other Jurisdictions 16
4.5 Sacramento Operational Area Emergency Operations Center 17
4.6 State-Federal Flood Operations Center 17
4.7 Sacramento Operational Area Joint Information Center 17
4.8 Plan Activation Authority 18
4.9 Disaster Intelligence 18
4.10 Weather Forecast 18
4.11 River Forecast 18
4.12 Levee Patrols 18
5 Communications 19
5.1 Communications Organization 19
5.2 District Communications 19
5.3 Communicating with Other Jurisdictions 19
5.4 Sacramento Operational Area Emergency Operations Center 19
5.5 State-Federal Flood Operations Center 19
5.6 Public Alerting Systems 19
5.6.1 Emergency Alert System (EAS) 20
5.7 Protocols for Contacting Levee Patrols 21
5.7.1 Other Communications Protocols 21
6 Administration, Finance, and Logistics 22
6.1 Mutual Aid 22
6.2 Record Keeping 22
6.3 Resource Tracking 22
6.4 Resources 23
6.5 Flood Response Contractors 23
6.6 Logistics Facilities 23
6.7 Finance and Administration 23
7 Plan Development and Maintenance 24
7.1 Plan Development, Review and Maintenance 24
7.2 Training and Exercises 24
7.3 Evaluation 24
8 Authorities and References 25
8.1 Federal 25
8.2 State 25
8.3 Local 25
Appendix A Emergency Contact List 26
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan vi
January 2018
Appendix B Levee Patrol 31
B.1 Purpose 31
B.2 Program Elements 31
B.2.1 Component I – Training 31
B.2.2 Component II – Equipment Procurement and Maintenance 32 B.2.3 Component III – Levee Patrols 33
B.2.4 High Water Staking Procedures 34
B.3 Augmenting Staff 34
Appendix C Flood Fight 35
C.1 Trigger(s) 35
C.2 Prioritization 35
C.3 Activation and Dispatch 35
C.4 Personnel 36
C.4.1 Resource Agencies 36
C.4.2 Mission Tasking 36
C.4.3 Tasking Criteria 36
C.4.4 Costs/Reimbursement 36
C.4.5 Request Procedures 37
C.4.6 Fire Mutual Aid 37
C.4.7 State Agency Voluntary Response 37
C.5 Hazardous Materials Locations 37
C.6 Materials and Supplies 39
C.7 Training in Flood Fight Procedures and Techniques 40 C.8 Utilities 40
Appendix D Maps 41
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan vii
January 2018
Abbreviations and Acronyms
AAR After-Action Report
ARFCD American River Flood Control District
CCC California Conservation Corps
Cal EMA California Emergency Management Agency
Cal Fire California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CDAA California Disaster Assistance Act
CDEC California Data Exchange Center
CERT Community Emergency Response Team
CNG California National Guard
CNRFC California-Nevada River Forecast Center
DWR California Department of Water Resources
EAS Emergency Alert System
EDIS Emergency Digital Information Service
EMS Emergency Management System
EOC Emergency Operations Center
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FOC Flood Operations Center
FSP Flood Safety Plan
GPS Global Positioning System
IC Incident Commander
ICP Incident Command Post
ICS Incident Command System
JIC Joint Information Center
LMA Local Maintaining Agency
MAC Multi-agency Coordination
NWS National Weather Service
OA Operational Area (County)
OES Office of Emergency Services
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan viii
January 2018
PIO Public Information Officer
PL 84-99 Public Law No.84-99 (1984) gives the Corps of
Engineers authority for emergency management
activities.
RD Reclamation District
REOC Cal EMA’s Regional Emergency Operations Center
RIMS Response Information Management System
SAFCA Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency
SEMS Standardized Emergency Management System
SOC Cal EMA’s State Operations Center
USACE U. S.Army Corps of Engineers
USBR U. S.Bureau of Reclamation
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 1
January 2018
1 Plan Introduction
Purpose
This Flood Safety Plan (FSP) outlines the American River Flood Control District’s (ARFCD or District) planned response to flood emergencies in or affecting Sacramento County and meets the requirements of Section 9650 of the California Water Code.
The purpose of the FSP is to ensure the effective performance of the District responsibilities in a flood emergency in collaboration with other jurisdictions performing emergency functions within and around the District. This FSP provides information, policies, and procedures that will guide and assist the District in efficiently dealing with flood emergencies.
This FSP allows implementation of the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and is intended to be used in conjunction with the California Emergency Plan, and other local emergency plans, to facilitate multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional coordination in flood emergency operations within ARFCD boundaries.
Although this is a public document, appendices to this FSP contain specific procedures to be followed in flood response. The appendices contain sensitive material, such as personal contact information. Therefore, they are not public documents in their complete form – they are subject to restricted-use handling procedures.
Scope
The ARFCD is an independent jurisdiction with responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the levee system within its jurisdictional boundaries and other levees for which the District may have maintenance responsibilities as determined by agreements with other entities. While the District will work with, and assist if possible, the local jurisdiction(s) responsible for other public safety functions within the District, this FSP only contains detailed procedures for ARFCD emergency responsibilities. This FSP will describe the interaction with other jurisdiction(s), but the operation plans of other jurisdictions with public safety responsibilities within the area protected by ARFCD levees are only referend in this document.
This FSP will cover the following:
• District flood preparedness procedures
• District levee patrol procedures
• District flood fight procedures
• District recovery and after-action procedures
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 2
January 2018
Plans That Govern or Influence Flood Emergency Response within ARFCD’s Boundaries
Emergency response plans that govern or influence flood emergency response with the ARFCD’s boundaries are:
• State of California Emergency Plan (2009)
• State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, guidelines for Coordinating Flood Emergency Operations (1997)
• Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan (2017)
• City of Sacramento Emergency Operations Plan (2005)
• City of Sacramento Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (2017) • City of Sacramento, Office of Emergency Services, Evaluation Plan for Floods and Other Emergencies (2008)
• City of Sacramento Emergency Action Plan (2016)
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 3
January 2018
2 Concept of Operations
Situation Overview
The ARFCD is in the Sacramento Valley. Areas adjacent to rivers, sloughs, creeks, and drainage canals and other low-lying areas are subject to flooding. State and local protective facilities, such as dams, bypasses, and levees, afford a level of flood protection; however, the flood events of 1986, 1995, 1997, and 1998 demonstrated that there is still a significant flood threat in the valley.
Sacramento County is vulnerable to many flooding sources caused by river floods, levee failures and/or overtopping, drainage pump failure, flood gate and/or closure structure failure, dam failure, flash and localized stormwater flooding. These may produce large losses to public infrastructure and private property. Deep flooding caused by levee failure or overtopping remains a significant threat to valley locations.
The local land use agencies and levee maintainers have the responsibility for operations and maintenance along with emergency preparedness during a flood event. For the Sacramento area, the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) works with State and Federal authorities for flood management. Within SAFCA’s area of operation, the City of Sacramento, the ARFCD, Reclamation District (RD) 1000, and the State Department of Water Resources Maintenance Area 9 are responsible for levee maintenance and operations of the major levees that protect the urban area of Sacramento within the Sacramento and Sutter Counties. In addition to these entities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has authority under their Sacramento Bank protection program to assist the State with addressing long term bank protection projects along the Sacramento River and its tributaries.
The ARFCD is an independent special district in the central portion of Sacramento. The boundaries of the District generally follow the floodplain of the American River as identified at the time of District formation in 1927. The flood plain area provided protection by the District, shown in Appendix D: Maps, encompasses approximately 40 miles of levees along the American River and portions of Steelhead, Arcade, Dry and Magpie Creeks. The jurisdiction covers areas of North Sacramento and Sacramento south to Sutterville Road and 14th Avenue and areas of the County of Sacramento south of American River to Folsom Boulevard and Mayhew Road. The territory within the District boundary is characterized by flat and gently rolling land in the central portion of the city of Sacramento. The District provides flood protection to a specific geographic area.
The ARFCD is responsible for the following levee segments, drainage facilities, and flood control structures.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 1
January 2018
Facility Name River/Stream Location
Dry Creek North Levee Dry Creek Station 7000+00 to 7085+58 Robla Creek South Levee or
Linda Creek levee or Dry
Creek left Bank (south) levee
Robla Creek Station 6000+00 to 6118+20
Natomas East Main Drainage
Canal (NEMDC) East Levee
Robla Creek and Arcade
Creek Station 3055+86 to 3192+23
Arcade Creek north levee Arcade Creek Station 5000+00 to 5112+43 American River South Levee American River Station 1000+00 to 1552+45 Mayhew Drain Closure
Structure American River Station 1552+45
Sacramento River east levee Sacramento River Station 1000+00 to 1020+85 General Approach to Seasonal Flood Operations
District personnel will carry out routine preparedness activities at the beginning of flood season as described in this section.
Flood response levels for the ARFCD will be based on river stage for both the American and Sacramento Rivers. On the American River, stages should be predictable for up to eight hours.
On the Sacramento River system, depending on which dams are releasing the flows, advance warning of river stages may be as much as 24 hours. This section defines the specific level of commitment by the ARFCD for specific triggers.
Not all flooding in the jurisdiction may be based on river stage, refer to the City of Sacramento Emergency Action Plan (EAP) related to floods.
Routine Preparedness and Infrastructure Maintenance
District personnel perform the following routine flood preparedness actions:
• All levees are inspected weekly to determine the needed maintenance as well as to deter any unauthorized encroachments.
• All levees mowed multiple times during growing season. Often, due to late rains, the growth is vigorous and thick needing more attention than "average" years. • Rodent control begins in spring with smoke bombing and progresses to baiting once the first mowing is complete and the wild food supply is reduced. Grouting is scheduled in early fall.
• Pre-emergent Herbicides are applied during the winter months to all roadways to ensure an all-weather road surface.
• Storm and weather related tree fall is removed.
• Minor erosion areas are identified and repaired as needed. • All gates are checked and repaired and painted as needed.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 2
January 2018
• Post emergent herbicide is applied as needed to keep roadways clear and on slopes as needed to deter noxious weed populations from establishing. • Roadways are resurfaced with fresh gravel prior to the start of flood season. • Tree and brush trimming is completed during the winter months. • Flood Emergency supplies and materials are checked and resupplied as needed. Supplies include, 9,000 empty sandbags, 2,000 filled sandbags, 4,500 feet of visquine, 7,000 tons of rip rap, as well as other material for flood patrol and fighting. • All equipment is serviced and prepared for flood season. • Annual flood fight training is conducted with the DWR and County of Sacramento CMID members.
• County CMID inspectors are on call to assist ARFCD in a flood emergency. • Communications, including radios, satellite phones and cell phones are checked for proper operation.
• Contact lists are checked and updated.
• General Service agreements for emergency levee repair are updated with Teichert, Granite, and Nordic Construction.
Monitoring and Analysis
The District will monitor and analyze throughout the flood season the water conditions, elevations, and forecasts of rivers and creeks affecting the District’s levees for promptly identifying heightened threats to the integrity of the levees and drainage systems. The objective ot this monitoring is to identify conditions that warrant additional actions beyond routine flood season preparedness activities. The District’s flood stage monitoring consists of observing the readings from specific real-time, telemetered stream gages that report the conditions on water courses that affect potential flooding in the jurisdiction. For each gage location on a stream or water course, stages or flows have been categorized into three levels: monitoring stage, danger stage, and flood stage.
The real-time gages can be accessed through the internet through the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) within the California Department of Water Resources website (www.water.ca.gov). CDEC includes links to the National Weather Service and links to satellite photos. CDEC provides information on all of California’s rivers and reservoirs. This allows direct monitoring of outflows at key dams affecting the District.
The Sacramento County also uses the Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time (ALERT) system for local creeks. ALERT was created by the National Weather Service to signal the City of Sacramento about possible flooding. ALERT provides continuous and automatic reports from river levels and rainfall gauges to help detect impending high water levels. The ALERT system website is maintained by Sacramento County and is located https://www.sacflood.org.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 3
January 2018
ARFCD Levee Patrol Plan
Flows/Stage Patrol Frequency by
Reach 24-hr? No. of Patrols (total staff)
American
River >10,000 to 35,000 cfs 4 hours entire system (Daylight hours) N >35,000 to 50,000 cfs 2 hours Sac River to Watt
4 hours upstream Watt Y
>50,000 to 90,000 cfs 1 hour Cap City to H Street
(L) 2 hour rest of system Y
>90,000 to 115,000 cfs 1 hour downstream of Watt
2 hour upstream of Watt Y
>115,000 to 145,000 cfs
1/2 hours Cap City of H
Street (L) 1 hour rest of
system
Y
Sacramento
River 25.0 feet at I Street 4 hours downstream Cap City N
27.0 feet at I Street 2 hours downstream Cap
City Y
30.0 feet at I Street 1 hour downstream of H
Street Y
Dry Creek 116.0 at Vernon Street 4 hours N
38.0 at W.
Branch/Elkhorn 4 hours N
42.0 Main
Branch/Elkhorn 4 hours N
120.0 at Vernon Street 2 hours Y
43.0 at W.
Branch/Elkhorn 2 hours Y
47.0 Main
Branch/Elkhorn 2 hours Y
124.0 at Vernon Street 1 hour Y
43.0 at W.
Branch/Elkhorn 1 hour Y
47.0 Main
Branch/Elkhorn 1 hour Y
Arcade
Creek 58.0 Watt S/O Longview 4 hours N
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 4
January 2018
ARFCD Levee Patrol Plan (Cont.)
Flows/Stage Patrol Frequency by
Reach 24-hr? No. of Patrols (total staff)
35.0 1659 Arcade 4 hours N
25.0 Arcade @ NEMDC 4 hours N
60.0 Watt S/O Longview 2 hours Y
37.0 1659 Arcade 2 hours Y
28.0 Arcade @ NEMDC 2 hours Y
62.0 Watt S/O Longview 1 hours Y
40.0 1659 Arcade 1 hours Y
30.0 Arcade @ NEMDC 1 hours Y
Magpie
Diversion
73.0 Watt S/O Roseville
Rd 4 hours N
Raley Blvd – Shoulder
inundated 4 hours N
75.0 Watt S/O Roseville
Rd 2 hours Y
Raley Blvd – Impassable 2 hours Y
78.0 Watt S/O Roseville
Rd 1 hour Y
Raley Blvd – Outflanks 1 hour Y
Flood Season Monitoring (Normal Conditions)
During flood season and under normal conditions, the District conducts the following monitoring:
• Monitor reservoir levels weekly or more frequently as necessary • Contact the FOC and the USACE to report encroachments • Monitor weather reports on a daily basis
• Monitor river levels on a regular basis (or two or three times per week) Flood Season Monitoring (Adverse Weather Conditions)
During flood season and under adverse weather conditions, the District conducts the following monitoring:
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 5
January 2018
• Monitor weather reports/radar several times per day
• Monitor river/stream levels as necessary to initiate levee patrols at predesignated stages • Monitor reservoir levels on daily basis (or more often if significantly encroached)
• Monitor reservoir release schedule on daily basis once levee patrols are initiated (and more often during significant flood events)
• Participate in daily conference calls with County Office of Emergency Services Flood response levels and monitoring patrol frequency for the District are based on river stage.
Levee patrol frequency by river stage is described in Section 2.2.2.
Levee Monitoring
During flood season and under adverse weather conditions, the District takes the following levee monitoring actions:
• Notify staff when levee patrol operations requiring 24-hour monitoring are anticipated and adjust work schedules to accommodate
• Initiate levee patrols at pre-designated river, stream, or reservoir level • Follow the ARFCD Levee Patrol Plan (Appendix B: Levee Patrol Plan) • Notify outside levee patrol staff 72 hours in advance of need for assistance, if possible
• Determine the need for additional levee patrol assistance and potential sources of support
Alerting, Activation and Initial Response
The following actions will be taken when the trigger condition is identified by District staff.
These actions may also be taken by District staff at any time it is felt that conditions affecting the levees warrant such action.
After compiling monitoring and surveillance information, the ARFCD decides if it is necessary to begin flood operations or direct flood fight resources to specific areas where flooding is occurring or may occur soon. District staff also monitor the flood stage information or monitoring system and are in constant communication with flood control staff throughout the storm episode.
The following actions are taken depending on the severity of flood conditions. District staff may take these actions at any time it is felt that conditions affecting the levees and drainage system warrant such action.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 6
January 2018
• Alert the Board of Trustees and District staff
• Appoint an Incident Commander for the District
• Activate staff, notify contractors, and initiate levee-monitoring protocols as defined in Levee Patrol Plan. (Appendix B: Levee Patrol Plan) • Make notifications to the City and County
• Contact DWR Flood Operations Center (FOC)
The District does not use “phases”, where objective conditions trigger a group of actions. Each action indicated will be taken when District staff feels it is warranted, based on river stages and levee integrity. The District Superintendent and District General Manager are responsible for monitoring objective conditions affecting the District.
District staff will take all of the above actions on identification—or verified report—of any outof-the-ordinary condition on a District levee that presents a potential risk of failure.
If conditions exceed their capabilities on any of the levee systems, the District will call the Sacramento County or DWR for technical assistance. If conditions continue to worsen, the District may contact Sacramento County for mutual aid resources. The DWR FOC may request support from the USACE under PL 84-99.
As coordinated operations continue, local jurisdictions will brief their administrators. These positions often serve as the Directors for Emergency Operations at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Depending on the flooding situation, the EOC will be activated and staff will respond to the EOC to coordinate OA response to the disaster with other agencies.
The DWR FOC may also be made operational. County EOCs remain operational until the threat from flooding is contained and controlled.
Public Alert and Warning
The jurisdictions identified below have the responsibility for providing emergency response to the general public within the ARFCD boundaries. The District will promptly notify these jurisdictions of identified concerns with their levees in accordance with the Sacramento County OA protocols and will provide detailed information on the characteristics of the threat. • Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services
• Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department
The ARFCD will coordinate operations with these jurisdictions/agencies through the Sacramento OA. District staff will assist, to the extent possible, with public safety actions if requested.
Response producers for the above public safety agencies will be found in agency emergency plans.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 7
January 2018
Emergency Response Actions
The District emergency organization is mobilized to cope with specific situations. Each unit, when mobilized, operates according to the provisions of this FSP. Priority is given to operations such as the following:
• Survey and evaluate the emergency situation and advise the Sacramento OA EOC and the FOC
• Mobilize, allocate, and position District personnel and materials for levee monitoring and flood fighting
• Notify flood emergency contractors
• Establish staging areas for personnel, supplies, and equipment • Produce and disseminate emergency information
• Protect, control, and allocate vital resources
• Submit requests for resources and assistance
• Restore or activate essential facilities and systems
The preceding actions are based on extensive local coordination of plans and response. Also, there are daily briefings facilitated by DWR from the FOC involving all impacted agencies.
When local resources are committed to the maximum and additional materials or personnel are required to control or alleviate the emergency, requests for resources are initiated through the Sacramento OA EOC.
Flood Fight Operations
Flood fight operations, including levee patrol and repair, are conducted in accordance with the procedures in this FSP. Operations and response procedures are modified as needed by the District Incident Commander to meet the demands of actual emergency conditions. Both the City and the County have Emergency Evacuation Plans and are responsible for warning and evacuation within the District. An inventory of flood fight supplies may be found in Appendix C: Flood Fight Resource Inventory. Flood fight operations, including levee patrol, will be conducted in accordance with the procedures in Appendixes B and C.
Evacuation
Certain flood threats to the District, as they grow in severity, may require evacuation of populations of residents and/or visitors. The evacuation planners need to determine the lead-time needed to get the necessary resources deployed to the field and the estimated time to conduct a floodplain evacuation. Determination of the proper lead time is made as part of the initiation coordination calls with the Sacramento OA and DWR. Examples of these flood threats may include:
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 8
January 2018
• Weather reports that include flood watches or warnings and/or storms that may bring large amounts of rain
• Reservoir release forecasts that equal or exceed downstream safe levee capacity • Active river bank erosion that is threatening levee stability • Dam failure advisories for dams anywhere along the Sacramento River, American River, or Cosumnes River watersheds
• Levee breach advisories for levees protecting District populations When these conditions threaten the District, the District notifies threatened jurisdictions (i.e., the City and the County). After the decision to evacuate is reached, the City and the County coordinate with the District to manage the evacuation process so as not to affect emergency response activities. Coordination of evacuation efforts in the County is managed from the Sacramento OA EOC, and the coordination of evacuation efforts in the City is managed from the City of Sacramento Emergency Operations Center (City EOC). Additional information about evacuation is provided in the Sacramento County Evacuation Plan and the City of Sacramento Evacuation Plan.
Recovery
An effective recovery requires coordinating with several government agencies over an extended period. Recovery activities may include:
• Organizing files from emergency operations
• Gathering pictures, memos, notes, and other written information from those involved in the emergency response
• Creating a list of outside contacts made during response, including resource and regulatory agency contacts
• Organizing the contracts executed, invoices from contractors/material suppliers, and documented labor costs from the emergency response
• Initiating claim procedures with FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
• Conducting a post-flood survey of the District’s flood control system to determine areas needing immediate emergency repairs
• Determining if the District has the financial resources to undertake repairs; if not, seeking assistance from State and USACE (under Public Law 84-99 or other appropriate State or Federal program) to implement immediate repairs • Conducting a post-flood-season survey to determine which sites were not addressed by the post-flood survey but need to be repaired before the next flood season ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 9
January 2018
Other recovery activities may include:
• Rebuilding levees
• Dewatering protected areas - reference City of Sacramento Emergency Action Plan • Clearing debris
• Demolishing unsafe structures
• Re-entering of District residents
• Performing research to uncover residual hazards, to advance knowledge of disaster phenomena, and to provide information to improve future flood Federal and State Emergency and Disaster Assistance
The ARFCD may maintain mitigation and emergency plans and procedures, as well as, the physical condition of its levees, at the level required to be eligible for disaster assistance under the Federal Stafford Act program as well as the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA).
Emergency operations will be conducted and documented in compliance with conditions of these programs for reimbursement of disaster expense.
State and federal support during the Emergency Phase:
To ensure that the district takes steps to quickly access the recovery process, these actions should be considered if an incident is imminent or occurring:
• The ARFCD in coordination with SAFCA and Sacramento County staff will request the County to proclaim the existing of a local emergency and notify ARFCD staff when the proclamation is established.
• The ARFCD in coordination with Sacramento County may consider requesting Cal EMA and DWR support during the Emergency Phase. California Mutual Aid and USACE assistance are available when resources beyond local capability are needed for flood fight operations.
Emergency Phase support following flooding:
• If the County declares a disaster, the Governor may support it by proclaiming a State of Emergency and then requesting the President make a National Disaster declaration for the affected area.
• If the President declares the area a national disaster, assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be requested.
• If residential flooding occurs, regardless of the declaration, USACE can provide federal funds for recovery operations for up to 30 days following the incident.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 10
January 2018
• USACE assistance can also be requested to repair eroded and damaged levees following high flows. Request for this authority must be made in a timely manner (30 days).
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 11
January 2018
3 Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
Levee Flood Control Operations
The District will use its paid and contract staff to perform its responsibilities in a flood emergency. The District can request mutual aid and coordinates with the Sacramento County OA during flooding episodes.
Key Designated Roles
The ARFCD Board of Trustees (Board) has made the following assignments of authority and responsibility to ensure that needed emergency actions can be taken promptly and efficiently.
Annually, the Board designates responsibility to the General Manager for Emergency Operations.
Legal and Financial Authority
Once the Board has concurred that a local emergency is occurring, any one trustee and the District General Manager are authorized to (1) make a legal or financial commitment on behalf ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 12
January 2018
of the District during emergency operations and (2) purchase additional flood fight supplies or materials. Even without prior Board concurrence that a local emergency is occurring, the General Manager can take these actions on recognition of a threat to levee integrity, but in this case the Board must be notified of the action within 24-hours.
The District General Manager is authorized to sign written contracts with private vendors or other public agencies stemming from emergency actions, as described above.
Multi-Agency Coordination Group Representation
The District Superintendent is authorized and responsible for representing the District in the unified field-level incident command that may be established by the Sacramento OA. The District Superintendent is also responsible for representing the District at the Sacramento OA management group. The District Superintendent may speak for the District in matters of the condition of District levees, input to protective action decisions being made by public safety agencies, and any requests to modify or conform the District’s response that come out of the multi-agency coordination process.
Public Information and Risk Communications
If required, the District General Manager is authorized to speak to the media on behalf of the District as part of the Sacramento OA Joint Information Center (JIC). The District also updates its website with information related to District activities.
Although the District does not have a dedicated Public Information Officer (PIO), the General Manager will coordinate with the City of Sacramento (City) and the County to get critical information to the public. The City and the County have PIOs that will manage the dissemination of information to the public, either through press releases, press briefings, or social media.
Evacuation
The City is responsible for coordinating the evacuation of residents and visitors in the District.
The City Manager has the authority to issue evacuation recommendations and the City Police Department manages the evacuation. The City of Sacramento Evacuation Plan describes the Concept of Operations for evacuation in the City limits. The City is responsible for the following regarding evacuation:
• Recommending evacuations for all or part of the population from a threatened or impacted area if considered necessary for preservation of life, property, or the environment
• Prescribing routes, modes of transportation, and destinations in connection with evacuation
• Controlling ingress and egress from a disaster area, the movement of persons, and the occupancy of premises in the area
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 13
January 2018
Maintaining Emergency Equipment, Supplies, and Resources The District Superintendent is authorized to maintain District equipment, supplies, and resources for emergency response and is responsible for doing so. The Superintendent ensures that supplies are maintained at inventory levels set by the Board or at any minimum levels that may be set by DWR guidance or statutes.
Monitoring Levees, Water Conditions, Elevations, and Flood Forecasts The District Superintendent is responsible for monitoring levees, water conditions, elevations, and forecasts for identifying conditions warranting additional action beyond routine flood preparedness as outlined in this plan.
Emergency Staff Activation
The District General Manager and District Superintendent are authorized to activate—and are responsible for doing so—District staff and/or flood response contractors and resources; to request Mutual Aid assistance from (or provide it to) public agencies; and to supervise District staff, contractors, and/or Mutual Aid resources assigned to the District for (1) levee patrol, (2) flood fight operations, and (3) District de-watering operations (if applicable).
Documentation
The District Office Manager is authorized to maintain necessary documentation of emergency expenditures, damage to District infrastructure, and use of supply inventories in accordance with the requirements of Federal and State disaster assistance programs and is responsible for doing so.
The District Office Manager, under the authority of the District General Manager, is also authorized to prepare and submit disaster assistance claims during the recovery period through all Federal and State disaster assistance programs that may be applicable and relevant to District costs and is responsible for doing so.
Responsibilities of Supporting Agencies
During a levee breach and/or flood fight operation, the District may request support from other agencies. These agencies and their responsibilities are identified below.
California Department of Water Resources
The mission of DWR’s Division of Flood Management is to prevent loss of life, reduce property damage caused by floods, and to assist in recovery efforts following any natural disaster. The State-Federal FOC, which is in Sacramento, is a component of Division of Flood Management’s Flood Operations Branch. Year-round, the FOC is the focal point for the gathering, analyzing, and disseminating of flood- and water-related information to stakeholders. During emergency situations, the FOC provides a facility from which DWR can centrally coordinate State-wide emergency response.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 14
January 2018
When streams and rivers are forecast to rise above certain pre-determined stages (water surface elevations) or flow rates, FOC personnel make high-water notification calls to appropriate flood system LMAs and emergency response agencies.
DWR also provides staff to the California State Reclamation Board; assists local flood control districts, particularly during flood events; monitors river and reservoir levels; and operates the FOC as described above. In addition, DWR is responsible for operation and maintenance of a number of levees in the Central Valley through State Maintenance Areas and a number of dams and reservoirs. DWR also has a significant role in water supply.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
When a disaster exceeds the capabilities of State and local interests, the USACE may provide assistance under Public Law 84-99 to save human life, prevent immediate human suffering, or mitigate residential and commercial property damage. USACE assistance may include acquisition of flood fight materials, geotechnical evaluation of levees and other flood operations structures, contracts for emergency flood fight and temporary repairs, clearance of drainage channels or blocked structures, technical assistance for development of plans, and, on request, inspection of non-Federal dams and flood control projects. USACE also has jurisdiction over storage capacity seasonally reserved for flood control on most major reservoirs throughout California.
California Data Exchange Center
The California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) provides a centralized database to store, process, and exchange real-time hydrologic information gathered by various cooperators throughout the State. CDEC disseminates this information to the cooperators, governmental and private agencies, news media, and the general public. The data collected by CDEC enables forecasters to prepare flood forecasts and water supply forecasts, reservoir and hydroelectric operators to schedule reservoir releases, water suppliers to anticipate water availability, and flood emergency personnel to prepare and disseminate flood hydrology data and reports.
CDEC formats and manages data for public use via the Internet. Its extensive website is accessible to flood emergency personnel, private and public agencies, news media, and the general public. Valuable information is created from the data and presented in a variety of formats, including maps, plots, charts, and publications. The website is a useful and effective tool for monitoring current flood conditions and provides real-time information, including river stages, precipitation, snow water content, temperature, water quality, and full weather data.
State of California Central Valley Flood Protection Board The State of California Central Valley Flood Protection Board oversees flood control activities in the Central Valley. It serves as the local sponsor to the USACE on Federal flood control projects, cost-shares in the projects, holds title or easements to the lands underlying the projects, and inspects the operation and maintenance of the facilities by the local flood control and reclamation districts. The board is the regulatory authority about any proposed activity that could affect the flood control system.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 15
January 2018
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities (DOU) primarily operates and maintains water and wastewater systems, including local drainage systems, which consist of storm drains, culverts, pumping stations, and channels with levees. These drainage systems pump water into the levee systems. Also, DOU operates and maintains local levees and the portions of the Sacramento and American River levee systems that are outside the boundaries of the ARFCD.
County of Sacramento Department of Water Resources
The County of Sacramento Department of Water Resources (County DWR) provides drainage, water supply, and flood control services to areas within their jurisdiction. County DWR consists of a Drainage Division and a Water Supply Division, with the Drainage Division Maintenance Engineering Section having primary responsibilities in flood operations. During storm events, County DWR activates a Department Operations Center (DOC) and a Field Support Operations Center (FSOC) and provides staff to the County of Sacramento Emergency Operations Center (County EOC) to coordinate activities and share information. County DWR staff actively monitor rainfall and stream flow conditions through the County Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time (ALERT) gage system, provide field crews for emergency maintenance and levee patrols of several small County-maintained levees, and assist emergency personnel in floodrelated activities. County DWR field crews respond to service calls made to the 875-RAIN dispatch center related to localized flooding throughout the County and have primary responsibility for carrying out the operation and maintenance of pipe, pump, and channel drainage systems.
County DWR serves as the floodplain management agency for the County. As such, the agency is instrumental in preparing a County-wide perspective on flood preparedness and flood fight efforts in the area. County DWR plays a key role in gathering, analyzing, vetting, and disseminating weather forecast and water level information County-wide and communicates this information directly to potentially impacted parties, such as Reclamation Districts (RDs), incorporated cities, and local communities. County DWR also provides assistance to RDs in the form of levee patrol support crews and water removal through pump stations.
County DWR also maintains the County’s Storm Ready Program, which informs the public about flood safety and actions that should be taken during a flood threat.
County of Sacramento Office of Emergency Services
The County of Sacramento Office of Emergency Services (County OES) has responsibility for administering the emergency management program for the County. As part of this responsibility, County OES supports the operation of the Sacramento OA Emergency Operations Center (OA EOC), issues warnings and notifications, provides subject matter expertise on and maintenance of emergency response plans, and coordinates requests for resources and assistance when the OA EOC is not activated.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 16
January 2018
4 Direction, Control, and Coordination
Management and Control of District Operations and Coordination within the District
District staff authorized and responsible for carrying out the actions use the direction, control, and coordination processes described in this chapter.
District staff apply the Incident Command System (ICS) and SEMS to organize District response activities, manage field-level response activities, and coordinate with supporting agencies.
The General Manager serves as the Emergency Manager for the District during emergency operations. The General Manager supports the Incident Commander and coordinates with the City when additional assistance is needed and to share critical information.
Management and Policy
The District maintains direction and control of District operations during emergency periods.
The District Board of Trustees meet and confer as deemed necessary by the President during emergency operations to perform its policymaking and financial responsibilities during emergency response operations. Board meetings occur in the field or, if needed, at the office of the District.
The Board President issues Delegation of Authority letters as required.
Incident Commander
The Incident Commander at the flood fight scene is in charge of all resources responding to that emergency site. The Incident Commander may assign missions to flood fight crews acquired under Mutual Aid from other governmental agencies, tasking them to perform specific actions to facilitate the response.
The District Superintendent serves as Incident Commander to manage all incidents occurring on the District levee system during any single disaster event as allowed in the NIMS protocols. The District operates on a 24-hour operational period. If necessary, the Incident Commander requests assistance from the District General Manager.
Management and Coordination with Other Jurisdictions
During a flood threat incident, the District maintains regular communication with the FOC, the City EOC, and the County OA EOC. Through the FOC (and information on the DWR website), the District provides updates on the conditions of the levees and receives information about the reservoir levels and anticipated releases. The District may also seek technical assistance on handling levee problems. The FOC has representatives from the National Weather Service, U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, and USACE available to provide information and assistance. The City ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 17
January 2018
EOC coordinates the local emergency response. The District provides regular updates on the conditions of the levees and observed river levels. The District may also ask for assistance (e.g., traffic or crowd control or other emergency response) from law enforcement and/or fire departments through the OA.
For flood threats, a multiagency coordination (MAC) group may be established to share information and facilitate the coordination of resource requests. The City, County or State depending on how widespread the flood threat is can facilitate the MAC Group. The MAC Group includes the participation of representatives from all agencies that have an active role in the coordinated flood response. The MAC Group can meet in person, but is commonly convened as a conference call on a pre-set schedule.
Either as part of MAC Group participation or through direct communication with the City and/or County, the District will provide updates on the conditions of the levees and observed river levels. The District may also request assistance (e.g., traffic or crowd control or other emergency response) from law enforcement and/or fire departments through the Sacramento County OA.
Sacramento Operational Area Emergency Operations Center The County maintains and hosts the Sacramento OA EOC at 3720 Dudley Boulevard, McClellan, CA. The Sacramento OA EOC prioritizes the allocation of resources, including Mutual Aid; performs information sharing; and conducts coordination processes in accordance with the MAC system procedures maintained by the County OES.
The Sacramento OA Planning Section provides disaster intelligence and situational status to participating jurisdictions on activation in an emergency. The District participates as needed in this disaster intelligence and information-sharing process.
The District General Manager participates in the Sacramento OA MAC system processes and procedures on behalf of the District.
State-Federal Flood Operations Center
DWR has special authority under California Water Code Section 128 to assist RDs with flood fight operations. DWR maintains the FOC to coordinate the performance of these functions and support the operations of other State and Federal agencies.
The District coordinates with the FOC to share information and to notify DWR of requests submitted to the Sacramento OA for resources and technical assistance. The District communicates with the FOC through telephone systems or at MAC activities where FOC representatives are present.
Sacramento Operational Area Joint Information Center
When necessary, a JIC is established to coordinate the handling of Emergency Public Information operations for the County and the OA. A JIC is established at a suitable location (removed from the EOC, but in close proximity to it) to provide for effective management of Emergency Public Information functions. When activated, the JIC is staffed by personnel trained ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 18
January 2018
to conduct Emergency Public Information activities, including coordinating inter-jurisdictional media releases and the management of rumor control functions. When necessary, the District General Manager coordinates with the JIC to share information with the public.
Plan Activation Authority
The District Board of Trustees and the District General Manager have the authority to activate this FSP based on the emergency situation.
Disaster Intelligence
During river and levee monitoring and flood fight operations, the District collects disaster intelligence to evaluate the situation and provides updates to supporting agencies. Disaster intelligence is the means, the tools, and techniques the District uses to identify, collect, analyze, and disseminate information on the current and future extent and consequences of a flood.
Intelligence is shared primarily with the City EOC, the Sacramento OA EOC, and the FOC.
Weather Forecast
The advent of satellite imagery and sophisticated computer models has significantly improved the ability to forecast the times and intensities of rainfall. Managing flood response requires knowledge and understanding of the implications of weather predictions for other parts of the watershed and the local area. The National Weather Service provides daily briefings on upcoming weather as part of its role in the FOC. The District participates in these briefings starting at the River Advisory Stage.
River Forecast
In addition to precipitation forecasts, the District General Manager must also know how the resulting runoff affects reservoir storage, releases from dams, and ultimately the amount of water flowing in the river. Hydrologists for DWR work with the National Weather Service in the California-Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) to provide twice-daily forecasts of river height at various points. These forecasts are issued as “River Bulletins,” and the District subscribes to DWR’s email distribution system. Also, the District regularly reviews the website of the CDEC, which provides data on reservoirs, rivers, and rainfall (http://cdec.water.ca.gov/).
Levee Patrols
As important as it is to anticipate the potential situation, it is equally as vital to be aware of current conditions and sudden shifts in those conditions. The District Superintendent maintains regular contact with levee patrols. This contact ensures that the District quickly learns of any changes in the situation, facilitating prompt response. Levee patrols are defined in Levee Patrol Plan, in Appendix B.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 19
January 2018
5 Communications
Communications Organization
During day-to-day operations and flood response operations, District staff, contractors, and other staff working under District supervision must be able to communicate and share information. At a minimum, the District must be able to communicate internally with other public agencies operating within the District, neighboring RDs, the Sacramento OA EOC, and the FOC.
District Communications
The District operates communications equipment on a limited basis, including the use of Satellite phones; landlines – both digital and analog; fiber optic cables, and emergency radios. The District relies on the personal cell phones of its staff and trustees to maintain communications between the District Board of Trustees, the District General Manager, the District Superintendent, and other response staff that may be hired during the emergency period. In the event of a failure of cellular telephone systems, the District will use messengers to transmit information between its staff and other jurisdictions and regularly scheduled coordination meetings of the field unified commands and the Sacramento OA organization.
Communicating with Other Jurisdictions
The District maintains communications with other jurisdictions by cellular telephone and by participation in meetings of the Flood Fight Incident Command and MAC groups.
Sacramento Operational Area Emergency Operations Center The District maintains communications with the Sacramento OA EOC by cellular telephone and participates in scheduled meetings of the MAC groups. The District maintains telephone numbers assigned by the OA for use by RDs (see Appendix A: Emergency Contact List).
State-Federal Flood Operations Center
The District communicates with the FOC by cellular telephone.
Public Alerting Systems
Public alert and warning is necessary to increase public awareness of an impending threat and to provide clear instructions should an emergency situation require the need for evacuation. In fact, the vital first step of a successful evacuation from the District would be timely public alerting that allows the public the opportunity to safely move to non-impacted areas.
During public alert and warning, the District promptly notifies the City of Sacramento Office of Emergency Services (City OES) or County OES, depending on the jurisdiction impacted. Both the City and the County are responsible for alerting and warning the public on identification of a ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 20
January 2018
threat to District levees. The District provides detailed information about the characteristics of the threat and assists, to the extent possible, with notification of the public if requested. All alerting and warning of the public are carried out in accordance with the plans of protected jurisdictions.
When multiple jurisdictions are impacted, alerting and warning are conducted jointly by these jurisdictions through the Sacramento OA using the procedures contained in the Sacramento OA EOP. The District provides support to the OA and JIC to assist with alert and warning messages if requested.
The City and County use several methods to notify the public of an evacuation request. These methods include:
• Emergency siren system
• Emergency alert system (EAS)
• Media hotline and media release
• Reverse 9-1-1 system
• 2-1-1 Sacramento
• Fire and police vehicle loudspeakers
• County Information Services: Sacramento County Information Center and County Operator
• Vulnerable population databases, neighborhood watch programs, and other community support programs
• Neighbors alerting neighbors
People with disabilities and access and functional needs are be notified by support service agencies. Also, the City Operator and the 3-1-1 system are available for the notified public to call for more information.
Those who are evacuating throughout the County or out of the County continue to receive information as to road conditions through the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) 5-1-1 system for highway conditions, Caltrans changeable message signs, and via EAS on local radio.
Emergency Alert System (EAS)
The EAS is a network of public and private broadcast stations and interconnecting facilities. The system is authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate in a controlled manner during a war, state of public peril or disaster, or other national emergency.
The system is used within Sacramento County on a voluntary basis during day-to-day situations that pose a threat to the safety of life and property. Sacramento County uses a commercial ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 21
January 2018
broadcast facility – (radio KFBK or television KCRA) – as the central point of information dissemination under the EAS format. Access to EAS is coordinated through the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services. (Please refer to Appendix D Evacuation).
The City of Sacramento manages the Emergency Alert System and is described in their City of Sacramento Evacuation Plan
Protocols for Contacting Levee Patrols
Initial contact with the Levee Patrol Team(s) shall be in accordance with the Emergency Contact List (Appendix A). Generally, communications with Levee Patrol Teams will be through the General Manager.
Other Communications Protocols
All other communications shall be in accordance with the Incident Communications Plan, as documented on Incident Command System (ICS) forms ICS 204 and ICS 205.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 22
January 2018
6 Administration, Finance, and Logistics
Mutual Aid
The ARFCD has mutual aid agreements with the City and the County to provide supplemental staff during floods for round-the-clock levee patrols. The District has also signed agreements with local contractors, who are ready to respond 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with trained personnel, equipment, and material (such as rock, aggregate base, sand, and fill dirt) if a levee is threatened. Relying on these agreements with the City, the County, and local contractors allows the District to provide services efficiently with a high level of reliability.
Record Keeping
The District General Manager tracks, records, and reports on the work time of all District flood response personnel, including that of flood emergency contractors. The District General Manager collects and maintains documentation on all emergency information needed for reimbursement by Cal OES or FEMA. The ARFCD retains these records for audit purposes for 3 years after receiving a final Cal OES or FEMA close-out letter. Examples of documentation that should be retained include:
• Timesheets and payroll records
• Equipment ownership and usage
• Equipment rental agreements and invoices
• Invoices/receipts for materials and supplies
• Contract documentation such as procurement information, executed contracts, amendments and change orders, and payment records
Resource Tracking
Comprehensive resource management is a key management principle. It implies that all assets and personnel during an event need to be tracked and accounted for. Resource tracking ensures maintenance of accountability over all resources. Thus, resources can be moved quickly to support preparation and response to an incident and ensure a fluid demobilization.
Resource management involves coordinating and overseeing the acquisition and deployment of tools, supplies, equipment, and people during a flood. The objectives of resource management are to (1) maximize efficient resource use while maintaining cost-effectiveness and resource safety; (2) consolidate control of single resources to reduce communications activity; and (3) instill resource accountability. Resource management enhances the benefit of Mutual Aid agreements and improves interoperability.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 23
January 2018
Flood response resources include (1) personnel or equipment to perform a specific operation; and (2) supplies and facilities to support on-scene incident operations. The District Office Manager tracks the use of and maintains records on the resources applied to flood response.
Resources
The District maintains an inventory of flood fight supplies. The inventory is found in Appendix D: Flood Fight Resource Inventory.
Flood Response Contractors
Should a problem be identified on the levees, the District uses resources from the City or County to monitor specific locations as necessary. If the problem requires action such as reinforcing the levee by placing dirt, sandbagging a boil, or armoring a levee slope with rock and visquine, the District has flood emergency response agreements executed with several local contractors. These agreements provide for an immediate response 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The companies currently under contract have extensive experience in providing similar emergency flood services. Determinations of the appropriate action are made by the District General Manager with input from local levee experts, the State Flood Fight Specialist, and engineers from USACE. Full-time monitoring and record keeping are performed by County construction inspectors.
The District maintains standard forms and processes for initiating and executing contracts with private vendors. The District maintains a standard contract form for contracts under $25,000 in a no-bid environment. The District maintains a separate contract form for contracts over $25,000, adding a bonding requirement. Contracts over $25,000 are awarded through an informal bid process.
Logistics Facilities
See Appendix C for the locations of pre-planned delivery points, the locations of District supplies, and District supply staging areas and points.
Finance and Administration
The District maintains financial and administrative records associated with emergency response in accordance with Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations Part 13, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments.
Emergency response and construction records, including field reports and procurement and construction management files are maintained by both the District and the District Superintendent and are retained as prescribed by the grant authority.
Also, in anticipation of a flood emergency, the District has established a Flood Fight Reserve Fund. Currently, the fund has approximately $1 million, which is estimated to be sufficient for a 2- to 3-day flood fight.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 24
January 2018
7 Plan Development and Maintenance
Plan Development, Review and Maintenance
The General Manager has primary responsibility for developing, reviewing, and updating this FSP on a regular basis. The General Manager will request input from individuals, jurisdictions, and agencies having responsibilities under this plan.
Every four years this plan will be reviewed in its entirety, updated, republished, and redistributed. This plan also may be modified whenever responsibilities, procedures, laws, rules, or regulations pertaining to emergency management and operations change. • Jurisdictions and agencies having assigned responsibilities under this plan are obligated to inform the General Manager when changes occur or are imminent. • These changes will be incorporated into this plan, published, and distributed to jurisdictions and agencies holding this plan (see Distribution List).
Training and Exercises
All emergency responders from ARFCD are strongly encouraged to take advantage of FEMA’s on-line training. In addition, the General Manager of ARFCD will notify holders of this plan of training opportunities or scheduled exercises associated with flood emergency management and operations, such as DWR’s annual Flood Fight sessions. Individual jurisdictions and agencies are responsible for maintaining training records. This plan will be exercised regularly. The General Manager will conduct emergency preparedness exercises in accordance with an annual exercise schedule. Jurisdictions and agencies having assigned responsibilities under this plan must ensure assigned personnel are properly trained to carry out these responsibilities.
Evaluation
The General Manager will coordinate and facilitate post-incident analyses following emergencies and exercises. An After-Action Report (AAR) and Implementation Plan will be prepared by General Manager and distributed to those jurisdictions and agencies involved in the emergency or exercise. The Board of Trustees will review and approve the AAR which will briefly describe District operations, any response problems that arose, and damage sustained by the District levees and infrastructure. The AAR will also contain recommendations for improving flood emergency operations in the future. The Board provides direction to staff on the preparation of changes, additions, or revisions to the District FSP.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan 25
January 2018
8 Authorities and References
The following sources provide authorities for planning, conducting, and/or supporting flood emergency operations.
Federal
• Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 (Public Law 920, as amended) • Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988 (Public Law 93-288, as amended)
• Army Corps of Engineers Flood Fighting (Public Law 84-99) State
• California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7, Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code)
• Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Regulations (Chapter 1 of Division 2 of Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations) and (California Government Code §8607 et sec)
• Hazardous Materials Area Plan Regulations (Chapter 4 of Division 2, Title 19, Article 3, §2720-2728 of the California Code of Regulations) and (California Health and Safety Code, Division 20, Chapter 6. 95, Section 25503. 5)
• California Department of Water Resources Flood Control (California Water Code §128) Local
• Resolution of the Sacramento City Council adopting the Flood Emergency Response Services with ARFCD, dated December 1, 2004.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix A 26
January 2018
Emergency Contact List
Company Name Office Cellular After Hours
Other
RD 1000 Paul Devereux 922-1449 417-4170 417-4170
SAFCA Rick Johnson 874-8737 261-6675 530-677-5285
John Bassett 874-8731 704-8731 780-7421
Pete Ghelfi 874-8733 207-1521 207-1521
RD 900 Tony Schwall 371-1483 684-2262
Kenric Jameson 371-1483 718-9875
RD 1001 Drew Stressor 530-656-2318 530-335-6359 530-674-0165 Natomas Basin Conservancy John Roberts 649-3331 224-2000 Natomas Central Mutual Water Company Steve Hetherington 419-5936 826-7673 564-1425 Brett Gray 419-5936 826-7672 826-7672
Company Name Office Cellular After Hours
Utilities
SMUD (Power Outages) 888-456-7683
SMUD – Emergency Dispatch 732-5338
SMUD Wire Down – 24 Hour 732-5334 911
PG & E Lorie Rodgers 530-320-9063 530-757-5245 800-743-5000 “I” Street Bridge Tender 789-5948
Tower Bridge Tender 442-5298
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix A 27
January 2018
Company Name Office Cellular After Hours
City of Sacramento
City of Sacramento Emergency - OES Jason Sirney 874-2283 216-0324 216-0324 Steve Winton 808-1833 974-6391
City of Sacramento 24-hour Line 264-5011
Department of Utilities 1st Bill Busath 808-1420 834-6715 Department of Utilities 2nd Mike Malone 808-6226 897-0133 335-8897 City Public Relations Jessica Hess 808-8260 698-1705 698-1705 City Pumps Kim Capul 808-5229 952-8802 952-8802
Public Works (Street Maintenance Service Div) Jerry Way 808-6381 804-3703 273-9057 City – Fire Department 808-1300 Duty Chief 228-3035 228-3035 Dan Haverty 808-1601 216-0301 216-0301
City – Police Department Watch Commander 264-5471 264-5151 264-5334 City – Flood Operations Bill Roberts 808-6955 910-3582
Company Name Office Cellular After Hours
County of Sacramento
Sac County – Emergency Operations Roger Ince 874-7043 204-0123 875-6900 Steve Cantelme 874-4672 806-6596 875-6900
Sacramento County 24 hour Line 875-6900 875-5000
Sac County – Water Resources
Michael Peterson 874-8913 747-4061 782-8518
George Booth 874-6484 847-3778 784-1954
WR Storm Dispatch 875-RAIN (7246) Steve Kenning 875-7142 599-0287 223-2320 Sac County – Levee Patrol Dan Barry– Day Shift 874-7156 541-7804 635-0286 Sac County – Water Quality (storm drains) 875-7246
WQ Superintendent Scott Miller 875-5298 956-3779 965-5295 WQ North Corp Yard Gary Bailey 876-6383 591-1273 530-672-0202 WQ Drainage/Water Mechanical Tom Pasterski 876-6430 591-0468 NEMDC Pump Station 876-6276 508-7356 536-9893
Sac County - OES OES Duty Officer 875-5000
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix A 28
January 2018
Sac County – Sheriff 874-5128 874-6742
Sac County – Sheriff Alternate Lt Mike Jones 874-7953 606-2837 874-5111 Sgt James Schaefers 874-5980 606-0896 874-8283
Sac County – Park Ranger (Dispatcher) 875-6672
875-7275
Sac County – Park Ranger 875-6548
Sac County – International Airport 24 Hour Duty desk
Robert Rose (Maintenance
Manager)
874-0745 806-5330
Joe Fernandez 874-0376 806-5335
Sac County – International Airport (alternate) Call Center 874-0656 ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix A 29
January 2018
Company Name Office Cellular After Hours
State
DWR (Flood Project Inspection Section) Donald Rasmussen, Chief 574-1730 764-2942 764-2942 John Williamson 574-2643 698-8674 771-0392
DWR (Flood Project Inspection) Pavel Kazi 574-1204 870-8103 310-717-0507 DWR (Levee Inspection) Matt Hoffman 574-1208 214-3532 209-663-0905 Dave Pasevento 574-1205 870-9482 723-2689
Herman Phillips 574-2646 698-8674
Anna Fong 574-2632 216-8697
DWR (Sacramento Maintenance Yard) Main Number 375-6000 375-6020 Russ Eckman 375-6004 952-8445 992-0809
Phil Carey 375-6000 799-4227 991-1916
State Flood Center ( 24 hour line) Non Public Number 574-2619 800-952-5530 California Conservation Corps Emergency Branch 599-1415 CCC Emergency Analyst Melinda Allen (24 Hour) 341-3160
California Emergency Management Agency 845-8911
Cal Trans Maintenance Yard Dispatch 859-7900 (24 hour) 653-3442 California Highway Patrol 861-1299 861-1333
Central Valley Flood Protection Board (CVFPB) Leslie Gallagher 574-0609 709-0160 709-0160 Len Marino 574-0608 203-4432
Michael Wright 574-0694
Office of Emergency Services – Inland Region 845-8911
845-8510
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix A 30
January 2018
Company Name Office Cellular After Hours
Federal
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Emergency
Operations Center [EOC]) 24-hr 452-1535 452-1535
Gary Fong 557-6974 807-0026 525-2601
Krystal Bell 557-6903 807-0028 202-1325
Brigid Briskin 557-6918 807-0033 807-0033
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation/Folsom Dam 989-7214
989-7251 or 52
989-7214
989-7251 or 52
U.S. Coast Guard - Rio Vista Ask For “Officer of the Day” (OOD)
707-374-6674
707-374-2871
(24 hr)
707-374-2655
National Weather Service
Senior Service Hydrologist Cindy Matthews 979-3045 209-481-8911 209-369-3316 ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix B 31
January 2018
Appendix B Levee Patrol
B.1 Purpose
The purpose of levee patrols is to have qualified personnel visually evaluate the performance of the District levee system. Their intent is to determine the condition of the levee and to identify potential and existing problems:
• Threats
• Instabilities
• Seepage conditions
• Erosion points
• Freeboard
Implementation of this procedure will ensure each member of the Levee Patrol Team is capable of participating in precautionary actions and emergency response that may occur with the District’s levee system.
This program will predominantly be undertaken by the District, with operational support from the Sacramento County. The major objectives of this procedure are to:
• Develop a training program to ensure qualified personnel are available for use • Ensure materials, equipment and supplies are available to implement this procedure and are maintained in a serviceable condition to meet the needs of the ARFCD • Ensure action levels are established and in place to manage potential challenges • Prepare members to recognize the interface between allied agencies should escalating events require large-scale operations
• Prepare members to patrol levees to locate potential problems (including vandalism or terrorism), to alert the EOC, and to actively coordinate work, using flood fight and other methods, to resolve problems and minimize adverse consequences B.2 Program Elements
The levee patrol program has three basic components – Training, Equipment Procurement and Maintenance, and Levee Patrols.
B.2.1 Component I – Training
All participants will complete the following training to become qualified for levee patrol.
Classroom (3 hours)
• Basic levee design
• Recognizing potential problem characteristics
• Notification/warning system
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix B 32
January 2018
• Specific levee patrol assignments
• Command structure
• Safety considerations
Practical Training (3 hours)
• Filling and use of sandbags
• Treatment of boils
• Safety precautions
• Visquine wave wash protection
• Freeboard enhancement
Upon completion of both the classroom and practical functions, a member will remain qualified for 12 months from the final date of training. During flood emergency response conditions, it may be infeasible to provide new volunteers with the “Practical” training session. Instead they will be partnered with experienced patrol personnel who will help and instruct them.
B.2.2 Component II – Equipment Procurement and Maintenance The Sacramento County and the District have a responsibility to ensure the following equipment is staged in an approved location and is in serviceable condition. The following resources, resource lists, and locations shall be maintained by the listed agencies.
ARFCD Office Building
(20) Three-cell watertight flashlights (4) 500-watt lights (60) ‘D’ cell batteries (2) Light standards
(10) CAL-OSHA approved hardhats (8) Propane lanterns
(20) Flat-tipped shovels (4) Portable radios
(10) Sets of assorted size raingear (200) Orange wire marking flags (20,000) Empty sandbags (200) Yellow wire marking flags (2) Generators 3,500 KW or larger (200) Red wire marking flags Sacramento County Fire Department
(20) Watertight flashlights (20) Orange vests
(80) ‘D’ cell batteries (10) Portable radios
(26) US Coast Guard approved lifejackets (10) GPS Units (25) CAL-OSHA approved hardhats (2) Vehicles with mobile radios (6) Flat-tipped shovels (1) Base radio
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix B 33
January 2018
B.2.3 Component III – Levee Patrols
• The District Superintendent will create routes that ensure complete coverage, and wherever possible, overlapping coverage.
• The District Superintendent will physically account for all personnel working under their control on an hourly basis.
• All members will receive a safety briefing prior to commencing patrols and will use all provided safety gear.
B.2.3.1 Motor Patrols
• The levee motor patrol will consist of the following:
o Multiple four-wheel drive vehicles with mobile radio capabilities. o Two trained and currently qualified observers per vehicle. o Patrol areas will be divided as shown on the attached map. o Patrol crews will be rotated on a 12-hour frequency.
o Completion of a Patrol Log and/or Division Activity Log will be required for each shiftusing ICS Form 214.
o All members will receive a safety briefing and utilize appropriate safety gear.
B.2.3.2 Walking Patrol
A levee walking patrol will be enforced, as necessary:
• Teams of two personnel physically walking a designated section of levee. One person will be positioned at the toe of the land side of the levee. The second will be assigned to the top of the levee.
• Foot patrols will check visually for potential problems with the levee as per training. • Areas of concern will be identified and tagged.
• All tags will be evaluated by the District Superintendent conducting motor patrol activities. Flags will be used to designate the levee’s condition. When a potential problem is identified, the condition will be reported to Command for an immediate evaluation by the Engineer.
• All levee foot patrol personnel will have the following at a minimum:
o Three-cell watertight flashlight
o Cal OSHA-approved hardhat
o Raingear, if warranted; each individual is responsible for boots o Reflective vest
o (10) Flags
o Global Positioning System (GPS) unit to establish latitude and longitude of trouble sites
o U. S. Coast Guard-approved lifejacket
o One member of each foot-patrol team will be equipped with a portable radio.
Radio communication should be minimized to prevent channel overload. All radio communication will be conducted in plain English, with no jargon or acronyms.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix B 34
January 2018
• Walking patrol personnel will be rotated on an as needed basis.
B.2.4 High Water Staking Procedures
• High water staking: Record the extent of high water by placing markers (stakes) periodically as the event progresses
• Reference those high water locations with suitable surveying or GPS locations • Provide that information to the jurisdiction and DWR upon request B.3 Augmenting Staff
When local personnel resources are depleted or reasonably committed, mutual aid is requested and coordinated within the Operational Area (OA). If OA resources are not sufficient or timely, the request is then forwarded to the Cal EMA Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC).
The REOC evaluates and fills requests by (a) staff from unaffected OAs, (b) tasking a State agency, or (c) accessing federal assistance. (see Appendix C, Section 4 for Procedures. ) ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix C 35
January 2018
Appendix C Flood Fight
C.1 Trigger(s)
At the River Warning Stage or upon notification of a potential problem by a levee patrol, establish necessary staging areas for supplies, equipment, and personnel. ARFCD has ensured the staging areas are a safe distance from other emergency facilities, such as evacuation centers, shelters, and Incident Command Posts. If required by the situation, commence filling sandbags.
C.2 Prioritization
ARFCD will use available resources and personnel to address boils, rising water/loss of freeboard, slumps, and sloughs to the full extent of its training and capability.
Based on input from levee patrols and other informed observers, the Sacramento County EOC establishes a Unified Command to set priorities for flood fight operations. All Incident Commanders conduct an Initial Unified Command Meeting. This meeting provides responsible agency officials with an opportunity to discuss and concur on important issues prior to joint incident action planning. The agenda for the command meeting includes the following:
• Set jurisdictional/agency priorities and objectives
• Present jurisdictional limitations, concerns, and restrictions • Develop a collective set of incident objectives
• Establish and agree on acceptable priorities
• Adopt the overall strategy or strategies to accomplish objectives • Agree on the basic organization structure
• Designate the most qualified and acceptable Operations Section Chief (the Operations Section Chief will normally be from the jurisdiction or agency that has the greatest involvement in the incident, although that is not essential) • Agree on General Staff personnel designations and planning, logistics, and finance agreements and procedures
• Agree on the resource ordering process to be followed and cost-sharing procedures • Agree on informational matters, designating one official to act as the Unified Command spokesperson
The members of the Unified Command must be authorized to decide and act on behalf of the jurisdiction or agency they represent. Such decisions/actions may include ordering of additional resources in support of the Incident Action Plan, possible loaning or sharing of resources to other jurisdictions, and agreeing to financial cost-sharing arrangements with participating agencies.
C.3 Activation and Dispatch
The General Manager of ARFCD has the authority to activate this Appendix. Dispatch of Flood Fight Teams shall be in accordance with priorities set by the General Manager.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix C 36
January 2018
C.4 Personnel
ARFCD maintains a cadre of emergency responders. Additional flood emergency response staffing comes from other ARFCD employees and from volunteers.
When the ARFCD requires additional people for sand bagging, emergency debris clearance, diking, and similar activities to save life and protect public safety, assistance may come from trained crews to augment local personnel. In accordance with SEMS, when local resources are depleted or reasonably committed, mutual aid is requested and coordinated within the Sacramento County Operational Area (OA). If OA resources are not sufficient or timely, the request is then forwarded to the REOC. The REOC evaluates and fills requests by coordinating mutual aid from unaffected OAs, tasking a State agency, or accessing federal assistance. Due to the nature of the need and the resource, requests for hand crews are usually tasked to a State agency.
C.4.1 Resource Agencies
The California Conservation Corps (CCC) has trained civilian crews. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) supervises crews from the California Department of Corrections and California Youth Authority. The California National Guard (CNG) also has personnel available. Both CCC and Cal Fire have contract services for various types of projects.
CNG is only available through State tasking. In addition to crews, CNG and Cal Fire have mobile kitchens and similar support resources available. Cal Fire can also provide trained section leaders for ICS and SEMS organizations.
C.4.2 Mission Tasking
Cal EMA controls missions and mission assignments for State resources and coordinates requests for federal resources. If Cal EMA receives a request for crews that meets the criteria for State agency tasking and if an agency has the capability, Cal EMA will issue a mission number authorizing the agency to respond. Once tasked, that agency will work directly with the requesting agency and provide the resource within the definition and limits of the mission authorization.
C.4.3 Tasking Criteria
For all missions (a) there must be actual or imminent danger to life or public safety, and (b) locally available resources, including private sector contracting, must be inadequate or untimely.
Maintenance or recovery activities should be dealt with by contract and will not be authorized by Cal EMA. Ex Post Facto mission numbers will not be authorized unless it can be clearly demonstrated that properly coordinating the request would have caused an inordinate delay and that such delay would have resulted in severe injury or loss of life.
C.4.4 Costs/Reimbursement
State agencies tasked under a Cal EMA mission number respond free of charge. Crews may require feeding and sheltering; transport vehicles may require gas and maintenance. These services are usually paid for or provided by the requesting agency unless otherwise agreed to at the time of the request.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix C 37
January 2018
C.4.5 Request Procedures
Following coordination within the Sacramento County OA, the EOC will forward unfilled requests to the Inland REOC Operations Section. The REOC will follow up with the Sacramento County OA EOC to resolve any questions and to monitor resource delivery. • Requests should be completed using the Response Information Management System (RIMS) on a RIMS Mission Request/Tasking form. If RIMS is unavailable, hard copy of the form should be faxed to the Inland REOC via the State Warning Center. If faxing is infeasible, phone in the request using the RIMS format. All requests made by RIMS or fax must be confirmed by phone.
• Requests must contain a clear description of the mission to be performed and the number of personnel needed.
• Requests must not specify the agency from which the crew is being requested (i.e., three California Conservation Corps crews). This allows Cal EMA to make mission tasking based upon availability and need, and avoids over-tasking of a single agency. If there are operational reasons to specify an agency, please explain them in the mission statement of the request form.
• The Sacramento County OA EOC must take special care not to duplicate requests with any possibly made via another Mutual Aid System. Accordingly, EOC Branches must coordinate their requests closely. In particular, crews for flood fight should not be requested via Fire Mutual Aid channels (see below).
C.4.6 Fire Mutual Aid
Unlike procedures for other types of emergencies, crews supervised by Cal Fire for flood fight are not accessible under the Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Plan. All requests for crews for flood fight must follow emergency services channels, regardless of the requesting agency. In view of the natural tendency for requests made by fire agencies to remain in fire channels, it is critical that the Sacramento County OA Region Fire Branch coordinator and the Sacramento County OA Construction and Engineering Branch coordinator communicate closely to avoid confusion and delay.
C.4.7 State Agency Voluntary Response
During non-emergency conditions or non-proclaimed emergencies, State agencies may respond to requests as a locally available resource. Such responses do not receive mission numbers and may not be covered under Mutual Aid and provisions of the Emergency Services Act. Further, all costs are born by the State agency and/or the requesting agency pursuant to any agreement or understanding between them. Resources committed under such responses may be redirected to higher priority missions during emergencies.
C.5 Hazardous Materials Locations
The following sites as having hazardous chemicals stored onsite.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan
– Appendix C 38
January 2018
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix C 39
January 2018
C.6 Materials and Supplies
In accordance with DWR recommendations, ARFCD has stockpiled the following items for flood fight activities for the 2017/2018 flood season. Following is a map of Flood Response Resources.
Supplies
Sandbags Empty 9,000
Sandbags full 2,000
Visquine 20' X 100' X 45 4500'
Rope 300'
Stakes 1000
Twine 5,500 ' X 7 38500'
Buttons 3,500
Emergency Blankets 6
Life Vests 14
Musclewall Barriers 75'
Rip Rap 9,000 Tons
Lath 200
Fill Dirt 2,000 Yards
Equipment
JD 624H Loader
JD 410E Backhoe
JD 75G Excavator
International Dump Truck 10 Yd
Peterbilt Dump Truck 10 Yd
GMC Dump Truck 5 Yd
Komatsu Crawler Carrier 5 Yd
Portable Light Tower
4 X Portable Pumps
2 X Portable Generators
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix C 40
January 2018
C.7 Training in Flood Fight Procedures and Techniques
Personnel from ARFCD participate in DWR Flood Fight training, which DWR provides annually. Also, see the DWR Flood Fight Manual:
http://www.water.ca.gov/floodmgmt/docs/flood_fight_methods.pdf C.8 Utilities
In general, coordination with utilities will be the responsibility of the OA EOC. When on-scene coordination is needed, the Utility Representative becomes part of the IC’s staff. In principal, the Utility Representative gives advice to the IC; in practice the Representative often works directly with the Operations Section Chief.
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan – Appendix D 41
January 2018
Appendix D Maps
American River Flood Control District Boundary
ARFCD Flood Safety Plan
– Appendix D 42
January 2018
Appendix J6.2
American River South ULDC
Sacramento County
Emergency Operations
Plan
EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS PLAN
MAY 2022
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1. Introductory Material
1.1 Cover Page
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN
MAY 2022
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services would like to thank all the individuals who contributed their time and energy into updating the County’s Emergency Operations Plan. Without your active support and participation this update would not have been possible.
Finally, as with any plan, this document represents the planning strategies and guidance understood as of the date of the plan’s release.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1.2 Approval & Implementation
The Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) addresses the County’s planned response to extraordinary emergency situations as a result of natural or human-caused disasters. This plan does not apply to normal day-to-day events, or the procedures used to respond to such emergencies. Instead, this plan focuses on operational concepts that would be implemented in large-scale disasters, which can have major threats to life, property, and the environment, and that require an uncommon emergency response.
This plan accomplishes the following:
● Establishes the Emergency Management Organization required to mitigate an emergency disaster affecting the County.
● Identifies the roles and responsibilities required to protect the health and safety of County residents, public and private property, and the env ironment, during emergency disasters.
● Establishes the operational concepts associated with a field response to emergency disasters, the County’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) activities and the recovery process.
Upon concurrence of this plan by the Board of Supervisors and department leadership that have a listed responsibility in the execution of this plan, the plan will be officially adopted and promulgated. The approval date will be included on the title page and the plan will be distributed to County departments, supporting agencies and community organizations having primary responsibilities listed in this plan, as necessary.
The County of Sacramento Emergency Operations Plan may be activated by the Director of Emergency Services or appropriate designees.
The Sacramento Office of Emergency Services has the delegated authority to carry out specific plan modifications without the signature of the County Executive or Board of Supervisors. This 2021 Emergency Operations Plan, its Emergency Support Annexes, Hazard Specific Appendices and other EOP attachments supersede all previous versions of the Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1.3 Promulgation Letter
Date: May 2022
To: County Officials, Employees, and Residents
The preservation of life, property, and the environment are fundamental responsibilities of all levels of government. As disasters can occur at any time, Sacramento County must provide safeguards to save lives and minimize property and environmental damage through careful planning, preparedness measures, and training. Sound emergency plans carried out by knowledgeable and well-trained personnel can and will reduce losses.
The Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) establishes an Emergency Management Organization. It assigns functions and tasks consistent with California’s Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It provides for the integration and coordination of planning efforts through a whole community approach. It authorizes County personnel to perform their duties and tasks before, during, and after an emergency.
This plan was developed for County departments and local special districts with emergency services responsibilities within the Sacramento County. The content is based upon guidance approved and provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The intent of the plan is to provide guidance on how to respond to an emergency from the onset, through an extended response, and into the recovery phase.
Once adopted, this plan is an extension of the California Emergency Plan. It will be reviewed and tested periodically and revised as necessary to meet changing conditions, lessons learned from actual emergencies, and changes in State/Federal guidance.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and County Executive give their full support to this Emergency Operations Plan and urge all public employees and individuals to prepare for times of emergency before they occur. ________________________
Ann Edwards
County Executive
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1.4 Plan Concurrence
The following list of signatures documents each Board Member’s and assigned emergency agencies concurrence (alignment/agreement) with the plan, their described tasks, and receipt of the most current copy of the Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan.
Phil Serna
Board of Supervisors; Supervisor – District 1 Signature Date Patrick Kennedy
Board of Supervisors; Supervisor – District 2 Signature Date Rich Desmond
Board of Supervisors; Supervisor – District 3 Signature Date Sue Frost
Board of Supervisors; Supervisor – District 4 Signature Date Don Nottoli
Board of Supervisors; Supervisor – District 5 Signature Date Chrisandra Flores
Agricultural Commissioner Signature Date
Mike Doane, Interim
Animal Care & Regulation Signature Date
Kimberly Gin
Coroner Signature Date
Lisa Travis
County Counsel Signature Date
Ann Edwards
County Executive Signature Date
County Fire Coordinator Signature Date
Donna Allred
County Clerk Recorder Signature Date
PAGE
Rami Zakaria
Department of Technology Signature Date
Marie Woodin
Environmental Management Signature Date
Ben Lamera
Finance Department Signature Date
Jeff Gasaway
General Services Signature Date
Chevon Kothari
Health Services Signature Date
Ethan Dye
Human Assistance Signature Date
Mary Jo Flynn-Nevins
Office of Emergency Services Signature Date
Liz Bellas
Regional Parks Signature Date
Joseph Hsieh, Interim
Personnel Services Signature Date
Marlon Yarber, Interim
Probation Signature Date
Scott Jones
Sheriff’s Department Signature Date
Michael Peterson
Water Resources Signature Date
School Districts Signature Date
Hands On Superior California Signature Date
PAGE
Gabriel Kendall
Executive Director, 211 Signature Date
American Red Cross/Other NGO Signature Date
State/Federal Agencies Signature Date
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1.5 Record of Changes
Version
Number
Date of
Change
Change
Made By
Date of
Approval
Change Approved
by
Description
of change
1 07.11.17 Howell Consulting 07.11.17 Steve Cantelme Plan Update
2 10.26.21 Brady Consulting TBD Mary Jo Flynn-Nevins Plan Update
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1.6 Record of Distribution
Recipient Name Recipient Title Recipient Agency Date of Delivery
Number
of Copies
Provided
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
1.7 Table of Contents
1. Introductory Material 2
1.1 Cover Page 2
1.2 Approval & Implementation 4
1.3 Letter of Promulgation 6
1.4 Record of Concurrence 8
1.5 Record of Changes 12
1.6 Record of Distribution 14
1.7 Table of Contents 16
2 Purpose, Scope, Situation, and Assumptions 20
2.1 Purpose 20
2.2 Scope 21
2.3 Situation Overview 23
2.3.1 Hazard and Threat Analysis Summary 23
2.3.2 Capability Assessment 25
2.3.3 Mitigation Overview 25
2.4 Planning Assumption 25
2.4.1 Quick Facts – Sacramento County 27
3 Concept of Operations 29
3.1 Response 30
3.1.1 Goals, Priorities, and Strategies 30
3.1.2 Plan Activation 31
3.1.3 Proclaiming an Emergency 32
3.1.4 Presidential Declarations 34
3.1.5 Emergency Management Response Levels 35
3.1.6 Sequence of Events 37
3.2 Recovery 43
3.2.1 Short-Term 43
3.2.2 Long-Term 43
3.2.3 Recovery Operations Organization 44
3.2.4 Community Actions 45
3.2.5 Government Actions 46
PAGE
3.2.5 Programs 47
3.3 Continuity 51
3.3.1 Continuity of Government 51
8.1.1 County Emergency Operations Policy Statement 51
8.1.2 Disaster Service Workers 52
3.3.2 Continuity of Operations 53
4 Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities 55
4.1 Use of SEMS, NIMS, and ICS 56
4.2 Role of Elected Official 56
4.3 Roles of County Departments and Allied Agencies 57
4.5 Role of the Private Sector 59
4.5.1 Contracted County Services 59
4.5.2 Residents 59
4.5.3 Population with Access and Functional Needs 59
4.5.4 At Risk Individuals 60
4.5.5 Businesses 61
4.5.6 Volunteer Organizations 62
4.5.7 Public-Private Partnerships 62
5 Direction, Control and Coordination 64
5.1 Direction and Control 64
5.2 Coordination 64
5.3 Multi-Entity/Jurisdiction Coordination and Mutual Aid 64
5.4 NIMS, SEMS, and ICS 67
6 Communication 74
6.1 Warning Responsibility 74
6.2 Warning and Alert Mechanisms 74
6.3 Warning Conditions 74
7 Information Collection, Analysis and Distribution 76
8 Administration, Finance and Logistics 78
8.1 Administration 78
8.1.1 Documentation 78
8.2 Finance 78
8.2.1 Expenditure Tracking 79
PAGE
8.2.2 Eligible Expenses 79
8.2.3 Recordkeeping Requirements 79
8.3 Logistics 80
8.3.1 Resource Management 80
8.3.2 Resource Priorities 80
8.3.3 Resource Requests 80
9 Plan Development and Maintenance 82
9.1 Administrative Practices 82
9.2 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) 82
9.3 Training and Exercises 83
9.4 Essential Records Retention 85
9.5 After Action Reports and Corrective Actions 85
10 Authorities and References 88
11 Appendix A - Acronyms 90
12 Appendix B – Glossary of Terms 92
13 Appendix C – EOC Activation/Response Detail 104
A EOC Activation 104
A.1 EOC Purpose 104
A.2 EOC Facilities 104
A.2.1 Primary EOC facility 104
A.2.2 Alternate EOC facility 104
A.2.3 Initial Response 105
A.2.4 EOC Activation 105
A.2.5 EOC Activation Criteria and Levels 106
A.2.6 EOC Notification/Personnel Recall 107
B EOC Operations 110
B.1 Summary of EOC Operations 110
B.2 Emergency Operation Center Protocols 110
B.3 Management Organization 111
B.4 Resource Management 112
B.5 EOC Information Management 113
B.6 EOC Action Planning 115
B.7 EOC Coordination 115
PAGE
B.7.1 Field Responders 116
B.7.2 Departmental Operation Centers (DOCs) 116
B.7.3 Operation Area 116
B.7.4 Private and Volunteer Agencies 117
B.7.5 Special Districts 117
B.7.6 Inland Region Emergency Operations Center 117
B.7.7 State & Federal Field Response 118
C EOC Organization 120
C.1 Management Section 122
C.2 Operations Section 124
C.3 Planning & Intelligence Section 128
C.4 Logistics Section 130
C.5 Finance/Administration Section 134
D EOC Action Planning 136
D.1. Common Operating Picture Guidance 136
D.2 Planning P 138
D.3 Planning P Meeting Agendas 139
E Resources 146
F Contact List 152
G Supporting Documentation 154
PAGE
2 Purpose, Scope, Situation, and Assumptions
2.1 Purpose
The purpose of the Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan is to provide the planning basis for a coordinated response to natural and human-caused emergency disasters within or affecting the County. This plan is the principal guide for the County’s response, management, and recovery from real or potential emergencies and disasters within its designated geographic boundaries. Specifically, this plan is intended to:
● Outline the methods and procedures used by emergency management personnel to assess emergencies and take appropriate actions to save lives, reduce injuries, prevent, or minimize damage to public and private property, and protect the environment.
● Identify the components of an Emergency Management Organization and establish associated protocols required to effectively respond to, manage and recover from major emergencies and disasters.
● Develop a whole community approach to emergency management to facilitate a response that includes the entire community. ● Identify the organizational framework for the overall management and coordination of the county's emergency operations by implementing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS).
● Identify the responsibilities of local, state, and federal agencies in an emergency or disaster affecting the County.
● Define the operational concepts and procedures associated with the EOC interface with County Department Operations Centers (DOCs) and field emergency responders
● Facilitate mutual aid to supplement local resources.
● Facilitate multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional coordination between local government, the private sector, operational area (OA), state, and federal agencies.
● Support the provision for emergency public information, including information on personal protective actions the public can take.
● Serve as an operational plan and reference document that can be used for preemergency planning in addition to emergency operations. ● Use in coordination with applicable local, state, and federal contingency plans.
Allied agencies, special districts, private enterprises, and volunteer organizations with roles and responsibilities in this plan are encouraged to develop operating protocols and emergency action checklists to support their responsibility to this plan.
PAGE
Finally, this plan is divided into several elements that contain general and specific information relating to county emergency management operations. Those elements are as follows:
● Plan: This section provides the structure and organization of the County of Sacramento Emergency Management Organization, identifies roles and responsibilities, describes the concept of emergency operations, and explains how the County integrates SEMS and NIMS into their emergency management organizations. In addition, this section contains supporting materials to the overall EOP and its components.
● Functional Annexes: The Functional Annexes contain descriptions of the methods that the County of Sacramento and its departments follow for critical functions during emergency operations. These Functional Annexes address the State Emergency Support Functions (CA-ESF) and the Federal Emergency Support Functions (ESF).
● Support Annexes: The support annexes focus on critical operational functions and who is responsible for carrying them out. These annexes clearly describe the policies, processes, roles, and responsibilities that agencies and departments carry out before, during, and after an emergency.
● Hazard Specific Appendices: Hazard-specific appendices identify hazardspecific risk areas and other essential information, such as suggested evacuation routes. They specify provisions and protocols for warning the public, disseminating emergency public information, and determining the types of protective equipment and detection devices for responders.
2.2 Scope
This plan's policies, procedures, and provisions apply to all agencies and individuals, public and private, having responsibilities for emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities within the County.
The plan applies to any extraordinary situation associated with any hazard, natural, or human-caused, which may affect the county and require a planned and coordinated response by multiple agencies or jurisdictions.
Incorporating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans, November 2020, Version 3.0, the CalOES Emergency Operations Plan Crosswalk - Local Government, 2020; and the State of California Emergency Plan best practices, this plan is designed to be read, understood and exercised before an emergency and establishes the framework for the implementation of the Standardized Emergency PAGE
Management System (SEMS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) for the County.
This plan will be used in coordination with the State Emergency Plan and the National Response Framework.
This plan is part of a larger framework that supports emergency management within the State. The Sacramento County and its political subdivisions, the Inland Region of the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), and the Federal government will promote effective planning and coordination before an emergency, thereby ensuring a more effective response and recovery.
Each Sacramento County department is responsible for preparing and maintaining plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs), resource lists, and checklists that detail how assigned responsibilities will be performed to support the implementation of this plan and ensure successful response during a major disaster.
Elements to be addressed in SOPs are:
• Arrangements for the provision of direction and control within the department/agency.
• Specific emergency authorities that a designated successor may assume during emergencies.
• Circumstances under which successor emergency authorities would become effective and when they would be terminated.
• Current internal personnel notification/recall rosters and procedures to implement them. A 24-hour communication system should be identified to notify and recall personnel designated by the agency for emergency response. • Designation and establishment of a work/control/dispatch center or Department Operations Center (DOC) to manage organizational resources and response personnel and maintain contact with the EOC during emergencies. • Designation of a representative to report to the EOC during an emergency to advise decision-makers and coordinate the agency's response efforts with other responding entities.
• Reporting of appropriate information (casualties, damage observations, evacuation status, shelter status, chemical exposure…) to the EOC during an emergency.
• Support of cleanup and recovery operations during disasters. • Training of assigned response staff to perform emergency functions is consistent with the official Sacramento County Training Plan. The County intends to fulfill the policies described herein within the capabilities and resources available at the time of an emergency or disaster event.
PAGE
2.3 Situation Overview
The County faces a variety of hazards. Therefore, this plan was developed using an all-hazards planning approach and leverages the specific hazard and vulnerability findings identified in the Sacramento County 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (as of the date of this update, the plan is still under public review). The following section provides a summary of the hazards and threats the County faces.
2.3.1 Hazard and Threat Analysis Summary
Hazard Geographi
c Extent
Likelihood of
Future
Occurrences
Magnitude/
Severity
Significanc
e
Climate
Change
Influence
Climate Change Extensive Likely Limited Medium –
Dam Failure Significant Occasional Catastrophic High Medium Drought & Water Shortage Extensive Likely Limited Medium High Earthquake Extensive Occasional Catastrophic Medium Low Earthquake Liquefaction Limited Occasional Critical Medium Low Floods: 1%/0.2% annual chance Significant Likely Catastrophic High Medium Floods: Localized Storm water Extensive Highly Likely Limited Medium Medium Landslides, Mudslides, and Debris Flow Limited Occasional Limited Low Medium Levee Failure Extensive Occasional Critical High Medium Pandemic Extensive Likely Catastrophic Medium Medium
Severe Weather: Extreme Cold and Freeze Extensive Highly Likely Limited Medium Medium Severe Weather: Extreme Heat Extensive Highly Likely Limited Medium High Severe Weather: Heavy Rains and Storms Extensive Highly Likely Limited Medium Medium Severe Weather: Wind and Tornado Extensive Highly Likely Limited Medium Low Subsidence Significant Highly Likely Limited Medium Medium Volcano Extensive Unlikely Negligible Low Low
Wildfire Significant Highly Likely Critical High High
PAGE
Geographic Extent
● Limited: Less than 10% of planning area
● Significant: 10-50% of planning area
● Extensive: 50-100% of planning area
Likelihood of Future Occurrences
● Highly Likely: Near 100% chance of occurrence in next year or happens every year.
● Likely: Between 10 and 100% chance of occurrence in next year or has a recurrence interval of 10 years or less.
● Occasional: Between 1 and 10% chance of occurrence in the next year or has a recurrence interval of 11 to 100 years. ● Unlikely: Less than 1% chance of occurrence in next 100 years or has a recurrence interval of greater than every 100 years.
Magnitude/Severity
● Catastrophic: More than 50 percent of property severely damaged; shutdown of facilities for more than 30 days;
and/or multiple deaths
● Critical: 25-50 percent of property severely damaged; shutdown of facilities for at least two weeks; and/or injuries and/or illnesses result in permanent disability
● Limited: 10-25 percent of property severely damaged;
shutdown of facilities for more than a week; and/or
injuries/illnesses treatable do not result in permanent disability
● Negligible: Less than 10 percent of property severely damaged, shutdown of facilities and services for less than 24 hours; and/or injuries/illnesses treatable with first aid Significance
● Low: minimal potential impact
● Medium: moderate potential impact
● High: widespread potential impact
Climate Change Influence
● Low: minimal potential impact
● Medium: moderate potential impact
● High: widespread potential impact
TABLE 1: HAZARD AND THREAT ANALYSIS SUMMARY
More detailed information regarding the hazards to the County can be found in the Sacramento County 2021 MultiJurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (as of the date of this update, the plan is still under public review).
AGE P
2.3.2 Capability Assessment
A capability assessment provides part of the foundation for determining the type of emergency management, preparedness, and mitigation strategy. The assessment process also identifies gaps or weaknesses that may need to be addressed through preparedness planning goals and actions deemed practical considering the jurisdiction’s capabilities to implement them. Finally, the capability assessment highlights the positive measures in place or underway for continued support and enhancement of the jurisdiction’s preparedness and response efforts.
As an established organization, Sacramento County has the capabilities to perform the necessary emergency response duties outlined in this EOP.
2.3.3 Mitigation Overview
Sacramento County has taken several mitigation measures for each identified hazard to minimize the likely impact of an emergency. The Sacramento County 2021 MultiJurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (as of the date of this update, the plan is still under public review), identifies mitigation effortsto reduce the likelihood that a defined hazard will impact Sacramento County communities. As the cost of damage from natural disasters increases nationwide, Sacramento County recognizes the importance of identifying effective ways to reduce its vulnerability to disastrous events.
2.4 Planning Assumption
The following assumptions were made during the development of this plan. These assumptions translate into basic principles for conducting emergency management operations in preparation for, response to, and recovery from major emergencies. ● Emergencies or disasters may occur at any time, day, or night, in populated and remote areas of the County.
● Major emergencies and disasters will require a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional response. Therefore, NIMS, SEMS, and ICS must be implemented immediately by responding agencies and expanded as the situation dictates. ● Large-scale emergencies and disasters may overburden local resources and require the need for mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions. ● Large-scale emergencies and disasters and the complex organizational structure required to respond to them pose significant challenges in terms of warning and notification, logistics, and agency coordination.
● The County is primarily responsible for emergency actions within County boundaries and will commit all available resources to save lives, minimize injury to persons, protect the environment and minimize property damage.
AGE P
● Major emergencies and disasters may generate widespread media and public interest; information provided to the public needs to be accurate and timely.
Additionally, the media must be considered an ally in large-scale emergencies and disasters; it can provide considerable assistance in emergency public information and warning.
● Large-scale emergencies and disasters may pose serious long-term threats to public health, property, the environment, and the local economy. Therefore, while responding to significant disasters and emergencies, all strategic decisions must consider each of these threats.
● Disasters and emergencies may require an extended commitment of personnel and other resources from involved agencies and jurisdictions. ● The Emergency Management Organization is familiar with this plan, supporting documentation, NIMS, SEMS, and ICS.
This plan uses the whole community concept where residents, emergency management representatives, community leaders, and government officials can understand and assess the needs of their respective communities and determine the best ways to organize and strengthen their resources, capabilities, and interests.
Engaging in the whole community emergency management planning process builds a more effective path to societal security and resilience. This plan supports the following whole community principles:
● Understand and meet the entire community's needs, including people with disabilities and those with other access and functional needs. ● Engage and empower all parts of the community to assist in all phases of the disaster cycle.
● Strengthen what works well in communities daily.
In keeping with the whole community approach, this plan was developed with representation from county departments and other stakeholders. The effectiveness of the emergency response is primarily based on the preparedness and resiliency of the community.
Community Resiliency Consists of Three Key Factors:
1. The ability of first responder agencies (e.g., fire, law, etc.) to divert from their dayto-day operations to the emergency disaster effectively and efficiently.
2. The strength of the emergency management system and organization within the region includes Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), mass notification systems, and communication systems.
3. The preparedness of the region’s citizens, businesses, and community organizations.
By focusing on enhancing all three of these components, the County is improving the County’s resiliency to emergency disasters and the region.
AGE P
2.4.1 Quick Facts – Sacramento County
Sacramento County was incorporated in 1850 as one of the original 27 counties of the State of California. The County's largest city, the City of Sacramento, is the seat of government for the State of California and serves as the county seat. Sacramento became the State Capital in 1854. The County is the Sacramento Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) which includes Sacramento, El Dorado, and Placer Counties.
Sacramento County encompasses approximately 994 square miles in the middle of the 400-mile long Central Valley, California's prime agricultural region. The County is bordered by Contra Costa and San Joaquin Counties on the south, Amador and El Dorado Counties on the east, Placer and Sutter Counties on the north, and Yolo and Solano Counties on the west. Sacramento County extends from the low delta lands between the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers north to about ten miles beyond the State Capitol and east to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The southernmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to the San Francisco Bay. The following bullet points are some quick facts about Sacramento County:
Community/Area Facts:
● 30 parks with 6 million trees and four public golf courses ● Sacramento River-longest River within California, flowing south for 447 miles ● American River - in 1848, gold was found, which led to the Gold Rush ● Leading agricultural crops - wine grapes, milk, Bartlett pears, field corn, turkeys ● The area of the County is 944 square miles.
Weather/Climate:
● Average temperature
● maximum: 73.6 F
● minimum: 49 F
● Average rainfall: 19.6 inches
Transportation:
● 36.87 miles of light rail system
● mainline railroad tracks
● 8.8 million passengers passed through Sacramento International Airport ● 870,000 short tons of cargo shipped annually
Public Facilities:
● 19 major public & private colleges & universities
AGE P
● California State University, Sacramento - major local university and one of the 23 campuses in the California State University system
● University of California, Davis is located nearby (west of the capital) and one of the 10 campuses in the University of California system
● 16 public school districts
● 15 major art and historical museums
● 26 public libraries
● 10 hospitals
Population:
● As of 2020, the estimated population was just short of 1.5 million (of this population, approximately 43% fall into the Disability Community) by the California State Department of Finance. Sacramento is the core cultural and economic center of its four-county metropolitan area (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties), with more than 2 million. The Sacramento Metropolitan Area is the largest in the Central Valley and is the fourth largest in California, behind Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, and San Diego.
History:
● 1839 Captain John A. Sutter arrives in Sacramento
● 1848 Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill (January 24) ● 1850 First Sacramento volunteer Fire Department is organized ● 1854 Sacramento becomes the California State Capital
● 1857 Sacramento City and County governments merge
● 1860 Pony Express begins to run between Sacramento and St. Joseph, Missouri ● 1863 Track for the first continental railroad is laid in Sacramento ● 1863 Sacramento City and County governments are separated ● 1955 Folsom Dam was completed
AGE P
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
AGE P
3 Concept of Operations
During a major emergency response, the County will coordinate with numerous governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations. To enable a multifaceted operation, the County follows a specific response structure that designates how local, county, and state-level entities coordinate and communicate during emergency response operations.
This Concept of Operations section provides guidance to County decision-makers and plan users regarding the sequence and scope of actions to be taken during a countywide emergency response. This section will focus on three specific phases in preparation for and following an emergency disaster: response, recovery, and continuity.
3.1 Response
During the response phase, the County practices can be summarized in six key elements: (1) goals, priorities, and strategies; (2) plan activation; (3) proclaiming an emergency; (4) presidential declarations; (5) emergency management response levels; and (6) the sequence of events during disasters.
3.1.1 Goals, Priorities, and Strategies
Operational Goals: During the response phase, the agencies charged with responsibilities in this plan should focus on the following five goals:
1 Mitigate Hazards
2 Meet basic human needs
3 Address needs of People with Access and Functional Needs 4 Restore essential services
5 Support community and economic recovery
Operational Priorities: Operational priorities govern resource allocation and the response strategies for the County and its political subdivisions during an emergency.
Below are operational priorities addressed in this plan:
● Save Lives – The preservation of life is the top priority and takes precedence over all other considerations.
● Protect Health and Safety – Measures should be taken to mitigate the impact of the emergency on public health and safety.
● Protect Property – All feasible efforts must be made to protect public and private property and resources, including critical infrastructure, from damage during and after an emergency.
● Preserve the Environment – All possible efforts must be made to protect the environment from damage during an emergency.
AGE P
Operational Strategies: To meet the operational goals, emergency responders should consider the following strategies:
● Mitigate hazards –As soon as practical during the disaster response, suppress, reduce, or eliminate hazards/risks to people, property, and the environment to lessen their actual or potential effects/consequences.
● Meet basic human needs –All possible efforts must be made to supply resources to meet basic human needs, including food, water, accessible shelter, medical treatment, and security during an emergency.
● Address needs of individuals with disabilities or access and functional needs – People with access and functional needs are more vulnerable to harm during and after an emergency. Therefore, the needs of these individuals must be considered and addressed.
● Restore essential services –Power, water, sanitation, accessible transportation, and other essential services must be restored as quickly as possible to assist communities in returning to normal daily activities.
● Support Community and Economic Recovery –All community members must collaborate to ensure recovery operations are conducted efficiently, effectively, and equitably. Thus, promoting expeditious recovery of the affected areas.
3.1.2 Plan Activation
The County of Sacramento Emergency Operations Plan may be activated if there is an event or event(s) with potential impacts on the health & safety of the public and environment. The plan can be activated by the County Executive which is the Director of Emergency Services or their designated alternate the Chief of Emergency Services under any of the following circumstances:
● On the order of the Director of Emergency Services as designated by Chapter
2.46 – Emergency Services of the County of Sacramento Government Code. ● Upon proclamation by the Governor that a STATE OF EMERGENCY exists in an area of the state.
● Automatically on the proclamation of a STATE OF WAR EMERGENCY as defined in the California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7, Division 1, Title 2, California Government Code.)
● Upon the declaration by the President of the existence of a National Emergency. ● Automatically, on receipt of an attack warning or actual attack on the United States, or upon the occurrence of a catastrophic disaster that requires an immediate government response.
AGE P
3.1.3 Proclaiming an Emergency
The California Emergency Services Act provides for three types of emergency proclamations in California: (1) Local Emergency, (2) State of Emergency, (3) State of War Emergency.
Emergency proclamations expand the emergency powers and authorities of the State and its political subdivisions. They also provide a mechanism for unaffected jurisdictions to provide resources and assistance to the affected jurisdictions. Although emergency proclamations facilitate the flow of resources and support to the affected jurisdictions and local government, they are not a prerequisite for rendering mutual aid and assistance under existing agreements or requesting assistance from the American Red Cross (ARC) or state agencies.
Local Emergency Proclamations:
A Local Emergency may be proclaimed by the Director of Emergency Services as specified by Chapter 2.46 – Emergency Services of the County of Sacramento Government Code or the Deputy Director of Emergency Services who is the Chief of Emergency Services or their designee. The Sacramento Board of Supervisors must ratify a Local Emergency proclaimed by these individuals within seven (7) days.
The governing body must review the need to continue the proclamation at least every thirty (30) days until the Local Emergency is terminated. The Local Emergency must be terminated by resolution as soon as conditions warrant. A Proclamation is usually made when there is an actual incident, threat of disaster, or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within Sacramento County caused by natural, technological, or human-caused situations.
The Proclamation of a Local Emergency provides the governing body with the legal authority to:
● Request the Governor proclaim a State of Emergency, if necessary ● Promulgate or suspend orders and regulations necessary to provide for the protection of life and property, including issuing orders or regulations imposing a curfew within designated boundaries
● Exercise full power to provide mutual aid to any affected area under local ordinances, resolutions, emergency plans, or agreements ● Request state agencies and other jurisdictions to provide mutual aid ● Require the emergency services of any local official or employee ● Requisition necessary personnel and materials from any local department or agency
● Obtain vital supplies and equipment; and, if required, immediately commandeer the same for public use
● Impose penalties for violation of lawful order
AGE P
● Conduct emergency operations without incurring legal liability for performance, or failure of performance (Article 17 of the Emergency Services Act provides for certain privileges and immunities)
Request for Cal OES Director’s Concurrence:
Following the Proclamation of a Local Emergency, local governments can request cost reimbursement from the State for certain disaster-related repair costs under the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA). The Director’s concurrence with the local proclamation is required for this reimbursement. This step is not required if a Governor’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency is received for the same event.
Request for the Governor to proclaim a State of Emergency:
When emergency conditions exceed or have the potential to exceed local resources and capabilities, a local government may request the Governor Proclaim a State of Emergency. When the Governor Proclaims a State of Emergency, it enables local government to obtain assistance under the California Emergency Services Act (ESA), and requests cost reimbursement for disaster-related costs under the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA). The formal request may be included in the original emergency proclamation or as a separate document. The request must be received within 10 days of the event. In addition to providing access to reimbursement for eligible disaster-related response and recovery expenditures, a Governor’s proclamation can facilitate other actions. Such as waiver of state regulations impacting response and recovery operations.
Initial Damage Estimate (IDE):
The request for a Director’s Concurrence or a Governor’s Proclamation should include a copy of the proclamation document and an IDE that estimates the severity and extent of the damage caused by the emergency. However, an IDE may not be immediately required for sudden emergencies with widespread impacts, emergencies of significant magnitude, or fast-moving emergencies where immediate response assistance is necessary.
Analysis of Request:
The Cal OES Region reviews the request and the IDE, and a recommendation is made to the Governor through the Director of Cal OES.
Proclamation of a State Emergency:
The Governor proclaims a State of Emergency based on the formal request from the County Council and the recommendation of the California Office of Emergency Services. If conditions and time warrant, the Governor drafts and signs a formal State of Emergency Proclamation. The Governor has expanded emergency powers during a proclaimed State of Emergency. The Governor:
AGE P
● Has the right to exercise police power as deemed necessary, vested in the State Constitution and the laws of California within the designated area ● Is vested with the power to use and commandeer public and private property and personnel, to ensure all resources within California are available and dedicated to the emergency when requested
● Can direct all state agencies to utilize and employ personnel, equipment, and facilities to perform any activities designed to prevent or alleviate the actual and threatened damage due to the emergency. Can also direct them to provide supplemental services and equipment to political subdivisions to restore any service to provide for the health and safety of the affected area's residents. ● May make, amend, or rescind orders and regulations during an emergency and temporarily suspend any non-safety-related statutes, ordinances, regulations, or rules that restrict emergency response activities.
Governor’s Proclamation without a Local Request:
A request from the local governing body is not always necessary for the Governor to proclaim a State of Emergency. For example, the Governor can proclaim a State of Emergency if conditions of extreme peril threaten the safety of persons and property in California or if the emergency conditions are beyond the local authorities' emergency response capacity and capability. This situation is, however, unusual.
Proclamation of a State of War Emergency:
In addition to a State of Emergency, the Governor can proclaim a State of War Emergency if an enemy of the United States attacks California or the nation or if the federal government warns that an enemy attack is probable or imminent. The powers of the Governor granted under a State of War Emergency are commensurate with those granted under a State of Emergency.
3.1.4 Presidential Declarations
When it is clear that State capabilities will be exceeded, the Governor can request federal assistance, including assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act). The Stafford Act authorizes the President to provide financial and other assistance to state and local government, certain private nonprofit organizations, and individuals to support response, recovery, and mitigation efforts following Presidential Emergency or Major Disaster declarations.
Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA):
Upon submitting the request, FEMA coordinates with the State to conduct a PDA and determine if the incident is sufficient to require federal assistance under the Stafford Act. This process could take a few days to a week, depending on the magnitude of the incident. FEMA uses the results of the PDA to determine if the situation is beyond the combined capabilities of state and local resources and to verify the need for AGE P
supplemental federal assistance. The PDA also identifies any unmet needs that may require immediate attention. The PDA may not be required if immediate response assistance is necessary.
Federal Analysis of the State’s Request:
The FEMA Regional Administrator assesses the situation and the request, then makes a recommendation to the President through the Federal Department of Homeland Security on a course of action. The decision to approve the request is based on such factors as the amount and type of damage, the potential needs of the affected jurisdiction and the State, availability of state and local government resources, the extent and type of insurance in effect, recent disaster history and the State’s hazard mitigation history.
Federal Declarations without a PDA:
If the incident is so severe that the damage is overwhelming and immediately apparent, the President may declare a major disaster immediately without waiting for the PDA process described above.
Declaration of Emergency or Major Disaster:
The President of the United States can declare an Emergency or Major Disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (41 USC §5121 et seq.). This also allows the president to provide federal government resources to support the States’ response and recovery activities. While Presidential Declarations under the Stafford Act release federal resources and funding to support response and recovery, federal agencies may also provide assistance under other authorities or agreements that do not require a Presidential Declaration.
3.1.5 Emergency Management Response Levels
The County Emergency Operations Plan will be activated when an emergency occurs or threatens to exceed normal day-to-day capabilities to respond to and mitigate an incident(s) adequately. The scope of an emergency, rather than the type, will largely determine whether the Emergency Operations Plan and Emergency Operations Center will be activated and to what level.
The California Office of Emergency Services has established three EOC activation “levels” which the County follows for planning purposes. The table below defines those levels:
AGE P
Activation
Level Detail Eventor Situation
Minimum
Staffing
Three
Level Three is a minimum
activation. This level may
be used for situations that
initially only require a few
people
● Events with potential impacts
on the health & safety of the
public and environment
● Weather Alerts
● An incident involving 2+
County departments
● Low risk planned event
● Wind or rainstorm
● Power outage and Stage 1 &
2 emergencies
1. EOC Director
2. Other Designees
(Such as Section
Coordinators)
Two
Level Two activation is
normally achieved as an
increase from Level Three
or a decrease from Level
One. This activation level
is used for emergencies or
planned events that
would require more than
a minimum staff but
would not call for a full
activation/staffing
● Two or more large incidents
involving 2 or more
departments
● Major wind or rain
● Major scheduled event
● Large scale power outage
and Stage 3 power
emergencies
● Hazardous Material Incident
involving large scale or
possible large-scale
evacuations
1. EOC Director
2. Section
Coordinators
3. Branches & Units
as appropriate
4. Liaison/Agency
Representatives
as appropriate
5. Public
Information
Officer
One
Level One activation
involves a complete & full
activation of all
organizational elements &
staffing. Level One would
be the initial activation for
any major emergency
requiring acute State
help.
● Major County/County or
Regional emergency, multiple
departments with heavy
resource involvement
1. All EOC as
appropriate
TABLE 2: EOC ACTIVATION LEVELS
3.1.5.1 National Emergency
In the event of a declared National Emergency, the Sacramento County EOC could be activated, and all elements of local government organized to respond to the indicated threat. A National Emergency may occur due to a real or potential act of terrorism or another catastrophic event that affects the country, including Sacramento County and surrounding jurisdictions.
AGE P
3.1.5.2 County Department/Allied Agency EOC Organization Assignments In an EOC activation, each County department and selected allied agencies are assigned specific functions to support emergency management operations. These assignments may involve direct participation within the EOC or provide indirect support.
Section 4.3 lists the Primary (P) and Support (S) roles for each County department or organization.
3.1.6 Sequence of Events
Two sequences of events are typically associated with disasters: one involves the response, and the other the emergency proclamations. The response sequence generally describes the emergency response activities to save lives, protect property and preserve the environment. In addition, this sequence describes the deployment of response teams, activation of emergency management organizations, and coordination among the various levels of government. The emergency proclamation sequence outlines the steps to gain expanded emergency authorities needed to mitigate the problem. It also summarizes the steps for requesting State and Federal disaster assistance.
3.1.6.1 Before Impact
Before an emergency ever occurs, the County is committed to conducting preparedness activities that include developing plans, training personnel, conducting emergency exercises, educating the public, and arranging to have necessary resources available.
To remain ready to respond, the County will keep its emergency communications systems, warning systems, and the Emergency Operations Center ready at all times.
Routine Monitoring for Alerts, Watches, and Warnings: Emergency officials constantly monitor events and the environment to identify specific threats that may affect their jurisdiction and increase the awareness level of emergency personnel and the community when a threat is approaching or imminent.
Increased Readiness: Sufficient warning provides the opportunity for response agencies to increase their readiness, which are actions designed to increase an agency’s ability to respond to an emergency effectively. These actions include, but are not limited to:
● Briefing government officials
● Reviewing plans and procedures
● Preparing and disseminating information to the community ● Updating resource lists
● Testing systems such as warning and communications systems ● Activating Emergency Operations Centers, even if precautionary AGE P
Pre-Impact: When a disaster is foreseen as highly likely, action is taken to save lives, protect property and the environment. During this phase, warning systems are activated, resources are mobilized, and evacuation begins.
Proclaiming and Emergency: In the case of the existence or threatened existence of an emergency that threatens the people, property, or environment of the County, and the condition is beyond the capability of the County to control effectively, the County Council, or the County Manager if the Council is not in session, can proclaim a local emergency.
3.1.6.2 Immediate Impact
During this phase, emphasis is placed on control of the situation, savings lives, and minimizing the effect of the disaster.
Below is a partial list of actions to be taken:
Alert and Notification: Local response agencies are alerted about an incident by the public through 911, another response agency, or other methods. First responders are then notified of the incident. Upon an alert, response agencies notify response personnel.
Resource Mobilization: Response agencies activate personnel and mobilize to support the incident response. As the event escalates and expands, additional resources are activated and mobilized to support the response. Activation and mobilization continue for the duration of the emergency, as more resources are needed to support the response. This resource mobilization continues for resources within the County and when County resources are exhausted, from surrounding unaffected jurisdictions.
Incident Response: Immediate response is accomplished within the County by local responders. First responders arrive at the incident and function within their established field-level plans and procedures. The responding agencies will manage all incidents per the Incident Command System organizational structures, doctrine, and procedures.
Establishing Incident Command: Incident Command is set to direct, order, and control resources by some explicit legal agency or delegated authority at the field level. Initial actions are coordinated through the on-scene Incident Commander. The Incident Commander develops an initial Incident Action Plan, which sets priorities for the incident, assigns resources, and includes a common communications plan. If multiple jurisdictions or agencies are involved, the first responders will establish a Unified Incident Command Post to facilitate multijurisdictional and multiagency policy decisions. The Incident Commander may implement an Area Command to oversee multiple incidents that are handled by separate Incident Command System organizations or to oversee the management of a large or evolving incident that multiple incident management teams engaged.
AGE P
Activation of the Multiagency Coordination System: Responding agencies will coordinate and support emergency management and incident response objectives by developing and using integrated Multiagency Coordination Systems (MACS) and Multiagency Coordination System Groups (MAC Groups). This includes developing and maintaining connectivity capability between the Incident Command Post, Local 911 Centers, Local Emergency Operations Centers, Regional Emergency Operations Centers, the State Emergency Operations Center, the Federal Emergency Operations Center, and National Response Framework organizational elements.
Local Emergency Operations Center Activation: Local jurisdictions activate their local Emergency Operations Center based on the magnitude of the need for more coordinated emergency management. When activated, local EOCs help form a common operating picture of the incident by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating emergency information. The local Emergency Operations Center can also improve the effectiveness of the response by reducing the amount of external coordination of resources by the Incident Commander by providing a single point of contact to support multiagency coordination. When activated, the local Emergency Operations Center notifies the Operational Area that the local Emergency Operations Center has been activated.
Communications between the field and the Emergency Operations Center: When a jurisdiction’s Emergency Operation Center is activated, communications and coordination are established between the Incident Commander and the Department Operations Center(s) to the Emergency Operations Center or between the Incident Commander and the Emergency Operations Center.
Operational Area Emergency Operations Center Activation: If one or more local EOCs are activated, or if the event requires resources outside the affected jurisdiction, the Operational Area (Sacramento County) Emergency Operations Center activates. The Operational Area Emergency Operations Center also activates if a Local Emergency is proclaimed by the affected local government. The Operational Area Emergency Operations Center then coordinates resource requests from the affected jurisdiction to an unaffected jurisdiction, or if resources are not available within the Operational Area, forwards the resource request to the Regional Emergency Operations Center and mutual aid coordinators.
Department Operations Center (DOC) Activation: Each county agency may activate a DOC to manage information and resources assigned to the incident.
If a DOC is activated, an agency representative or liaison may be deployed to facilitate information flow between the Department Operations Center and the Operation Area Emergency Operations Center.
Regional Emergency Operations Center Activation: Whenever an Operational Area Emergency Operations Center is activated the California Office of Emergency Services Regional Administrator will activate the Regional Emergency Operations Center within the affected region and notifies the California Office of Emergency Services AGE P
Headquarters. The Regional Emergency Operations Center will then coordinate resource requests from the affected Operational Area to unaffected Operational Areas within the affected region, or, if resources are not available within the affected region, resource requests are forwarded to the State Operations Center for coordination.
State Level Field Teams: The State may deploy Field Teams (Emergency Services Regional Staff) to provide situation reports on the disaster to the Regional Emergency Operations Center in coordination with responsible Unified Command.
State Operations Center Activation: The State Operations Center is activated when the Regional Emergency Operations Center activates to:
● Continuously monitor the situation and provide situation reports to brief state officials as appropriate
● Process resource request between the affected regions, unaffected regions, and state agency Department Operation Centers
● Process requests for deferral assistance and coordinate with Federal Incident Management Assistance Teams when established
● Coordinate interstate resource request as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact or Interstate Disaster and Civil Defense Compact ● The State Operations Center may also be activated independently of a Regional Emergency Operations Center to continuously monitor emergency conditions Joint Information Center Activation: Where multiple agencies are providing public information, the lead agencies will work together to analyze the information available and provide a consistent message to the public and the media. Where practical, the agencies will activate a Joint Information Center to facilitate the dissemination of consistent information.
State Department Operations Center Activation: Each state agency may activate a Department Operations Center to manage information and resources assigned to the incident. If a Department Operations Center is activated, an agency representative or liaison may deploy to facilitate information flow between facilities.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Response Coordination Center Activation: The Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Response Coordination Center may deploy a liaison or Incident Management Assistance Team to the State Operations Center to monitor the situation and provide situational awareness to federal officials.
3.1.6.3 Sustained Operations
As the emergency continues, further emergency assistance is provided to individuals impacted by the disaster and efforts are made to reduce the likelihood of secondary damage. If the situation demands, mutual aid is provided, as well as activities such as search and rescue, shelter and care, and identification of victims.
AGE P
3.1.6.4 Transition to Recovery
As the initial and sustained operational priorities are met, emergency management officials consider the recovery phase needs. Short-term recovery activities include returning vital life-support systems to minimum operating standards. Long-term activity is designed to return to normal activities. Recovery planning should include reviews of ways to avert or mitigate future emergencies. During the recovery phase, damage is assessed, local assistance centers and disaster recovery centers are opened, and hazard mitigation surveys are performed.
Local Assistance Centers: Local Assistance Centers (LAC) are opened by local governments to assist communities by providing a centralized location for services and resource referrals for unmet needs following a disaster or significant emergency. The LAC is staffed and supported by local, state, and federal agencies, as warranted, as well as nonprofit and voluntary organizations. The LAC provides a venue at which individuals, families, and businesses can access available disaster assistance programs and services. The LACs need to be physically accessible, and information needs to be provided in accessible formats for all community members. If federal resources are authorized, a state-federal Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) may be co-located with the LACs.
Joint Field Office: The state coordinates with FEMA as necessary to activate a JFO to coordinate federal support for the emergency. The state will appoint a State Coordinating Officer (SCO) to serve as the state point of contact. A Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) is appointed upon a Presidential Declaration of an Emergency or Major Disaster.
Demobilization: As resources are no longer needed to support the response or cease, resources are demobilized. Demobilization includes provisions to address and validate the safe return of resources to their original location and includes processes for resource tracking and ensuring applicable reimbursement. In addition, where appropriate, demobilization should consist of compliance with mutual aid and assistance provisions.
Refer to the Recovery Framework Annex E for more information on the Recovery effort before, during, and after a disaster.
AGE P
The sequence of activities occurring for the emergency response and proclamation process is illustrated in Figure 1 – Response Phase Sequence of Events.
FIGURE SEQ FIGURE \* ARABIC 1: RESPONSE PHASE AND PROCLAMATION SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AGE P
3.2 Recovery
In the aftermath of a disaster, many citizens will have specific needs that must be met before they can pick up the thread of their pre-disaster lives. Typically, there will be a need for such services as these:
(1) Assessment of the extent and severity of damages to public and private property.
(2) Restoration of services generally available in communities - water, food, medical assistance, utilities, and lifelines.
(3) Repair of damaged homes, buildings, and infrastructure. (4) Professional counseling due to mental anguish and inability to cope.
Local governments can help individuals and families recover by ensuring that these services are availableand by seeking additional resources if the community needs them. Recovery occurs in two phases: short-term and long-term.
3.2.1 Short-Term
Short-term recovery operations begin during the response phase of the emergency.
Although referred to as “short-term” recovery, these activities may last for weeks. Shortterm recovery includes actions required to:
● Stabilize the situation.
● Restore services (electricity, water, and sanitary systems) ● Implement critical infrastructure recovery plans to maintain operations during emergencies and the recovery phase.
● Commence the planning for the restoration of the community, including economic functions.
● Address debris that poses a threat to public health and safety.
For federally declared disasters, Disaster Assistance Centers may be established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist disaster victims and businesses in applying for grants, loans, and other benefits. In coordination with the American Red Cross, the County may provide sheltering for disaster victims until housing can be arranged.
3.2.2 Long-Term
Long-term recovery continues the short-term recovery actions focusing on community restoration. Long-term recovery may continue for several months or years depending on the severity and extent of the damage sustained. These activities include those necessary to restore a community to a state of normalcy, given the inevitable changes that result from a major disaster. Long-term recovery activities require significant AGE P
planning to maximize opportunities and mitigate risks after a major incident and may include the following:
● Reconstruction of facilities and infrastructure including the technology systems and services necessary for restoration of all operations functions. ● Community planning including the development of long-term housing plans. ● Implementation of waivers, zoning changes, and other land-use legislation to promote recovery.
● Assistance to displaced families, which may include financial support as well as social and health services.
● Restoration of the local economic system.
● Integration of mitigation strategies into recovery efforts. ● Documentation of eligible disaster-related costs for reimbursement through state and federal grant programs.
3.2.3 Recovery Operations Organization
The County’s recovery operations will continue to be managed according to the ICS structure. Responsible entities will change as the response evolves into the recovery phase of the emergency. The Recovery ICS will be managed and directed by the County Executive or Designee. Recovery issues involving Operational Area jurisdictions and special districts will be coordinated and managed between the County Executive and designated representatives. Each Operational Area jurisdiction and special district will appoint a Recovery Manager to be the single point of contact for their respective recovery operations.
On a regularly scheduled basis, the County Executive or designee will convene meetings with County department directors, key individuals, and representatives from affected jurisdictions and special districts and from the private sector. These meetings will be held to make policy decisions collectively. They will also be used to obtain and disseminate information regarding completed and ongoing recovery operations.
Public information during the recovery process will be handled independently by each agency or jurisdiction; however, information will be coordinated among the agencies and jurisdictions, through the Office of Emergency Services.
The Office of Emergency Services will assist the County Executive in facilitating and leading the recovery process. Sacramento County departments will also be represented and responsible for certain functions throughout the recovery process.
The organizational chart used in recovery operations is shown below:
AGE P
FIGURE A: ILLUSTRATIVE COUNTY RECOVERY OPERATIONS ORGANIZATION CHART
3.2.4 Community Actions
Individuals and Households:
Individuals and households will try to stabilize their circumstances by seeking shelter, assessing damage to their property, resuming work, resuming other regular activities, applying for federal assistance, and obtaining insurance proceeds.
The Private Sector:
The private sector engages in activities necessary to resume business operations, including assessing damage, implementing continuity of business plans, caring for employees, shifting operations to temporary facilities or other locations, applying for federal assistance, and obtaining insurance proceeds. In coordination with Cal OES and local governments, businesses also may play a key role in donating goods and services for community recovery.
Special District
Representatives
Disaster Recovery
Manager
Overall Recovery Management
Political Process Management
Recovery Policy Development
Recovery Decision Making
Public Information
Operations
Chief
Planning
Chief
Logistics
Chief
Finance &
Admin Chief
Medical Facility &
Service
Restoration
Environmental
Reviews
Debris Removal
Demolition
Construction
Building & Safety
Inspections
Utility Service
Restoration
Housing Programs
Land Use & Zoning
Building Permits
Building
Regulations
Code Enforcement
Plan Review
Redevelopment
Recovery
Documentation
Hazard Mitigation
Government
Operations
Space Acquisition
Supplies and
Equipment
Vehicles
Personnel
Public Finance
Budgeting
Contracting
Accounting &
Claims Processing
Taxation
Insurance
Settlements
AGE P
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO):
Non-Governmental Organizations and Community-Based Organizations (CBO), such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, may or will often provide support to individuals and households who are displaced by a disaster and work with governmental organizations to support the transition from care and shelter operations to interim housing arrangements. Community organizations active before a disaster may expand their services to meet increased needs. Such groups include faith-based organizations, neighborhood health clinics, and food distribution agencies. NGOs and CBOs may provide a range of services such as donation management, emergency food, clothing and shelter, mental and spiritual counseling, assist with non-hazardous debris removal from private property, as well as support of housing reconstruction. They provide these services independently or in coordination with federal, state, and local efforts.
3.2.5 Government Actions
Local Government Actions: Local government, including counties, cities, special districts, and tribal governments organize recovery operations according to their respective priorities and mechanisms for conducting business. These jurisdictions may work with neighboring jurisdictions to share resources or address common problems.
Regional entities may also play a role in setting priorities and obtaining resources for recovery within their respective areas of authority. These organizations may undertake the following actions to stimulate recovery within their respective communities:
● Conduct a damage and safety assessment.
● Assess the housing situation, identify potential solution, and request support. ● Assess damage to public facilities and initiate temporary repairs. ● Assess damage to private property and issue permits for repairs and demolition. ● Remove debris in accordance with local debris management plan. ● Open accessible transportation routes.
● Restore services such as power, water, sewer, and accessible transportation. ● Activate accessible Local Assistance Centers (LAC) to assist individuals, households, and businesses.
● Coordinate program assistance to individuals, businesses, farmers, and ranchers. ● Document disaster-related costs for reimbursement through state and federal grant programs.
● Work with state and federal officials to assess damage, identify needs, and secure financial assistance.
● Resume governmental functions.
● Begin planning for long-term community recovery.
● Enact appropriate zoning variances to accommodate business and commercial repairs.
AGE P
● Assist with the identification of temporary housing and business space.
State Government Actions: When a State of Emergency is proclaimed, Cal OES will lead California’s recovery operations and coordinate assistance provided by other State agencies and the federal government. When federal assistance is required, Cal OES will work together with FEMA and other federal agencies to ensure effective delivery of services.
Long-Term Recovery Efforts: Consistent with the National Disaster Recovery Framework, Cal OES will coordinate long-term recovery efforts within the state including the six Recovery Support Functions (RSF):
● Community Planning and Capacity Building
● Economic
● Health and Social Services
● Housing
● Infrastructure Systems
● Natural and Cultural Resources
3.2.4.1 Recovery Damage and Safety Assessment
Recovery Damage and Safety Assessment is the basis for determining the type and amount of state and/or federal financial assistance necessary for recovery. An initial Damage Estimate is developed during the emergency response phase to support a request for a gubernatorial proclamation and for the State to request a presidential declaration.
For the County, the detailed damage and safety assessment will be completed by the Water Resources, and Planning and Environmental Review in coordination with the County Office of Emergency Services and other applicable County Departments. The Engineering Branch/Department of each jurisdiction will complete the detailed damage assessment. Thee administrative and operational divisions of special districts will, in most cases, complete the detailed damage assessment for their respective areas of responsibility.
During the recovery phase, this assessment is refined to a more detailed level. This detailed damage and safety assessment will be needed to apply for disaster financial assistance programs and to manage them if they are approved. The mitigation priorities outlined in the Sacramento County Hazard Mitigation Plan will be utilized in this process.
3.2.5 Programs
3.2.5.1 Public Assistance
AGE P
State Assistance: The California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) authorizes the state to provide financial assistance for costs incurred as a result of a disaster. CDAA may be implemented in circumstances when local resources are exceeded. In general, the state’s share eligible under CDAA is no more than 75 percent of total state eligible costs; however, funding may vary with the type of disaster at the discretion of the Legislature. There are two levels of CDAA assistance:
● Director’s Concurrence: Under CDAA, the Cal OES Director may concur with a local government request for state assistance independently of a Governor’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency. A Director’s Concurrence is limited to eligible permanent repair work. There is generally a 75%-25% cost share between state and local governments.
● During a State of Emergency: When the Governor proclaims a State of Emergency and authorizes CDAA, both emergency and permanent work are eligible for assistance. Again, there is generally a 75%-25% cost share between state and local governments. In addition, the State of Emergency allows certain eligible private nonprofit organizations to receive state assistance for providing essential community services during a state declared disaster.
Federal Assistance: Under a declaration of emergency or major disaster, the President may designate certain counties in the affected areas as eligible for the Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program. Federal disaster assistance programs available under the Stafford Act are managed by FEMA.
FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program: FEMA provides State agencies, local governments, tribal governments, and certain private nonprofit entities with federal grants to cover eligible disaster recovery work on a cost-share basis. In accordance with the Stafford Act, the federal cost share is a minimum of 75 percent. The State of California shares the remaining cost with the applicant. Eligible costs must be associated with:
● Debris removal.
● Emergency work necessary to save lives, protect public health and safety, and protect property.
● Restoration of damaged facilities, including buildings, equipment, and infrastructure and also to pre-disaster design, function, and capacity. ● Implementation of cost-effective hazard mitigation measures during repairs to damaged facilities to reduce the risk of future damage to those facilities.
Assistance to Tribal Governments: In accordance with the National Response Framework, the state coordinates with impacted tribal governments within the State of California.31 Within California, tribal governments may submit Requests for Public Assistance to Cal OES. Cal OES may review and forward requests to FEMA. FEMA may then work directly with the tribal governments as grantees/recipients.
AGE P
The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 amended the Stafford Act to provide the option for the Chief Executive of a federally recognized tribe to make a direct request to the President for a major disaster or emergency declaration, and the tribes may copy the state as a courtesy. The amendment provides that tribes may continue to elect to receive assistance under a state’s declaration, provided the President does not make a declaration for the tribe for the same incident.
Non-Stafford Act Programs: The federal government may provide recovery assistance through authorities and programs outside of the Stafford Act. These programs may be implemented in conjunction with Stafford Act programs under a disaster declaration or separately. Depending on the program, the agencies may provide assistance directly to recipients or through another State agency besides Cal OES. Examples include the following agency assistance programs:
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, the NRCS provides assistance to State agencies and local governments for emergency work necessary to protect life, property, and public health and safety in watersheds damaged by a disaster, such as a wildfire or flood. A Presidential declaration is required.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): Under the Rehabilitation and Inspection Program, the USACE provides assistance for flood fighting, emergency repair, and repairs to damaged facilities. USACE provides this assistance for levees and other flood control works that meet pre-disaster criteria for participation in the program. A Presidential declaration is required. Under the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act (PL 84-99), the USACE has authority to supplement state and local entities in flood fighting urban and other non-agricultural areas under certain conditions. PL 84-99 also authorizes USACE to provide emergency water support and drought assistance in certain situations and allows for “advance measures” assistance to prevent or reduce flood damage or the imminent threat of unusual flooding.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): The HUD Community Development Block Grants may be requested by state, local, and tribal governments for a wide range of recovery purposes. A Presidential declaration is required.
3.2.5.2 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
Mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. Mitigation is taking action now - before the next disaster - to reduce human and financial consequences later. Effective mitigation requires the comprehension of local risks, undertaking of the hard choices, and investment in long-term community well-being and resilience. Without mitigation actions, safety, financial security, and selfreliance are jeopardized.
As the result of a Presidential Disaster Declaration, FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds plans and projects that reduce the effects of future natural AGE P
disasters. In California, these funds are administered by the Cal OES Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Unit. Eligible applicants include State agencies, local governments, special districts, and some private nonprofits.
3.2.5.3 Debris Management
Disasters may create significant quantities of debris that must be removed and disposed of to reduce threats to public health and safety and allow for the recovery of the community. Debris management poses challenges for state, local, and tribal agencies in terms of available resources for debris management operations, maintaining roads and sidewalks as accessible routes for individuals with disabilities during debris removal activities, appropriate procurement, and management of contractors, reduction of debris volume, disposal, and segregation, handling and disposal of household hazardous waste, and other hazardous materials. There are also legal requirements to recycle applicable waste streams, and specific environmental issues that need to be evaluated for compliance issues. ● Local Responsibility: Debris management operations are the responsibility of the affected jurisdiction; however, at the request of the state, the federal government may provide assistance for debris management following a Presidential declaration of emergency or major disaster.
State Assistance: Cal OES provides Debris Management Technical Assistance to local governments in the development of pre-disaster debris management plans. When a disaster occurs, Cal OES coordinates requests for state and federal assistance with debris removal and provides State agencies and local governments with guidance regarding requirements that must be met to ensure eligibility of debris management activities for funding.
● Recycling of Debris: To conserve California’s landfill capacity, and in keeping with state policy to maximize all diversion options in order to reduce the amount of solid waste that must be disposed, it is the state’s intent that disaster-related debris be recycled or centrally held until it can be processed for maximum recycling. The Integrated Waste Management Disaster Plan provides guidance on this topic.
● State Environmental Requirements: In a federal declaration, FEMA is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal laws, regulation, and Executive Orders (EO) for Stafford Act programs.32At the state level, Cal OES ensures the state’s management of disaster assistance programs proceeds in accordance with these requirements, as well as with applicable state environmental laws and regulations. Cal OES provides guidance to communities regarding the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Additionally, the Cal OES provides technical assistance to Cal OES Environmental Compliance Program applicants.
AGE P
Federal Assistance: The following federal debris management assistance programs are coordinated by FEMA:
● Technical Assistance: The federal, state, local, and tribal governments coordinate as a team to identify, evaluate, and provide the most appropriate technical assistance available. FEMA may be requested to task another federal agency to provide specific technical expertise to accomplish debris management tasks.
● Direct Federal Assistance: FEMA, coordinating directly with the FCO, SCO, and the Public Assistance Officer (PAO), may task another federal agency, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to perform debris management activities directly on behalf of the state, local government, or tribe when that entity does not have the resources for the work.
● Financial Assistance: Under the Public Assistance (PA) Program, FEMA provides financial assistance to state, local, and tribal governments for eligible debris management activities completed by those entities. Cal OES is responsible for providing the technical program assistance for those entities eligible to apply for reimbursement assistance.
3.3 Continuity
3.3.1 Continuity of Government
A major disaster could result in great loss of life and property, including the death or injury of key government officials, the partial or complete destruction of established seats of government and/or the destruction of public and private records essential to continued operations of government and industry.
In the aftermath of a major disaster and during the reconstruction period, law and order must be preserved and, so far as possible, government services must be maintained. These services can best be completed by civil government. To this end, it is particularly essential that the local units of government continue to function.
Applicable portions of the California Government Code and the State Constitution provide authority for the continuity and preservation of State and local government.
The following two sections list out Sacramento County’s Emergency Operations Policy Statements and the State of California Disaster Service Worker Code.
8.1.1 County Emergency Operations Policy Statement
Limitations: Due to the nature of emergency response, the outcome is not easy to predict. Therefore, it should be recognized that this plan is meant to serve as a guideline and that the outcome of the response may be limited by scope, magnitude, and duration of the event.
AGE P
Suspension of Routine Activities and Availability of Employees: Day-to-day functions that do not contribute directly to the disaster operation may be suspended for the duration of an emergency. Efforts normally required for routine activities may be redirected to accomplish emergency tasks. During an emergency response, County employees not otherwise assigned emergency disaster related duties will, unless otherwise restricted, be made available to augment the work of their department, or other County departments, if required.
Households of Emergency Response Personnel: County employees may not be at peak efficiency or effectiveness during a disaster if the status of their households is unknown or in doubt. Employees who are assigned disaster response duties are encouraged to make arrangement with other employees, friends, neighbors, or relatives to check on their immediate families in the event of a disaster and to communicate that information to the employee through the County Emergency Operations Center.
Non-Discrimination: All local activities will be carried out in accordance with federal nondiscrimination laws. It is the County’s policy that no service will be denied on the basis of race, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability.
Citizen Preparedness: This plan does not substitute government services for individual responsibility. Citizens are expected to be aware of developing events and take appropriate steps to respond in a safe and timely manner. Since the County’s resources and personnel may be overwhelmed at the onset of a disaster event, individuals and organizations should be prepared to be self-sufficient following a disaster. The County will make every effort to provide information to the public via the media and other sources to assist citizens in dealing with the emergency.
8.1.2 Disaster Service Workers
Under California Government Code, Section 3100-3109, all public employees are obligated to serve as Disaster Service Workers. Public employees (civil service) are all persons employed by any county, city, state agency or public district in the State of California. Disaster Service Workers provide services and support during declared emergencies or disasters.
In the event of a major emergency or disaster, County employees may be called upon to perform certain duties in support of emergency management operations, such as:
serve in a position in the Emergency Operations Center, support shelter operations, or work at a logistics base in the field.
● County employees may be required to work at any time during a declared emergency and may be assigned to disaster service work
● Assignments may require service at locations, times and under conditions other than normal work assignments
AGE P
● Assignment may include duties within the Emergency Operation Center, in the field or at another designated location
Under no circumstances will County employees that do not usually have a response role in their day-to-day responsibilities be asked to perform duties or functions that are hazardous, that they have not been trained to perform or are beyond their recognized capabilities.
3.3.2 Continuity of Operations
A critical component of the County’s emergency management strategy involves ensuring that government operations will continue during and after a major emergency or disaster. The ability to maintain essential government functions, including the continuity of lawfully constituted authority is a responsibility that must be provided for to the greatest extent possible.
A major disaster could result in great loss of life and property, including the death or injury of key government officials, the partial or complete destruction of established seats of government and/or the destruction of public and private records essential to continue operations of government and industry.
In the aftermath of a major disaster, during the reconstruction period, law and order must be preserved and, so far as possible, government services must be maintained. To this end, it is essential that local government units continue to function.
The following portions of the California Government Code and the State Constitution provide authority for the continuity and preservation of State and local government:
● Continuity of Government in California (Article IV, Section 21 of the State Constitution)
● Preservation of Local Government (Article 15 of the California Emergency Services Act)
● Temporary Seat of State Government (Section 450, Title 1, Division 3, Chapter 1 of the Government Code)
Key authorities include Sections 8635 through 8643 of the Government Code:
● Furnish a means by which the continued functioning of political subdivisions can be assured by providing for the preservation and continuation of (City and County) government in the event of an enemy attack, or in the event a State of Emergency or Local Emergency is a matter of statewide concern. ● Authorize political subdivisions are to provide for the succession of officers (department heads) having duties related to law and order and/or health and safety.
● Authorize governing bodies are to designate and appoint three standby officers for each member of a governing body and for the Chief Executive, if not a AGE P
member of the governing body. Standby officers may be residents or officers of a political subdivision, other than that to which they are appointed. Standby officers take the same oath as regular officers and are designated numbers 1, 2 and 3.
● Authorize standby officers are to report ready for duty in the event of a State of War Emergency, State of Emergency or Local Emergency at the place previously designated.
● Authorize local governing bodies are to convene as soon as possible when a State of War Emergency, State of Emergency or Local Emergency exists, and at a place not within the political subdivision.
For more information on the Sacramento County Continuity of Government Operations including an alternate seat of government to serve as government offices for performing day-to-day functions and persons by position to succeed key government officials and members of the emergency management organization; as well as their level and duration of authority these individuals would assume; refer to the Continuity of Government Operations Functional Annex B.
AGE P
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
AGE P
4 Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
4.1 Use of SEMS, NIMS, and ICS
For the County, this basic plan establishes the operational organization that is relied on to respond to an emergency. The County uses the Standardized Emergency Management System, The National Incident Management System, and the Incident Command System, to be consistent with the National Response Framework concepts and to be coordinated with other jurisdictional partners within the Sacramento County.
The following sections list out the County’s organization structure as well as county departmental roles and responsibilities during a Sacramento County/Operational Area Emergency Operations Center activation.
Additionally, it details out the role that Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services has during an emergency.
4.2 Role of Elected Official
All disasters are locally driven events, and it is the local official’s role to provide leadership and policy guidance to their jurisdiction before, during, and after a disaster.
It is important for local elected officials to engage in preparedness efforts, which are ongoing and involve activities undertaken to prepare for disasters and emergencies, as well as to facilitate future response and recovery efforts. The following section detail some of the local official’s roles and responsibilities during and following a disaster.
Elected Officials Role during an Emergency Disaster: The primary role of an elected official during a disaster is that of support. As the disaster is occurring and the immediate response is underway, elected officials best serve citizens by empowering and allowing first responders and EOC staff the freedom to manage the incident as they have been trained to do. Elected officials should allow them time to stabilize the situation before attempting to step in as a decision maker. Elected officials’ role as decision maker will come, but the primary goal of addressing a disaster as it is happening is to stabilize the situation quickly and efficiently – first responders and County EOC staff will do this. To help in this goal, elected official’s role consists of:
● Support and work with emergency management officials, as needed. This may include facilitating communication with and obtaining assistance from other agencies, declaring a local state of emergency, and issuing emergency orders such as imposing curfews etc.
● Communicate quickly, clearly, and effectively to constituents and work with partners to ensure a coordinated message.
AGE P
● Get accurate information out early and often, and ensure all messaging is accessible.
● Maintain situational awareness regarding the disaster by staying informed. ● Provide direction for response-related activities, when appropriate. ● Trust and empower emergency management staff to make the right decisions. ● Serve citizens by allowing First Responders and EOC staff to manage the incident as they are trained to do. The active participation of Elected Officials in planning / training before a disaster and leadership during the recovery period is where they will have the greatest impact and be of most value.
● Use an EOC Liaison to help stay informed during the incident.
Elected Officials Role Following an Emergency Disaster: The primary role of an elected official after a disaster is that of leadership. Once the first responders and EOC staff have stabilized the situation, elected officials become crucial to the recovery process.
A community is built on law and order, and this stems from County Code, Zoning Regulations, Building Code, Police Enforcement, and much more. Just because a disaster occurs does not mean these regulations are null and void. On the contrary, they are crucial to make sure the community is built back right. For a County to truly recover, diligent and firm adherence to the County’s Codes and Regulations must be adhered to. To help in accomplishing this goal, elected officials can:
● Understand the disaster assistance programs available and application process for State and the Federal Disaster Declarations.
● Support the community throughout the recovery – it can be a long process and may take multiple years.
● Help identify opportunities to rebuild and mitigate future damage through planning and smart infrastructure investments.
● Ask questions – the recovery process and programs can be complex. ● Ensure all Codes and Regulations are enforced during the recovery process.
4.3 Roles of County Departments and Allied Agencies
In the event of a Sacramento County/Operational Area Emergency Operations Center activation, each county department is responsible to support emergency response and recovery objectives and taking the lead regarding the emergency function to which they have been assigned. The departments also provide representatives to the EOC to coordinate people, resources, and information to manage an incident that occurs in the County, and to communicate emergency efforts between departments and/or jurisdictions.
Designated department representatives are trained in emergency management and response operations. In addition, these representatives have assigned successors to support EOC staff in the event of extended operations. The table below outlines the AGE P
designated Primary (P) and Support (S) roles for each of the County’s departments and allied agencies assigned specific functions to support emergency management operations.
PAGE
Sacramento County Departments Allied Agencies
Sacramento EOC
Functions
A
g
ri
c
u
lt
u
r
a
l
C
o
m
m
is
si
o
n
e
r
A
n
i
m
a
l
C
a
r
e
&
R
e
g
u
l
a
ti
o
n
C
o
r
o
n
e
r
C
o
u
n
t
y
C
o
u
n
s
e
l
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
x
e
c
u
ti
v
e
C
o
u
n
t
y
F
ir
e
C
o
o
r
d
i
n
a
t
o
r
C
o
u
n
t
y
R
e
c
o
r
d
e
r
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
o
f
T
e
c
h
n
o
l
o
g
y
E
n
v
ir
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
F
i
n
a
n
c
e
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
G
e
n
e
r
a
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
H
e
a
lt
h
&
H
u
m
a
n
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
H
u
m
a
n
A
s
si
s
t
a
n
c
e
M
u
n
i
c
i
p
a
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
O
f
fi
c
e
o
f
E
m
e
r
g
e
n
c
y
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
R
e
g
i
o
n
a
l
P
a
r
k
s
P
e
r
s
o
n
n
e
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
P
r
o
b
a
ti
o
n
S
h
e
ri
f
f
’
s
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
W
a
t
e
r
R
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
S
c
h
o
o
l
D
is
t
ri
c
t
s
H
a
n
d
s
O
n
S
u
p
e
ri
o
r
C
a
li
f
o
r
n
i
a
2 1
1 A
m
e
ri
c
a
n
R
e
d
C
r
o
s
s
/
O
t
h
e
r
N
G
O
S
t
a
t
e
/
F
e
d
e
r
a
l
A
g
e
n
c
i
e
s
Access and Functional Needs S P
Alerting and Warning P S S S S
Animal Control S P S
Care and Shelter S P S S
Communications P S S
Construction and Engineering P S
Coroner P S
Donations P S
Evacuation S P S
Facilities P S
Finance/Recovery S P S S
Fire and Rescue P S
Flood Control P S
Health and Medical S S P S
Law Enforcement S S P S
PAGE
Legal Considerations P S
Management P S S
Personnel P S
Procurement P S
Public Information P S S
Situation Analysis S S S S S S S S S S S S P S S S S S S S S S S Traffic Control S P S
Transportation S S S P S S
Utilities S P S S
Vital Records P S
Volunteers P S
TABLE 3: ROLES OF COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND ALLIED AGENCIES DURING AND EOC ACTIVATION PAGE
EOC, DOC and Responder Personnel. While this Emergency Operations Plan is focused on the County’s organizational response, all county employees with responsibilities for emergency functions would greatly benefit from having a personal and family preparedness plan. Any county employee with responsibility to report to the EOC, a department operations center (DOC), or to field response operations should have a personal and family preparedness plan in place. Personal and family preparedness planning supports county employees in ensuring the safety of their loved ones, and in turn supports the employees with being available to respond to their county emergency management responsibilities.
4.5 Role of the Private Sector
4.5.1 Contracted County Services
In the event of an Emergency Operations Center activation, each contract county service partner is responsible to support emergency response and recovery objectives and taking the lead regarding the emergency function to which they have been assigned. At a minimum contract county service partners will either provide a representative to the County EOC or provide a contact number for their Business Operations Center to coordinate people, resources, and information in order to manage an incident that occurs in the County, and to communicate emergency efforts between their organization and the County.
4.5.2 Residents
The resident of the county are primary beneficiaries of the county’s emergency management system. At the same time, residents play an important role in emergency management by ensuring that they and their families are prepared for disasters. Before an emergency, residents can assist the emergency management effort by taking first aid training, maintaining supplies, and being prepared to evacuate or shelter-in-place for several days.
Many residents join disaster volunteers’ programs such as Community Emergency Response Teams and remain ready to volunteer or support emergency response and recovery efforts. During an emergency, residents should monitor emergency communications and carefully follow direction from authorities. By being prepared, residents can better serve their family, their community and reduce demands on first responders.
4.5.3 Population with Access and Functional Needs
Populations with access and functional needs include those members of the community that may have additional needs before, during and after an incident in PAGE
functional areas, including but not limited to maintaining independence, communication, transportation, supervision, and medical care.
Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who:
● Have disabilities – temporary and/or lifelong
● Live in assisted living settings
● Are elderly
● Are unaccompanied children
● Are from diverse cultures
● Have limited English proficiency or a non-English speaking ● Have sight or hearing losses (impairments)
● Are transportation disadvantage; or
● Other situations that would require assistance
Lessons learned from recent emergencies concerning people with disabilities and older adults have shown that existing paradigm of emergency planning, implementation and response must change to meet the needs of these groups during an emergency. These lessons show four areas that are repeatedly identified as most important to people with disabilities and older adults:
● Communications and Public Information: Emergency notification systems must be accessible to ensure effective communication for people who are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low vision, or deaf/blind
● Evacuation and Transportation: Evacuation plans must incorporate disability and older adult transportation providers enable the movement of people with mobility impairments and those with transportation disadvantages ● Sheltering: Care and shelter plans must address the access and functional needs of people with disabilities and older adults to allow for sheltering in general population shelters
● Americans with Disabilities Act: When shelter facilities are activated, the State will work with local officials to ensure they accommodate the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act
For more information on People with Disabilities and Access and Functional Needs refer to the People with Disabilities and Access and Functional Needs Annex of the County’s Mass Care and Shelter Plan, both supporting documents to the County EOP.
4.5.4 At-Risk Individuals
Another perspective is to consider the needs of people who are not in contact with traditional emergency service providers. These people may feel they cannot comfortably or safely access and use the standard resources offered in preparedness, response, and recovery. These include, but are not limited to individuals who are:
PAGE
● Homeless
● Without transportation
● Out of hearing range of community alert sirens/systems ● Without radio or television to know they need to take action ● Without access to telephones
● Visiting or temporarily residing in an impacted region ● Not familiar with available emergency response and recovery resources ● Limited in their understanding of English
● Geographically or culturally isolated
4.5.5 Businesses
Most of the County’s critical infrastructure is owned and maintained by businesses and must be protected during a response to ensure a quick and complete recovery from an emergency. These same businesses provide valuable resources before, during and after an emergency, as well as play a critical role in meeting the needs of those impacted by an emergency.
Target Hazards: Some key industries are potential targets for terrorist attacks and must institute measures to prevent attacks and protect their infrastructure and surrounding community. This requires businesses to coordinate with local, state, and federal governments to ensure that their emergency plans are integrated with government plans.
Hazardous Materials Area Plans: Some industries are required by law or regulation to have emergency operations procedures to address a variety of hazards. The California Office of Emergency Services Hazardous Materials Program requires businesses that handle hazardous materials that meet certain quantity or risk thresholds, to submit Business Program Plans and Risk Management Plans to the County’s Certified Unified Program Agency or Administering Agency. The administering Agency can then develop Hazardous Material Area Plans to respond to a release of hazardous materials within the county.
Business Emergency Plans: This plan recommends that all businesses develop comprehensive emergency plans that include employee injury and illness prevention programs, business resumption and continuity of operations elements. A comprehensive business emergency plan can assist the business and community at-large by providing:
● Information to employees to protect themselves and their families from the effects of likely emergencies
● A business emergency organization with identified positions having clear and specific emergency roles, responsibilities, delegated authority and identified successors
● An identification of actions necessary to protect company property and records during emergencies
PAGE
● A list of critical products and services
● Production shutdown procedures
● A company command post
● Alternative work sites
● Methods and channels of communication
● Contacts with local emergency management officials
● A method to provide and accept goods and services from other companies Business Operations Centers: This plan also promotes the use of business operations centers to enhance public and private coordination. Local government can effectively coordinate with businesses by establishing a business operation center that is linked to their existing emergency operations center.
4.5.6 Volunteer Organizations
The County recognizes the value and importance of organizations that perform voluntary services in their community. These organizations have resources, which can augment emergency response and recovery efforts. Some examples of voluntary organizations in Sacramento are the following:
● Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD)
● Hands on Superior California
● American Red Cross Capital Region
4.5.7 Public-Private Partnerships
The private sector provides valuable assistance and resources to support emergency response and recovery activities. The goal of the Public-Private partnership is to advise on:
● Appropriate agreements to provide for quick access to emergency supplies and essential services to minimize the need to stockpile such supplies during normal times
● Logistic measures required to quickly deliver needed supplies and services to affected areas
● Methods to utilize non-profit and private sector capabilities to increase the surge capacity of local agencies responding to emergencies
● Methods to promote the integration of the non-profit and private sectors into the emergency services system so that people can be better informed and prepared for emergencies
● Systems that aid business and economic recovery after an emergency PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
5 Direction, Control and Coordination
5.1 Direction and Control
The County is responsible for coordinating the resources, strategies, and policy for any event in the County that exceeds the capacity of field responders. Tactical control always remains the responsibility of field Incident Commanders. The County Executive, working through the mechanism of the Emergency Operations Center, provides direction and control over the coordination of multi-department and multi-jurisdictional resources to support the emergency response. Policy decisions may be made by the Emergency Operations Center Director that is staffed by the County Executive or designee.
5.2 Coordination
The Sacramento County EOC will coordinate resource requests from the local municipalities within the Operational Area. If requests exceed the supply in the Operational Area, the Operations Section will provide resources based on established priorities.
5.3 Multi-Entity/Jurisdiction Coordination and Mutual Aid Operational Area Coordination: In the event that an incident overwhelms the resources and capabilities of the County, additional support will be requested from a variety of entities, jurisdictions, and organizations. For general emergency management operations, the County will follow SEMS and make requests for additional assistance through the operational area. If the emergency requires state and federal support, representatives from the operational area will work with the state level emergency management organization (Regional Emergency Operations Center), following the established SEMS, NIMS, and ICS structures.
The Regional Emergency Operations Center will coordinate resources obtained from the Operational Areas throughout the region.
If resources are not available in the region, they will request from the State Operations Center. If the State cannot supply the resource, they will request from FEMA and other federal agencies.
Finally, when working with external partners such as private companies, non-profit organizations, nongovernment organizations, or other partners, County representatives in the EOC will ensure that these external partners work within the designated organizational structure of the County EOC. The EOC Director will designate the coordination procedures for new partners that are not already established as part of the County’s emergency management operational systems.
PAGE
Mutual Aid: California's emergency assistance is based on a statewide mutual aid system designed to ensure additional resources are provided to the state’s political subdivisions whenever their own resources are overwhelmed or inadequate. The basis for this system is the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement (MMAA), which is entered into by and between the State of California, its various departments and agencies, and the various political subdivisions, municipal corporations, and public agencies to assist each other by providing resources during an emergency. The agreement obligates each signatory entity to provide aid to each other during an emergency without expectation of reimbursement. Under specific conditions, federal and state funding may be appropriated to reimburse public agencies who aid other jurisdictions. If other agreements, memoranda, and contracts are used to provide assistance for consideration, the terms of those documents may affect disaster assistance eligibility and local entities may only be reimbursed if funds are available. This plan promotes the establishment of emergency assistance agreements between public and private sector agencies at all levels.
There are four approved, formal Mutual Aid Systems in California. Those systems are:
1 Fire and Rescue
2 Law Enforcement
3 Coroner
4 Emergency Management
(resources not covered by the
other three systems)
Other informal mutual aid involves, but is
not limited to the interchange of:
1 Public Information
2 Medical and Health
3 Communications
4 Transportation Services
5 Facilities
6 Hazardous Material Mutual Aid
System
7 Volunteer and Private Agencies
California is divided into six mutual aid
regions, which are subdivisions of the state
emergency services organization to
facilitate the coordination of mutual aid
and other emergency operations within
an area of the State consisting of two or more Operational Areas. A map of the Regions is shown in Figure 2: California Mutual Aid Regions. The County is located in Mutual Aid Region IV.
FIGURE 2: CALIFORNIA MUTUAL AID REGIONS
PAGE
Mutual Aid Coordination: Formal mutual aid requests follow specified procedures and are processed through pre-identified mutual aid coordinators. Mutual aid requests follow discipline-specific chains (i.e., fire, law enforcement etc.) from one level of government to the next. The mutual aid coordinator receives the mutual aid request and coordinates the provision of resources from within the coordinator's geographic area of responsibility. In the event resources are unavailable at one level of government, the request is forwarded to the next higher level of government to be filled.
● Field Level Requests: Requests for MMAA resources originate from the Field Level and are managed by the Incident Commander (IC). If the IC is unable to obtain the resource through existing local channels, the request is elevated to the next successive government level until obtained or cancelled. ● Local Government Request: Local jurisdictions are responsible for the protection of life and property within the municipal geographic boundaries. The local jurisdiction where the incident occurred should assess its resource inventory and existing local agreements to determine if the requested resource is available.
When locally committed resources are exhausted and mutual aid is needed, the local official will request assistance from the OA Mutual Aid Coordinator. ● Operational Area Requests: The OA is a composite of its political subdivisions, (i.e., municipalities, contract cities, special districts, and county agencies). The OA Mutual Aid Coordinator assesses the availability of resources within the OA and fulfills the resource request based upon that assessment. In the event resources are unavailable at the OA level, the request is forwarded to the responsible Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator to be filled. ● Region Level Requests: The State is geographically divided into six Mutual Aid Regions. For Law Enforcement Mutual Aid, Region I is divided into two subregions. Each Mutual Aid Region is comprised of multiple Operational Areas and has a Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator. The Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator is granted the authority to coordinate the mutual aid response of disciplinespecific resources within the Region to support a mutual aid request by a jurisdiction also within the Region. In the event resources are unavailable at the Region level, the request is forwarded to the State Mutual Aid Coordinator to be filled.
● State Level Requests: On behalf of the Governor, the Director of Cal OES has the responsibility for coordination of state mutual aid resources in support of local jurisdictions during times of emergency. The Director will analyze and coordinate the request by forwarding the request to an unaffected REOC or tasking the appropriate State agency to fill the need.
Figure 3: Flow of Request and Resources illustrates these relationships.
PAGE
5.4 NIMS, SEMS, and ICS
Emergency management operations for the County are organized under the guidelines established by NIMS, SEMS, and ICS. These emergency management structures and guidelines provide the foundation for all emergency operations, creating a flexible organizational structure that can be adjusted to meet the needs of any incident, regardless of the size, extent, or associated damage.
The County will manage their internal operations through the implementation of this plan as outlined, and work in support of county operations if necessary. In following these standardized systems, the County EOC is organized into the sections listed below. • Management Staff
• Operations Section
• Planning Section
• Logistics Section
• Finance Section
FIGURE 3: FLOW OF REQUEST AND RESOURCES
PAGE
Detailed descriptions of the roles of each position in the EOC can be found in Part 2 of this plan.
NIMS is the national standard for incident management operations defined by the FEMA and based on the National Response Framework. NIMS has been adopted by the County by resolution to serve as its incident management system. ICS is the organizational structure within NIMS that defines how emergency management operations will be organized. All state and local jurisdictions are required to prepare, plan, and respond to emergencies based on the NIMS and ICS standards in order to be eligible for federal reimbursement for emergency related costs. Additional details regarding NIMS and ICS can be found online through FEMA’s website.
In addition, the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), based on State of California emergency management standards, has been adopted by the County for managing response to multi agency and multi jurisdiction emergencies, and to facilitate communications and coordination between all levels of the system and among all responding agencies. California Government Code § 8607 requires all local public agencies (cities, special districts, and counties) to respond to emergencies using the SEMS at the scene of a multi-agency emergency and in the EOC.
SEMS defines the organizational structure of local EOCs, reporting to operational area EOCs, which report to Regional EOCs (REOC), to state EOCs, and finally to FEMA. The utilization of SEMS during emergency management and response efforts is required for jurisdictions to be eligible for state reimbursement. Additional information for SEMS can be found online through the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) website.
National Incident Management System: The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, illustrated the need for all levels of government, the private sector, and nongovernmental agencies to prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from a wide spectrum of events that exceed the capabilities of any single entity. These events require a unified and coordinated national approach to planning and to domestic incident management. To address this need, the President signed a series of Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs) that were intended to develop a common approach to preparedness and response. Two Policy Directives that are of particular importance to emergency planners:
● HSPD-5, Management of Domestic Incidents: Identifies steps for improved coordination in response to incidents. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with other federal departments and/or agencies and state, local, and tribal governments to establish a National Response Framework and a National Incident Management System.
● PPD-8, National Preparedness: Describes the way federal departments and agencies will prepare. It requires DHS to coordinate with other federal departments and agencies – and with state, local, and tribal governments to develop a National Preparedness Goal.
PAGE
Together, the National Incident Management System, National Response Framework, and the National Preparedness Goal define what needs to be done to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from a major event; and how well it needs to be done. These efforts align federal, state, local, and tribal entities; the private sector; and nongovernmental agencies to provide an effective and efficient national structure for preparedness, incident management, and emergency response.
The National Incident Management System structure provides a consistent framework for incident management at all jurisdictional levels, regardless of the cause, size, or complexity of the incident, building on the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System provides the nation’s first responders and authorities with the same foundation for incident management for terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and all other emergencies. The National Incident Management System structure requires the institutionalization of the Incident Command System and its use to manage all domestic incidents.
The National Incident Management System structure integrates existing best practices into a consistent, nationwide approach to domestic incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. Six major components make up the National Incident Management system’s approach:
● Command and Management
● Preparedness
● Resource Management
● Communications and Information Management
● Supporting Technologies
● Ongoing Management and Maintenance
Standardize Emergency Management System: The Standardized Emergency Management System is the cornerstone of California’s emergency response system and the fundamental structure for the response phase of emergency management. The Standardized Emergency Management System is required by the California Emergency Services Act for managing multiagency and multijurisdictional responses to emergencies in California. The system unifies all elements of California’s emergency management community into a single integrated system and standardizes key elements. The Standardized Emergency Management System incorporates the use of the Incident Command System, California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement, the Operation Area concept and multiagency or inter-agency coordination. State agencies are required to use the Standardized Emergency Management System and local government entities must use the Standardized Emergency Management System in order to be eligible for any reimbursement of response-related costs under the state’s disaster assistance programs.
Standardize Emergency Management System Organization Levels: There are five Standardized Emergency Management System organizational levels.
PAGE
● State: The State Level of the Standardized Emergency Management System prioritizes task and coordinates state resources in response to the request from the Regional Level and coordinates mutual aid among the mutual aid regions and between the Regional Level and State Level. The State Level also serves as the coordination and communication link between the state and the federal emergency response system. The State Level requests assistance from other state governments through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and similar interstate compacts/agreements and coordinates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency when federal assistance is requested. The State Level operates out of the State Operations Center. At the Federal Level, the National Response Framework identifies the methods and means for federal resources to provide support to the state and local government. Federal resources would be accessed via the Standardized Emergency Management System process through the mutual aid region and State Operations Center. ● Region: The Regional Level manages
and coordinates information and
resources among Operational Areas
within the mutual aid region and also
between the Operational Area and
the State Level. The Regional Level
also coordinates overall state agency
support for emergency response
activities within the region. California
is divided into three Administrative
Regions – Inland, Coastal and
Southern (see figure 4); which are
further divided into six mutual aid
regions (see figure 2). Sacramento
County is part of the Inland Region.
● Operational Area: An operational
Area is the intermediate level of the
state’s emergency management
organization, which encompasses a county’s boundaries, and all political subdivisions located within that county, including special districts. The Operational Area facilitates and/or coordinates information, resources, and decisions regarding priorities among local governments within the Operational Area. The Operational Area serves as the coordination and communication link between the Local Government Level and the Regional, State, and Federal Levels. Tribal jurisdictions in the Operational Area may have statutory authorities for response similar to that at the local level.
● Local Government (The County): The Local Government Level includes cities, counties and special districts, Local governments are required to use the Standardized Emergency Management System when their Emergency FIGURE 4: ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS
PAGE
Operations Center is activated, or a local emergency is declared or proclaimed in order to be eligible for state reimbursement of response-related costs. ● Field: The Field Level is where emergency response personnel and resources, under the command of responsible officials, carry out tactical decisions and activities in direct response to an incident or threat.
Standardized Emergency Management System Functions: The Standardized Emergency Management System requires that every emergency response involving multiple agencies include the five functions identified in Figure 5: Standardized Emergency Management System Functions. These functions must be applied at each level of the Standardized Emergency Management System organization.
FIGURE 5: STANDARDIZED EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FUNCTIONS Command/Management: Command is responsible for directing, ordering, and/or controlling of resources at the field response level. Management is responsible for overall emergency policy and coordination at the Emergency Operations Center levels. Command and Management are further discussed below:
● Command: A key concept in all emergency planning is to establish command and tactical control at the lowest level that can perform that role effectively in the organization. In the Incident Command System, the Incident Commander, with appropriate policy direction and authority from the responding agency, sets the objectives to be accomplished and approves the strategy and tactics to be used to meet those objectives. The Incident Commander must respond to higher authority. Depending upon the incident’s size and scope, the higher authority could be the next ranking level in the organization up to the agency or department executive. This relationship provides an operational link with policy executives who customarily reside in the Department Operations Center or the Emergency Operations Center, when activated.
● Management: The Emergency Operations Center serves as a central location from which multiple agencies or organizations coordinate information collection Command/
Management
Operations Planning &
Intelligence Logistics Finance & Administration
PAGE
and evaluation, priority setting and resource management. Within the Emergency Operations Center, the Management function:
● Facilitates multiagency coordination and executive decision making in support of the incident response
● Implements the policies established by the governing bodies ● Facilitates the activities of the Multiagency Coordination Group ● Operations: Responsible for coordinating and supporting all jurisdictional operations supporting the response to the emergency through implementation of the organizational level’s Action Plans. At the Field Level, the Operational Section is responsible for coordinating the tactical response directly applicable to, or in support of the objectives in accordance with the Incident Action Plan. In the Emergency Operations Center, the Operations Section Coordinator/Chief manages functional representatives who share information and decisions about discipline-specific operations.
● Logistics: Responsible for providing facilities, services, personnel, equipment, and materials in support of the emergency. Unified ordering takes place through the Logistics Section to ensure controls and accountability over resource requests. As needed, Unit Coordinators are appointed to address the needs for communications, food, medical, supplies, facilities, and ground support. ● Planning/Intelligence: Responsible for the collection, evaluation and dissemination of operational information related to the incident for the preparation and documentation of the Incident Action Plan at the Field Level or the EOC Action Plan at an Emergency Operations Center. Planning/Intelligence also maintains information on the current and forecasted situation and on the status of resources assigned to the emergency or the Emergency Operations Center. As needed, Unit Coordinators are appointed to collect and analyze data, prepare situation reports, develop action plans, set Geographic Information Systems priorities, compile, and maintain documentation, conduct advance planning, manage technical specialists, and coordinate demobilization.
● Finance/Administration: Responsible for all financial and cost analysis aspects of the emergency and for any administrative aspects not handled by the other functions. As needed, Unit Leaders are appointed to record time for incident or Emergency Operations Center personnel; coordinate procurement activities, process claims and track costs.
The field and Emergency Operations Center are illustrated in Table 4: Field and Emergency Operation Center Standardize Emergency Management Functions Comparison.
PAGE
SEMS Function Field Level EOCs
Command /
Management
Command is responsible for
directing, ordering and/or
controlling resources
Management is responsible for
facilitation of overall policy,
coordination, and support of
the incident
Operations
The coordinated tactical
response of all field operations
in accordance with the
Incident Action Plan
The coordination of all
jurisdictional operations in
support of the response to the
emergency in accordance
with the Emergency Center
Action Plan
Planning &
Intelligence
The collection, evaluation,
documentation and use of
intelligence related to the
incident
Collecting, evaluating, and
disseminating information and
maintaining documentation
relative to all jurisdiction
activities
Logistics
Providing facilities, services,
personnel, equipment, and
materials in support of the
incident
Providing facilities, services,
personnel, equipment, and
materials in support of all
jurisdictional activities as
required
Finance &
Administration
Financial and cost analysis
and administrative aspects
not handled by the other
functions
Responsible for coordinating
and supporting administrative
and fiscal consideration
surrounding and emergency
incident
TABLE 4: FIELD AND EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER STANDARDIZE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
FUNCTIONS COMPARISON
PAGE
6 Communication
In coordination with established public safety warning protocols, the activated EOC will manage the dissemination of timely and adequate warnings to threatened populations in the most effective manner possible. Warning information will be issued as quickly as a threat is detected, using the most direct and effective means possible.
6.1 Warning Responsibility
When the EOC is not activated, the County Public Safety Departments will coordinate the dissemination of official alerts and warnings to the general public and allied agencies using available methods. This alert and warning activity will be coordinated through the County PIO, the dispatch center and other available alert and warning mechanisms available to the County.
6.2 Warning and Alert Mechanisms
Depending upon the threat and time availability, the EOC will initiate alerts and warnings utilizing any of the following methods:
● Activation of the IPAWS
● Activation of the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
● Activation of the California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Radio System (CLEMARS). ● Activation of the Sacramento Alert (Everbridge).
● Media broadcast alerts.
● Social Media.
As in any emergency, the effectiveness of any warning will be dependent upon many factors including:
● Time availability.
● Initial notice of threat.
● Time of day.
● Language barriers.
● Receiving challenges for the hearing and sight impaired.
6.3 Warning Conditions
Typically, warnings will be issued during periods of flash flooding, major hazardous material incidents, public health emergencies, fast moving fires, severe weather conditions, and potential acts of violence. However, warnings may be issued wherever a threat is perceived and the potential for safeguarding public safety is possible through rapid alerting.
PAGE
For additional information regarding the County of Sacramento Communications and Warning procedures, refer to Communications and Warning Functional Annex C.
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
7 Information Collection, Analysis and Distribution
Before an Incident. Information is often provided before an incident occurs. Sources may include weather reports, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) alerts, levee monitoring data, crime reports, credible threats of intentional events, and others. Advanced notice information can be used to activate the EOC, prepare emergency management and response personnel, and provide information to the County population. This advanced information can increase the preparedness level of emergency management and response personnel, by helping them size the number of responders and material resources needed for the response. Advanced information is also used to notify people that might be living in harm’s way, and supports individuals and their families with preparing for, or evacuating from, the hazardous situation. Early information can greatly reduce the numbers of people who might otherwise be harmed by the emergency event.
During an Incident. Information collected during the incident assists in determining the correct course of action and emergency management decisions. Information is collected from field responders, DOCs, private entities, the media, social media, community members, and a variety of other sources. All information collected from open-source public resources will be analyzed for accuracy, processed through rumor control, and documented by the respective EOC sections, branches, and units. All information documentation will be provided to the Situation Unit in the Planning Section of the EOC for inclusion into the EOC Action Plan.
The use of Actions Plans in the County Emergency Operations Center provides a clear and measurable process for identifying objectives and priorities for a given event.
Action Planning is an important management tool that involves:
● Process for identifying priorities and objectives for emergency response or recovery efforts
● Documents the priorities and objectives and the task and personnel assignments associated with meeting the objectives
The Action Planning process should involve the Emergency Operations Center Manager/Director and Section Chiefs/Coordinators (one from each Section) along with other Emergency Operations Center staff, as needed, such as agency representatives.
The initial Emergency Operations Center Action Plan may be a verbal plan that is developed during the first hour or two following Emergency Operations Center activation. A verbal plan may also be utilized for incidents involving a limited scope, short duration (less than 12 hours) and/or a limited number of response personnel. An Emergency Operations Center Action Plan will be developed whenever the Emergency Operations Center is activated, either partially or fully. A written Emergency Operations Center Action Plan is required whenever:
● Two or more agencies are involved in the response
PAGE
● The incident overlaps more than one operational period ● All Emergency Operations Center functions are fully staffed The Emergency Operations Center Action Plan addresses a specific operational period, which may vary in length from a few hours to days depending on the circumstances.
The plan should be regularly reviewed and evaluated through the operational period and revised or updated as warranted.
The Planning Chief, with input from the EOC Director, EOC Coordinator, and the Operations Chief, establishes the schedule and cycle for planning and situation information dissemination. Initially, meetings may be conducted every few hours or several times each day. Over time, meetings may be held twice each day, and then daily, depending on the level of operations.
In addition, all EOC situation status reports and EOC Action Plans will be developed and presented for the purpose of information sharing at scheduled meetings during each EOC operational period. Information may also be sent to County departments, Emergency Operations Center personnel, the Operational Area, and other key agencies using the County’s Emergency reporting system, OASIS, radio, telephone, email, internet, or fax. Regardless of the method of communication, all data should be verified prior to transmission. If unverified data must be transmitted, it should be clearly designated as unconfirmed information.
After an Incident. Information collected throughout emergency operations will be documented by members of the Planning Section. This information will be used during the recovery phase of the emergency to develop a history of actions and expenditures related to the disaster. Information will also be used for the development of the afteraction report that is used to document effective practices, archive effective tools, note areas in which EOC personnel saw need for additional training or tools, and document areas for program enhancements. In addition, the County and other agencies, entities, and organizations involved in the emergency management and response operations will collect information related to their respective after-effects of the incident, such as social and economic impacts, relief support provided, and ongoing recovery operations.
Emergency Public Information. Emergency Public Information is a priority of most importance during emergencies and disasters. County government has a primary responsibility to provide accurate and timely information to the public regarding conditions, threats, and protective measures. To avoid conflicts and confusion, the Emergency Public Information function operates best when centralized and coordinated among all involved jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations.
For additional information regarding the County of Sacramento Emergency Public Information, refer to Joint Information System Functional Annex D.
PAGE
8 Administration, Finance and Logistics
8.1 Administration
Emergency management operations that support administration, finance, and logistical processes are primarily conducted within the Logistics and Finance Sections of the EOC and provide for the following:
● Track and document expenses
● Document all actions taking during emergency operations ● Procure necessary equipment, resources, and additional support ● Track and document County employee working hours
● Manage continuity of operations (COOP) for the County ● Develop staff rotation schedules for extended operations ● Manage compensation and claims related to emergency operations ● Track and document the deployment and utilization of resources ● Manage additional staff and volunteers to support emergency operations ● Manage financial and in-kind donations
● Oversee and manage information technology components and issues as they arise
● Other actions as appropriate
8.1.1 Documentation
The Emergency Operations Center Finance/Administration Section will be responsible for maintaining records on damage assessment expenditures, recovery cost expenditures, insurance related documents, personnel overtime and other cost associated with the emergency.
The Emergency Operations Center Planning Section will maintain copies of documents that are integral to Emergency Operation Center functions such as Emergency Operation Center Action Plans, Situation Status Logs, Position Logs etc. that together make up the history and chronology of the emergency events.
8.2 Finance
In the case of a major disaster, the Emergency Operations Center will support County, State, and Federal entities with cost recovery efforts, if requested and as able. County citizens may benefit from the Small Business Administration, and the County may benefit from the State and/or the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program. The County may assist the citizenry with public service announcement PAGE
regarding available unemployment benefits, worker’s compensation, and insurance benefits.
8.2.1 Expenditure Tracking
The County may be reimbursed for insurance, state and/or federal sources for disasterrelated expense. The purpose of this section is to provide guidance on the record keeping requirements for claiming such expenses.
8.2.2 Eligible Expenses
Eligible costs are extraordinary costs incurred while providing emergency services required by the direct impact of a declared disaster and which service is the responsibility of the applicant agency. Eligible costs are generally considered to be the net costs over and above any increased revenue or subsidy of the emergency service.
Ineligible expense includes costs for standby personnel and/or equipment and lost revenue.
8.2.3 Recordkeeping Requirements
State and federal governments require detailed information to support claims for reimbursement. Funding will be approved or denied based upon the information supplied by applicant agencies. Documentation supporting all cost claimed will be required, and all information must relate back to individual original source records. The following guidelines should be followed when documenting disaster-related reimbursable expenses:
● Costs and revenue associated with emergency operations should be segregated from normal operating expenses
● Separate records should be maintained for each vehicle and piece of heavy equipment used for emergency operations
● Vehicles and equipment documentation should include the limes and/or hours operated by location and operator
● Vehicle operating expenses should include fuel, tires, and maintenance ● Labor costs should be compiled separate from vehicle and/or equipment expenses
● Equipment documentation should include exactly where the equipment was used and for what; hours and minutes used; and the name of the equipment operator if applicable
● Revenues and subsidies for emergency operations must be subtracted from any costs claimed
● Requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices must be maintained for all supplies, materials and equipment expenses claimed
PAGE
● Costs for supplies and materials must include documentation of exactly where resources were used and for what purpose
● All non-competitive procurements must be justified
Expenditure tracking should commence upon notice or obvious occurrence of disasters that require expense of labor, equipment use, materials and other expenses. The Incident Commanders, EOC Director and EOC staff are responsible for maintaining written records of all disaster-related personnel overtime, requests for supplies, equipment and contract personnel and receipts for emergency purchases of supplies, equipment, and other disaster-related expenses. The County will activate a special coding for emergency expenditure tracking which is used for both labor and equipment.
The Finance Section will compile reports, including total expenditures by category. The Finance Section Chief will submit a summary report on total costs to the EOC Director as requested. This information will be used for State and Federal disaster assistance applications. The expenditure data and documentation are vital to State and Federal agencies for requesting financial assistance during and after the disaster. For more information on state and federal disaster assistance programs refer to Recovery Framework Annex.
8.3 Logistics
8.3.1 Resource Management
The resource management function describes the system that will be utilized for identifying available resources within the County to enable timely, efficient, and unimpeded access to resources needed to prepare for, respond to, or recover from an incident. Resource management under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) includes mutual aid and assistance agreements, the use of special federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local teams, and resource mobilization protocols. This function specifically includes the management of personnel for emergency management operations and addresses necessary coordination efforts with local jurisdictions to secure necessary support and resources.
8.3.2 Resource Priorities
When activated, the County Emergency Operations Center establishes priorities for resource allocation during the emergency. All County resources are considered part of a pool, which may be allocated by the Emergency Operations Center to fulfill priority missions. Each department retains control of its non-assigned resources until released for an emergency assignment by the Emergency Operations Center.
PAGE
8.3.3 Resource Requests
Resource requests will be made through one of the following processes:
● Discipline-specific (usually Fire and Law) mutual aid systems: Requests for resources that are normally within the inventories of the mutual aid system will go from local coordinator to Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinator to the Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator.
● All other resource requests will be made through the logistics function at each level.
Resource requests from the County will be coordinated with the Sacramento Operational Area Emergency Operations Center to determine if the resource is available internally or other more appropriate sources located within the Operational Area. Emergency Management Mutual Aid Coordinators at each level will keep the Operations Chief informed of the status of resource request and allocations.
Coordinators at each level will communicate and coordinate with each other to maintain current status on resource requests and allocations within the disaster area.
Resource requests from the EOC to the Inland Region REOC may be verbally requested and then documented. Available resources will be allocated to the requesting local government. If requests for a specific resource exceed the supply, the available resources will be allocated consistent with the priorities established through the action planning process. The Section Chiefs in the EOC are responsible for ensuring that priorities are followed.
Resource requests for equipment, personnel, or technical assistance not available to the County should be coordinated with the Sacramento OA EOC to the Inland Region REOC. Once the request is coordinated, approved and resources deployed, the Resource Status Unit, in coordination with various Operations Branches, is responsible for tracking the resources.
PAGE
9 Plan Development and Maintenance
This section of the County EOP discusses the overall approach to plan development and maintenance responsibilities.
This plan is developed under the authority conveyed to the Sacramento Office of Emergency Services in accordance with the County’s Emergency Organization who has the primary responsibility for ensuring that necessary changes and revisions to this plan are prepared, coordinated, published, and distributed.
The County uses the planning process prescribed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of California. This plan and its supporting documents or annexes, such as Continuity of Operations, Communications and Warning, and Recovery, will be reviewed annually, with a full document update conducted minimally every two years. Changes to the plan will be published and distributed to all involved departments and organizations. Recommended changes will be received by the Sacramento Office of Emergency Services, reviewed, and distributed for comment on a regular basis.
Elements of this plan may also be modified by the Sacramento Office of Emergency Services any time state or federal mandates, operational requirements, or legal statute so require. Once distributed, new editions to this plan shall supplant older versions and render them inoperable.
9.1 Administrative Practices
Adherence to standard administrative and financial procedures is critical to ensure resources and funding to support response and recovery activities are accurately tracked and accounted for. Standard administrative and financial practices also support proper cost accounting in order to obtain any reimbursement provided through disaster assistance programs.
The County follows administrative practices required by state law and the SEMS Guidelines in Part III of the SEMS Guidelines documents California’s Emergency Management administrative practices.
9.2 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
This Plan is intended to be used in conjunction with county, operational area, and State plans and associated SOPs. Where supporting plans are inconsistent with the general principles described in the State Emergency Plan, the state plan will supersede supporting plans.
SOPs provide the purpose, authorities, duration, and details for the preferred method or performing a single function or a number of interrelated functions in a uniform manner.
SOPs must also facilitate the need to carry out actions under conditions that may not PAGE
have been anticipated when the SOP was drafted. For example, it may be necessary to consider alternative procedures that solve a problem in order to perform in a more time-efficient or cost-efficient way. It is clear; therefore, some procedures may need to be suspended, relaxed, or made operational under threat of disaster. However, such action should be carefully considered, and the consequences should be projected realistically.
9.3 Training and Exercises
Preparedness Planning: County government conducts a wide array of emergency planning activities. Planning efforts include development of internal operational documents as well as interagency response plans having multi-jurisdictional participation.
In addition to the planning activities conducted, county departments develop internal preparedness and contingency plans to ensure provision of government services and maintenance of departmental functions during disasters. The Department Operations Plan (DOP) is an integral supporting component of the master Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
Emergency readiness cannot be conducted within a vacuum. The County is responsible for working with all county departments, special districts and allied agencies that are considered a component of the Sacramento Emergency Organization. Such coordination extends to the following activities:
• Interagency plan development
• Interagency training coordination
• Interagency exercise development and presentation
• Interagency response management
• Interagency emergency public information activities
Additionally, the Sacramento Office of Emergency Services acts as the County’s key representative and lead agent for day-to-day emergency management activities such as: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Non-emergency functions include planning, training and exercise development, preparedness presentations, interagency coordination, hazard assessment, development of preparedness and mitigation strategies, grant administration and support to response agencies.
Community Preparedness and Awareness: The public's response to any emergency is based on an understanding of the nature of the emergency, the potential hazards, the likely response of emergency services, and knowledge of what individuals and groups should do to increase their chances of survival and recovery.
PAGE
Public awareness and education prior to an emergency or disaster will directly affect the County of Sacramento’s emergency operations and recovery efforts. For this reason, the County of Sacramento will make emergency preparedness information from county, state, and federal sources available to the member jurisdictions and our citizens upon request.
Preparedness Actions: In identifying general preparedness actions, county government works with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, other local governments/special districts, private industry, preparedness groups, and other entities to provide information relating too individual and group preparedness.
Government is limited in its ability to provide endless services and support during times of disaster, so public preparedness is essential for ensuring individual and organizational safety and protection.
Readiness Training: The Sacramento Office of Emergency Services will notify holders of this plan of training opportunities associated with emergency management and operations. Individual departments and agencies within the County of Sacramento are responsible for maintaining training records. Jurisdictions and agencies having assigned functions under this plan are encouraged to ensure that assigned personnel are properly trained to carry out these tasks.
The Sacramento Office of Emergency Services will develop and execute a comprehensive training program for emergency management topics on an annual basis. The established training schedule will include applicable courses of instruction and education that cover management subjects. Such instruction shall meet or exceed SEMS and NIMS training requirements.
Exercise and Evaluation: Elements of this plan will be exercised regularly. The Sacramento Office of Emergency Services will conduct emergency preparedness exercises, in accordance with its annual exercise schedule, following appropriate state and federal guidance. Deficiencies identified during scheduled exercise activities will result in the development of corrective action plans to initiate appropriate corrections.
The planning development and execution of all emergency exercises will involve close coordination between all county departments, allied agencies, special districts, and supporting community and public service organizations.
The primary focus will be to establish a framework for inter-organizational exercise collaboration in coordination with all-hazard response and recovery planning and training activities, conducted within the County of Sacramento.
Emergency exercise activity will be scheduled as to follow state and federal guidance and program requirements. Exercise activity will follow the Homeland Security Exercise PAGE
and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) guidance and may be designed as one or more of the following exercise types:
• Drills
• Seminars (Workshops)
• Tabletop Exercises (TTX)
• Functional Exercises (FE)
• Full Scale Exercises (FSE).
9.4 Vital Record Retention
Maintenance of administrative records continues through all phases of an emergency.
In preparation for an emergency, training and appropriate forms are provided to the County’s emergency response organization. During a response, entities ensure adequate documentation is collected through the Documentation Unit at the Incident and EOC. Documentation should include records of personnel activities, use of equipment, and expenditures for the emergency. Finally, after the response has been terminated, records should be protected and maintained for audit purposes. The Cost Unit is responsible for cost recovery records and assisting in collecting any missing information. Problem areas are identified, corrective measures taken, and employees retrained in the proper, updated procedures.
9.5 After Action Reports and Corrective Actions
SEMS regulations require local government agencies, to complete an After-Action Report (AAR) for each Governor proclaimed emergency. After an incident or from a gubernatorial proclamation, the AAR is completed within 120 days. Furthermore, SEMS regulations under Title XIX, Division 2, Chapter 1, Section 2450(a) requires any federal, state, or local jurisdiction proclaiming or responding to a Local Emergency for which the governor has declared a State of Emergencyor State of War Emergency shall complete and transmit an AAR to Cal OES within 90 days of the close of the emergency period.
The identification of corrective actions is critical to the AAR process. Jurisdictions are strongly encouraged to make recommendations for correcting problems noted in the response/recovery effort, or during exercises and training. Corrective actions may encompass anything from detailed recommendations for improving individual agency plans and procedures to broader system-wide improvements. Corrective actions are assigned to relevant stakeholders and tracked to ensure the identified problem has been addressed.
The AAR will provide, at a minimum:
• Response actions that were taken.
• Application of SEMS during response.
PAGE
• Necessary modifications to plans and procedures that are needed. • Lessons learned.
• Noted areas of improvement.
• Best practice implementations proposed.
• Training needed.
• Recovery activities conducted to date.
• Additional information as appropriate.
Findings and recommendations in the contents of the AAR will be used to further develop and update the County EOP, as necessary. AAR development will include the input of all personnel involved in the incident or exercise.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
10 Authorities and References
FEDERAL
Authorities
● Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, 42 U.S.C. 5121, et seq., as amended
● Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, Management of Domestic Incidents, February 28, 2003
● Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, National Preparedness, December 17, 2003
● The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 44, Chapter 1, Federal Emergency Management Agency, October 1, 2007
● Public Law 920, Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, as amended ● Public Law 84-99, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Flood Fighting ● Public Law 93-288, Federal Disaster Relief Act of 1974 ● Public Law 107-188, Bio-terrorism Act, June 2002
● Public Law 107-296, Homeland Security Act, January 2002 ● Executive Order 13228, Office of Homeland Security, October 8, 2001 ● Executive Order 13231, Critical Infrastructure Protection, October 16, 2001 ● Executive Order 13234, Citizens Prepared, November 9, 2001 ● Presidential Decision Directive 39 - U.S. Policy on Counterterrorism, June 1995 ● Presidential Decision Directive 62 - Combating Terrorism, May 1998 ● Presidential Decision Directive 63 – Critical Infrastructure Protection, May 1998 ● National Security Presidential Directive 17 - National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction
References
● National Response Framework (as revised)
● National Incident Management System
● Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans, November 2020, Version 3.0 (draftv0.5)
STATE
Authorities
● California Disaster Assistance Act, California Government Code Section 8680 et. seq. ● California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement ● California Government Code, Title 1, Chapter 4, Division 8, Section 3100 - Disaster Service Workers
PAGE
● California Government Code, Title 1, Chapter 4, Division 8, Section 8635 - Continuity of Government
● California Government Code, Title 2, Division 1, Chapter 7 – California Emergency Services Act
● California Government Code, Title 19, Division 2 – Standardized Emergency Management System
● California Water Code, § 128-Department of Water Resources - Flood Fighting References
● Standardized Emergency Management System
● California Disaster Assistance Act
● California State Emergency Plan, October 1, 2017
COUNTY
Authorities
● Sacramento County Emergency Services Code Chapter 2.46 of the Sacramento County Code
References
● Sacramento County Emergency Operations Plan, 2008
● Sacramento County Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2011 & 2016 COUNTY
● County Resolution No. x adopting the Emergency Operations Plan, Basic Plan, on Month DD, YYYT.
● County, California Municipal Code, Chapter x, Article x, Section x PAGE
11 Appendix A - Acronyms
Action Plan (AP)
After Action Report (AAR)
California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement (MMAA) California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA)
California Emergency Services Act (ESA)
Continuity of Government (COG)
Continuity of Operations (COOP)
Department Operations Center (DOC)
Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC)
Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
EOC Action Plan (EAP)
Incident Action Plan (IAP)
Incident Commander (IC)
Incident Command Post (ICP)
Incident Command System (ICS)
Joint Information Center (JIC)
Multiagency Coordination Group (MAC Group)
Multiagency Coordination System(s) (MACS)
Multi-year Training and Exercise Plan (MYTEP)
National Incident Management System (NIMS)
National Response Framework (NRF)
Operational Area (OA)
Public Information Officer (PIO)
Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC)
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)
PAGE
State Operations Center (SOC)
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
12 Appendix B – Glossary of Terms
Action Plan (AP): See EOC Action Plan and Incident Action Plan.
Activation: 1) Initial activation of an EOC may be accomplished by a designated official of the emergency response agency that implements SEMS as appropriate to accomplish the agency's role in response to the emergency. 2) An event in the sequence of events normally experienced during most emergencies.
After Action Report (AAR): A report that examines response actions, application of SEMS, modifications to plans and procedures, training needs, and recovery activities.
AARs are required under SEMS after any emergency that requires a gubernatorial state of emergency proclamation. Local government AARs must be submitted to Cal OES within 90 days.
Agency: A division of government with a specific function offering a particular kind of assistance. In the Incident Command System (ICS), agencies are defined either as jurisdictional (having statutory responsibility for incident management) or as assisting or cooperating (providing resources or other assistance). Governmental organizations are most often in charge of an incident, though in certain circumstances private sector organizations may be included. Additionally, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) may be included to provide support. All-Hazards: Any incident, natural or humancaused, that warrants action to protect life, property, environment, public health, or safety, and minimize disruptions of government, social, or economic activities.
California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement (MMAA): An agreement entered by and between the State of California, its various departments and agencies, and the various political subdivisions, municipal corporations, and public agencies of the State of California to assist each other by providing resources during an emergency. Mutual Aid occurs when two or more parties agree to furnish resources and facilities and to render services to each other in response to any type of disaster or emergency. California Emergency Support Functions (CA-ESF): The CA-ESFs are a grouping of State agencies, departments, and other stakeholders with similar functional activities/responsibilities whose responsibilities lend to improving the state’s ability to collaboratively prepare for, effectively mitigate, cohesively respond to, and rapidly recover from any emergency. CA-ESFs unify a broad-spectrum of stakeholders with various capabilities, resources, and authorities to improve collaboration and coordination for a particular discipline. They also provide a framework for the state government to support regional and community stakeholder collaboration and coordination at all levels of government and across overlapping jurisdictional boundaries.
California Emergency Services Act (ESA): An Act within the California Government Code to ensure preparations within the state will be adequate to deal with natural, human-caused, or war-caused emergencies which result in conditions of disaster or in extreme peril to life, property, and the natural resources of the state, and generally to PAGE
protect the health and safety and preserve the lives and property of the people of the state.
Catastrophe: Any natural or human-caused incident, including terrorism that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions.
Command: The act of directing, ordering, or controlling by virtue of explicit statutory, regulatory, or delegated authority.
Command/Management: Command is responsible for the directing, ordering, and/or controlling of resources at the field response level. Management is responsible for overall emergency policy and coordination at the SEMS EOC levels.
Command Post: See Incident Command Post.
Command Staff: The Command Staff at the SEMS Field Level consists of the Information Officer, Safety Officer, and Liaison Officer. They report directly to the Incident Commander. They may have an assistant or assistants, as needed. These officers are also found at the EOC levels in SEMS, and they report directly to the EOC Director and comprise the Management Staff. They may have an assistant or assistants, as needed.
Communications: Process of the transmission of information through verbal, written, or symbolic means.
Continuity of Government (COG): Activities that address the continuance of constitutional governance. COG planning aims to preserve and/or reconstitute the institution of government and ensure that a department or agency’s constitutional, legislative, and/or administrative responsibilities are maintained. This is accomplished through succession of leadership, the pre-delegation of emergency authority, and active command and control during response and recovery operations.
Continuity of Operations (COOP): Planning should be instituted, including all levels of governments, across the private sector and non-governmental organizations as appropriate, to ensure the continued performance of core capabilities and/or critical government operations during any potential incident.
Coordination: The process of systematically analyzing a situation, developing relevant information, and informing appropriate command authority of viable alternatives for selection of the most effective combination of available resources to meet specific objectives. The coordination process (which can be either intra- or inter-agency) does not involve dispatch actions. However, personnel responsible for coordination may perform command or dispatch functions within the limits established by specific agency delegations, procedures, legal authority, etc.
Multiagency or interagency coordination is found at all SEMS levels.
PAGE
Coordination Center: Term used to describe any facility used for the coordination of agency or jurisdictional resources in support of one or more incidents.
Corrective Actions: Implementing procedures based on lessons learned from actual incidents or from training and exercises.
Cost Unit: Functional unit within the Finance/Administration Section responsible for tracking costs, analyzing cost data, making cost estimates, and recommending cost-saving measures.
Critical Infrastructure: Systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.
Demobilization: The orderly, safe, and efficient return of an incident resource to its original location and status.
Department Operations Center (DOC): An Emergency Operations Center (EOC), specific to a single department or agency where the focus is on internal agency incident management and response. They are often linked to and, in most cases, are physically represented in a combined agency EOC by authorized agent(s) for the department or agency.
Disaster: A sudden calamitous emergency event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction.
Division: The partition of an incident into geographical areas of operation. Divisions are established when the number of resources exceeds the manageable span of control of the Operations Section Chief. A Division is located within the ICS organization between the Branch and resources in the Operations Section.
Documentation Unit: Functional unit within the Planning/Intelligence Section responsible for collecting, distributing, recording, and safeguarding all documents relevant to an incident or within an EOC.
Emergency: Any incident(s), whether natural or human-caused, that requires responsive action to protect life or property. Under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, an emergency means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.
Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC): A congressionally ratified organization that provides form and structure to interstate mutual aid. Through EMAC, a disaster-affected state can request and receive assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently, resolving two key issues upfront: liability and reimbursement.
PAGE
Emergency Management Community: The stakeholders in emergency response in California including the residents of California, the private sector and federal, state, local, and tribal governments.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support incident management (on-scene operations) activities normally takes place. An EOC may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization within a jurisdiction. EOC may be organized by major functional disciplines (e.g., fire, law enforcement, and medical services), by jurisdiction (e.g., federal, state, regional, tribal, city, county), or some combination thereof.
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): The ongoing plan maintained by various jurisdictional levels for responding to a wide variety of potential hazards.
Emergency Response Agency: Any organization responding to an emergency, or providing mutual aid support to such an organization, whether in the field, at the scene of an incident, or to an operations center.
Emergency Response Personnel: Personnel affiliated with or sponsored by emergency response agencies.
EOC Action Plan: The plan developed at SEMS EOC levels, which contains objectives, actions to be taken, assignments, and supporting information for the next operational period.
Essential Facilities: May include facilities such as law enforcement, fire, emergency operations centers, schools, medical facilities, and other resources that have a role in an effective and coordinated emergency response.
Evacuation: Organized, phased, and supervised withdrawal, dispersal, or removal of civilians from dangerous or potentially dangerous areas and their reception and care in safe areas.
Federal: Of or pertaining to the federal government of the United States of America.
Finance/Administration Section: The section responsible for all administrative and financial considerations surrounding an incident or EOC activation.
Function: Function refers to the five major activities in ICS: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance/Administration. The same five functions are also found at all SEMS EOC Levels. At the EOC, the term Management replaces Command. The term function is also used when describing the activity involved, (e.g., the planning function). A sixth function, Intelligence/Investigations, may be established, if required, to meet emergency management needs.
Group: Established to divide the incident management structure into functional areas of operation. Groups are composed of resources assembled to perform a special function not necessarily within a single geographic division. Groups, when activated, are located between branches and resources in the Operations Section. See Division.
PAGE
Hazard: Something that is potentially dangerous or harmful, often the root cause of an unwanted outcome.
Incident: An occurrence or event, natural or human-caused, which requires a response to protect life or property. Incidents can, for example, include major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, civil unrest, wildland and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, tsunamis, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response.
Incident Action Plan (IAP): An oral or written plan containing general objective reflecting the overall strategy for managing an incident. It may include the identification of operational resources and assignments. It may also include attachments that provide direction and important information for management of the incident during one or more operational periods. At the SEMS EOC Level, it is called the EOC Action Plan.
Incident Command: Responsible for overall management of the incident and consists of the Incident Commander, either single or unified command, and any assigned supporting staff.
Incident Commander (IC): The individual responsible for all incident activities, including the development of strategies and tactics, and the ordering and the release of resources. The IC has overall authority and responsibility for conducting incident operations and is responsible for the management of all incident operations at the incident site.
Incident Command Post (ICP): The field location where the primary functions are performed. The ICP may be co-located with the incident base or other incident facilities.
Incident Command System (ICS): A standardized on-scene emergency management construct specifically designed to provide for the adoption of an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. It is used for all kinds of emergencies and is applicable to small as well as large and complex incidents. ICS is used by various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private, to organize field-level incident management operations.
Information: Pieces of raw, unanalyzed data that identifies persons, evidence, events; or illustrates processes that specify the occurrence of an event. May be objective or subjective and is intended for both internal analysis and external (news media) application. Information is the “currency” that produces intelligence.
PAGE
Intelligence: Product of an analytical process that evaluates information collected from diverse sources, integrates the relevant information into a cohesive package, and produces a conclusion or estimate. Information must be real, accurate, and verified before it becomes intelligence for planning purposes. Intelligence relates to the specific details involving the activities of an incident or EOC, and current and expected conditions, and how they affect the actions taken to achieve operational period objectives. Intelligence is primarily intended for internal use and not for public dissemination. Intelligence/Investigations: Intelligence gathered within the Intelligence/Investigations function is information that either leads to the detection, prevention, apprehension, and prosecution of criminal activities (or the individual(s) involved) including terrorist incidents or information that leads to determination of the cause of a given incident (regardless of the source) such as public health events or fires with unknown origins. This is different from the normal operational and situational intelligence gathered and reported by the Planning Section.
Joint Information Center (JIC): A facility established to coordinate all incident-related public information activities. It is the central point of contact for all news media. Public information officials from all participating agencies should co-locate at the JIC.
Jurisdiction: A range or sphere of authority. Public agencies have jurisdiction at an incident related to their legal responsibilities and authority. Jurisdictional authority at an incident can be political or geographical (e.g., federal, state, tribal, and local boundary lines) or functional (e.g., law enforcement, public health).
Key Resources: Any publicly or privately controlled resources essential to the minimal operations of the economy and government.
Local Government: According to federal code36a county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments (regardless of whether the council of governments is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under state law), regional or interstate government entity, or agency or instrumentality of a local government; an Indian tribe or authorized tribal entity, or in Alaska a Native village or Alaska Regional Native Corporation; a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity.
Logistics: Providing resources and other services to support incident management.
Logistics Section: The section responsible for providing facilities, services, and material support for an incident or EOC activation.
Management Staff: See Command Staff.
Mitigation: Provide a critical foundation in the effort to reduce the loss of life and property from natural and/or human-caused disasters by avoiding or lessening the impact of a disaster and providing value to the public by creating safer communities.
Mitigation seeks to fix the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. These activities or actions, in most cases, will have a long-term sustained effect.
PAGE
Mobilization: The process and procedures used by all organizations - federal, state, tribal, and local - for activating, assembling, and transporting all resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.
Multiagency Coordination Group (MAC Group): Typically, administrators/executives, or their appointed representatives, who are authorized to commit agency resources and funds, are brought together and form MAC Groups. MAC Groups may also be known as multiagency committees, emergency management committees, or as otherwise defined. It can provide coordinated decision-making and resource allocation among cooperating agencies and may establish the priorities among incidents, harmonize agency policies, and provide strategic guidance and direction to support incident management activities.
Multiagency Coordination System(s) (MACS): Multiagency coordination systems provide the architecture to support coordination for incident prioritization, critical resource allocation, communications systems integration, and information coordination. The elements of multiagency coordination systems include facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications. Two of the most commonly used elements are EOC and MAC Groups. These systems assist agencies and organizations responding to an incident. Mutual Aid Agreements and/or Assistance Agreements: Written or oral agreements between and among agencies/organizations and/or jurisdictions that provide a mechanism to quickly obtain emergency assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials, and other associated services. The primary objective is to facilitate rapid, short-term deployment of emergency support prior to, during, and/or after an incident.
Mutual Aid Coordinator: An individual at the local government, Operational Area, Region or State Level that is responsible to coordinate the process of requesting, obtaining, processing, and using mutual aid resources. Mutual Aid Coordinator duties will vary depending upon the mutual aid system.
Mutual Aid Region: A mutual aid region is a subdivision of Cal OES established to assist in the coordination of mutual aid and other emergency operations within a geographical area of the state, consisting of two or more Operational Areas.
National: Of a nationwide character, including the federal, state, tribal, and local aspects of governance and policy.
National Incident Management System (NIMS): Provides a systematic, proactive approach guiding government agencies at all levels, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life or property and harm to the environment.
National Response Framework (NRF): A guide to how the nation conducts all-hazards incident management. Non-governmental Organization (NGO): An entity with an PAGE
association based on the interests of its members, individuals, or institutions. It is not created by a government, but it may work cooperatively with the government. Such organizations serve a public purpose, not a private benefit. Examples of NGO include faith-based charity organizations and the American Red Cross.
Officer: 1) The ICS title for the personnel responsible for the Command Staff (Management Staff at EOC) positions of Safety, Liaison, and Public Information. 2) One who holds an office or post; especially one elected or appointed to a position of authority or trust in a corporation, government, institution, etc.
Operational Area (OA): An intermediate level of the state emergency organization, consisting of a county and all other political subdivisions within the geographical boundaries of the county.
Operational Period: The time scheduled for executing a given set of operation actions, as specified in the Incident Action Plan. Operational periods can be of various lengths, although usually last 12-24 hours.
Operations Section: The section responsible for all tactical incident operations and implementation of the Incident Action Plan. In ICS, it normally includes subordinate branches, divisions, and/or groups. At the SEMS EOC levels, the section is responsible for the coordination of operational activities. The Operations Section at an EOC contains branches, groups, or units necessary to maintain appropriate span of control.
Organization: Any association or group of persons with like objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, governmental departments and agencies, private sector, and/or non-governmental organizations.
Planning Section: The section responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of operational information related to the incident or EOC activities and for the preparation and documentation of the IAP or EOC action plan, respectively. This section also maintains information on the current and forecasted situation and on the status of resources assigned to the incident or EOC activation.
Political Subdivisions: Includes any city, city and county, county, tax or assessment district, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries.
Preparedness: A continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response. Within NIMS, preparedness focuses on the following elements: planning, procedures and protocols, training and exercises, personnel qualification and certification, and equipment certification.
Prevention: Actions to avoid an incident or to intervene to stop an incident from occurring. Prevention involves actions to protect lives and property. It involves applying intelligence and other information to a range of activities that may include such countermeasures as deterrence operations; heightened inspections; improved PAGE
surveillance and security operations; investigations to determine the full nature and source of the threat; public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and, as appropriate, specific law enforcement operations aimed at deterring, preempting, interdicting or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehending potential perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
Private Sector: Organizations and entities that are not part of any governmental structure. The private sector includes for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, formal and informal structures, commerce, and industry.
Protocols: Sets of established guidelines for actions (which may be designated by individuals, teams, functions, or capabilities) under various specified conditions.
Public Information: Processes, procedures, and systems for communicating timely, accurate, and accessible information on the incident’s cause, size, and current situation; resources committed; and other matters of general interest to the public, responders, and additional stakeholders (both directly affected and indirectly affected).
Public Information Officer (PIO): A member of the Command Staff (Management Staff at the SEMS EOC Levels) responsible for interfacing with the public and media and/or with other agencies with incident-related information requirements.
Recovery: The development, coordination, and execution of service- and siterestoration plans; the reconstitution of government operations and services; individual, private–sector, non-governmental, and public assistance programs to provide housing and to promote restoration; long-term care and treatment of affected persons; additional measures for social, political, environmental, and economic restoration; evaluation of the incident to identify lessons learned; post-incident reporting; and development of initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents.
Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC): Facilities found at Cal OES Administrative Regions. REOC provide centralized coordination of resources among Operational Areas within their respective regions and between the Operational Areas and the State Level.
Reimbursement: Provide a mechanism to recoup funds expended for incident-specific activities.
Resource Management: Efficient emergency management and incident response requires a system for identifying available resources at all jurisdictional levels to enable timely and unimpeded access to resources needed to prepare for, respond to, or recover from an incident. Resource management under NIMS includes mutual aid agreements and assistance agreements; the use of special federal, state, tribal, and local teams; and resource mobilization protocols.
Resources: Personnel and major items of equipment, supplies, and facilities available or potentially available for assignment to incident operations and for which status is PAGE
maintained. Resources are described by kind and type and may be used in operational support or supervisory capacities at an incident or at an EOC.
Response: Activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of EOP and of mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and other unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activities include applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident; increased security operations; continuing investigations into nature and source of the threat; ongoing public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehending actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
Response Personnel: Includes federal, state, territorial, tribal, sub-state regional and local governments, private sector organizations, critical infrastructure owners, and operators, NGO and all other organizations and individuals who assume an emergency management role. Also known as an Emergency Responder.
Safety Officer: A member of the Command Staff (Management Staff at the SEMS EOC Levels) responsible for monitoring incident operations and advising the IC on all matters relating to operational safety, including the health and safety of emergency responder personnel. The Safety Officer may have assistants.
Section: 1) The organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident or EOC Management, (e.g., Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration) and Intelligence/Investigations (if established). The section is organizationally situated between the branch and the Incident Command. 2) A separate part or division as: a. A portion of a book, treatise, or writing. b. A subdivision of a chapter. c. A division of law.
Situation Report: Often contains confirmed or verified information regarding the specific details relating to the incident.
Special District: A unit of local government (other than a city, county, or city and county) with authority or responsibility to own, operate, and maintain systems, programs, services, or projects [(as defined in California Code of Regulations (CCR) Section 2900(s)] for purposes of natural disaster assistance. This may include joint powers authority established under Section 6500 of the California Code of Regulations.
Stafford Act: The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) establishes the programs and processes for the federal government to provide disaster and emergency assistance to states, local governments, tribal nations, individuals, and qualified private nonprofit organizations. The provisions of the Stafford Act cover all hazards including natural disasters and terrorist events. Relevant provisions of the Stafford Act include a process for Governors to request federal disaster and PAGE
emergency assistance from the President. The President may declare a major disaster or emergency.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Complete reference document or an operation manual that provides the purpose, authorities, duration, and details for the preferred method of performing a single function or several interrelated functions in a uniform manner.
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS): A system required by California Government Code and established by regulations for managing response to multiagency and multijurisdictional emergencies in California. SEMS consists of five organizational levels, which are activated as necessary: Field Response, Local Government, Operational Area, Region, and State.
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Guidelines: The SEMS guidelines are intended to assist those responsible for planning, implementing, and participating in SEMS.
Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Regulations: Regulations establishing the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) based upon the Incident Command System (ICS) adapted from the system originally developed by the Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE) program including those currently in use by State agencies, the Multiagency Coordination System (MACS) as developed by FIRESCOPE program, the Operational Area concept, and the Master Mutual Aid Agreement and related mutual aid systems.
Regulations are found at Title XIX. Division 2. Chapter 1, Section 2400 et. seq.
State: When capitalized, refers to any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any possession of the United States. See Section 2 (14), Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107−296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
State Operations Center (SOC): The SOC is operated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services at the State Level in SEMS. It is responsible for centralized coordination of state resources in support of the three Regional Emergency Operations Centers (REOC). It is also responsible for providing updated situation reports to the Governor and Legislature.
Strategy: The general plan or direction selected to accomplish incident objectives.
System: An integrated combination of people, equipment, and processes that work in a coordinated manner to achieve a specific desired output under specific conditions.
Technical Assistance: Support provided to state, tribal, and local jurisdictions when they have the resources, but lack the complete knowledge and skills needed to perform a required activity (such as mobile-home park design or hazardous material assessments).
PAGE
Technical Specialists: Personnel with special skills that can be used anywhere within the SEMS organization. No minimum qualifications are prescribed, as technical specialists normally perform the same duties during an incident that they perform in their everyday jobs, and they are typically certified in their fields or professions.
Terrorism: Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, terrorism is defined as activity that involves an act dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources; is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state or other subdivision of the United States in which it occurs; and is intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population, or influence or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. See Section 2 (15), Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law107−296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
Threat: An indication of possible violence, harm, or danger.
Tools: Those instruments and capabilities that allow for the professional performance of tasks, such as information systems, agreements, doctrine, capabilities, and legislative authorities.
Unified Command: An ICS application used when more than one agency has incident jurisdiction or when incidents cross political jurisdictions. Agencies work together through the designated members of the UC, often the senior person from agencies and/or disciplines participating in the UC, to establish a common set of objectives and strategies and a single IAP.
Unit: The organizational element with functional responsibility for a specific incident planning, logistics, or finance/administration activity.
Vital Records: The essential agency records needed to meet operational responsibilities under national security emergencies or other emergency or disaster conditions (emergency operating records), or to protect the legal and financial rights of the Government and those affected by Government activities (legal and financial rights records).
Volunteer: For purposes of NIMS, a volunteer is any individual accepted to perform services by the lead agency (which has authority to accept volunteer services) when the individual performs services without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services performed. See 16 U.S.C. 742f(c) and 29 CFR 553.101.
PAGE
13 Appendix C – EOC Activation/Response Detail
A EOC Activation
A.1 EOC Purpose
The County EOC is a central location from which the County can provide inter-agency coordination and executive decision-making in support of incident response and recovery operations. The purpose of the EOC is to provide a centralized location where public safety, emergency response, and support agencies coordinate planning, preparedness, and response activities. The EOC does not command or control onscene response efforts, but does carry out the coordination functions through:
1. Collecting, evaluating, and disseminating incident information.
2. Analyzing jurisdictional impacts and setting priority actions; and
3. Managing requests, procurement, and utilization of resources.
The decisions made through the EOC are designed to be broad in scope and offer general guidance on priorities. Information is disseminated through the EOC Director and tactical decisions are coordinated from field response personnel. The EOC serves as a coordinated link between the Chief Elected Official (CEO) of each jurisdiction and the field personnel coordinating the execution of event priorities.
A.2 EOC Facilities
A.2.1 Primary EOC facility
Location
Sacramento County OES
Building 600 Suite 122
3720 Dudley Blvd.
McClellan, CA 95652
A.2.2 Alternate EOC facility
If the Primary EOC is deem unsafe for use for any reason, the alternate EOC will be activate and personnel will be recalled to this location.
Location
City of Folsom, Emergency Operations Center
Folsom Police Department
46 Natoma St.
Folsom, CA 95630
PAGE
A.2.3 Initial Response
Initial field response operations will be accomplished by the appropriate County departments, member jurisdictions, volunteer agencies, and segments of the private sector. During initial response operations, field responders will place emphasis on saving lives, property, and the environment, controlling the situation, and minimizing the effects of the emergency. The Incident Command System will be used to manage and control the response operations.
The disaster/event may be controlled solely by County emergency responders or with other agencies through the mutual aid system. If the resources available at the field response level are not sufficient to mitigate the situation, the Incident Commander may request that the County Emergency Operations Plan, or the Emergency Operations Center, be activated to support the field operations.
Field Reports. A field report is provided by the incident responders and includes information concerning the nature, severity, and extent of the situation. The information will be used to assess the extent of the disaster/event and determine the appropriate level of response for the County.
A.2.4 EOC Activation
The County EOC may be activated as needed to support County emergency operations. The EOC may be activated by one of the following:
• County Executive or Director of Emergency Services
• County Executive designated alternate or Chief of Emergency Services • Upon the request of the Board of Directors/Disaster Council • Upon the request of a City within the County
• Upon the request of the Field Incident Commander within the County The County has developed EOC activation criteria that include conditions based on a hazard analysis as well as regulatory requirements. The goal is a rapid EOC activation when it is needed.
Three levels of activation have been identified that will provide EOC staffing commensurate with the coordination needs of varying emergency situations. Table 5:
EOC Activation Triggers and Levels, contains the activation criteria for the County EOC.
PAGE
A.2.5 EOC Activation Criteria and Levels
Activation
Level Detail Trigger Eventor Situation
Minimum
Staffing
Three
● Level Three is a minimum
activation. This level may be
used for situations which
initially only require a few
people.
● A Level Three activation is
also called monitoring level
activation.
● The physical EOC facility may
or may not need to be
opened or staffed.
● Events with potential
impacts on the health &
safety of the public
and/or environment
● Weather Alerts
● Incident involving 2 or
more County
departments
● Low risk planned event
● Wind or rainstorm
● Power outage and
Stage 1 & 2
emergencies
1. EOC Director
2. Other
Designees
(Such as
Chiefs,)
Two
● Level Two activation is
normally achieved as an
increase from Level Three or a
decrease from Level One. This
activation level is used for
emergencies or planned
events that would require
more than a minimum staff
but would not call for a full
activation/staffing.
● A Level Two activation are
also called partial level
activation.
● The physical EOC facility will
need to be opened and
staffed.
● Two or more large
incidents involving 2 or
more departments
● Major wind or rain
● Major scheduled event
● Large scale power
outage and Stage 3
power emergencies
● Hazardous Material
Incident involving large
scale or possible largescale evacuations
● Moderate Earthquake
3. EOC Director
4. Chiefs
5. Branches &
Units as
appropriate
6. Liaison/Agency
Representatives
as appropriate
7. Public
Information
Officer
One
● Level One activation involves
a complete/full activation of
all EOC elements & staffing.
Level One would be the initial
activation for any major
emergency requiring acute
State assistance.
● A Level One activation is also
called full level activation.
● Major County or
Regional emergency,
multiple departments
with heavy resource
involvement
● Major Earthquake
● Terrorism threat or
incident
1. All EOC as
appropriate
PAGE
Activation
Level Detail Trigger Eventor Situation
Minimum
Staffing
● The physical EOC facility will
need to be opened and fully
staffed.
Table 5: EOC Activation Triggers and Levels
A.2.6 EOC Notification, Mobilization, Personnel Recall
If EOC activation is required, Emergency Services will notify everyone on the EOC Recall List through Everbridge and provide directions to the primary EOC. If the primary EOC is not available or is inaccessible, the alternate EOC will be activated and direction to go the alternate EOC will be provided.
The EOC Emergency Recall List includes personnel who are part of each SEMS function in the Emergency Operations Center, as well as other technical support employees of the County. The Emergency Recall List is to be activated and implemented when an emergency or disaster affects the County and poses a major threat to life, property, and/or the environment.
Maintenance of Emergency Recall List: Emergency Services maintains the Emergency Recall List. Emergency Service ensures that the EOC have current copies of the Emergency Recall List. The Emergency Recall list is activated by Emergency Services and will only be implemented when directed by one of the following County employees:
• County Executive
• County Executive designated alternate
• Chief of Emergency Services
Notification Implementation: Once EOC activation is requested and properly authorized, the Emergency Recall List will be implemented by Emergency Services personnel. Notifications and alerts begin with the County Executive. If the County Executive cannot be reached, other designees will be contacted until someone is reached to assume the EOC Director position.
Dispatch or Emergency Services staff will provide the EOC Director with a complete status of the incident or disaster, identifying damage sustained, current response actions, resource status, etc. Based on the information provided by dispatch or Emergency Services staff, the EOC Director will determine what parts of the Emergency Alert List will be implemented, including what sections of the County’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated and requested to respond.
Additionally, the EOC Director, when appropriate, will personally contact and inform the Board of Directors of the situation in the County.
PAGE
The County Emergency Recall List consists of the following sections:
• Management
• Operations
• Planning
• Finance
• Logistics
Mobilization: When notified of an Emergency Recall, personnel should notify their families, retrieve their emergency operations and personal go bag, and report to the designated County Emergency Operations Center. Personnel should be prepared for a lengthy stay, which will be dependent upon the nature of the disaster and its expected duration.
It is the responsibility of each department head to assign three (3) alternates for each key position. It is also the department head’s responsibility to ensure that all designated alternates have knowledge and training in their EOC assigned job functions.
Emergency Services will assist in Emergency Operations training.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
B EOC Operations
B.1 Summary of EOC Operations
The Standard Emergency Management System (SEMS) is state law, and under SEMS regulations, the County is established as an Operational Area, or one of the five SEMS levels, for use in all emergencies and disasters involving multiple agencies or multiple jurisdictions.
As an Operational Area, Sacramento County is an intermediate level of the state's emergency services organization that encompasses the county and all political subdivisions. The Operational Area manages and coordinates information, resources, and priorities among local governments within the operational area and serves as the coordination and communication link between the Local Government Level and the Regional Level through the Department of Emergency Services.
All local governments and most special districts within the geographical area of Sacramento County are part of the same Operational Area.
The County government is the Lead Agency of the operational area, and is responsible for:
• Coordinating information, resources, and priorities among the local governments within the operational area
• Coordinating information, resources and priorities between the regional level and the local government level
• Using inter-agency coordination to facilitate decisions for overall operational area level emergency response activities
The role of the operational area lead agency does not change the coordination of discipline-specific resources, such as fire, law, and medical/health, through their established mutual aid systems.
It is the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Services to ensure the readiness of the EOC.
B.2 Emergency Operation Center Protocols
An EOC provides a central location of authority and information and allows for face-toface coordination among personnel who must make emergency decisions. The following functions are performed in the County EOC:
• Managing and coordinating emergency operations.
• Receiving and disseminating warning information.
• Developing emergency policies and procedures.
PAGE
• Collecting intelligence from, and disseminating information to, the various EOC representatives, and, as appropriate, to County/Operational Area, State and Federal agencies or if activated Emergency Operation Centers. • Preparing intelligence/information summaries, situation reports, operational reports, and other reports as required.
• Maintaining general and specific maps, information display boards, and other data pertaining to emergency operations.
• Continuing analysis and evaluation of all data pertaining to emergency operations.
• Controlling and coordinating, within established policy, the operational and logistical support of departmental resources committed to the emergency. • Maintaining contact and coordination with support DOCs, other local government EOCs, and the CalOES Inland Region Emergency Operation Center. • Providing emergency information and instructions to the public, making official releases to the news media and the scheduling of press conferences, as necessary.
Departments with critical response functions may also activate their Department Operation Centers (DOC) that act as conduits of information between field operations and the EOC.
B.3 Management Organization
The SEMS regulation requires local governments to provide for five functions:
management, operations, planning/intelligence, logistics, and finance/administration.
These functions, as seen in Table 6: SEMS Functions are the basis for structuring the County EOC organization.
Primary SEMS Function Role of Local Government Level
Management
Responsible for overall emergency policy and coordination through joint efforts of governmental agencies and private organizations
Operations
Responsible for coordinating all jurisdictional operations in support of the emergency response through implementation of the local government’s action plan.
Planning/Intelligence
Responsible for collecting, evaluating, and disseminating information; developing the local government action plan in coordination with other functions; and maintaining
documentation.
Logistics Responsible for providing facilities, services, personnel, equipment, and materials.
Finance/Administration
Responsible for financial activities and other administrative aspects, including documenting all costs and expenditures associated with a declared disaster.
PAGE
Table 6: SEMS Functions
The organizational structure for the County/Operational Area EOC provides for:
• Representatives from local governments within the operational area • A Field Representative sent by REOC
• Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinators or their representatives from discipline-specific mutual aid systems
• Coordinators for other major functions needed for mutual aid and interjurisdictional coordination • Representatives from other agencies, community-based organizations, private sector, and volunteer service programs to function as liaison between their organizations and the operational area EOC
• Other functions as needed to carry out the local government responsibilities of the lead agency (in a combined operational area and county or other lead agency EOC)
B.4 Resource Management
Resource requests from local government and requests to the regional level will be made through one of the following processes:
• Discipline-specific mutual aid systems: requests for resources that are normally within the inventories of the mutual aid system will go from local coordinator to Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinator to Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator. • All other resource requests will be made through appropriate branches in the Operations Section who will then initiate the resource request through the Logistics Section at each level with emphasis on the need for lateral coordination with other EOC functions.
Resource requests from local governments will be coordinated within the Operational Area to determine if the resource is available from other local governments or other sources within the Operational Area. Available resources will be allocated to the requesting local government.
If requests for a specific resource exceed the supply, the available resources will be allocated by the Operations Section consistent with priorities established through the action planning process. The EOC Management Staff is responsible for ensuring that priorities are followed.
Resources not available within the operational area will be requested through the regional level. Resource requests should be coordinated internally at the operational area level before being placed to the regional level.
Functional coordinators in Operations and Logistics are responsible for tracking resource requests.
PAGE
B.5 EOC Information Management
Within the County EOC, forms will be used to provide written communications between the Sections, Branches and Units. Each Section, Branch and Unit will use these forms to order disaster/event related resources and to record information to be transmitted to other Sections/Branches/Units. This system provides an audit trail of all pertinent information necessary to document the actions taken by the County during the response to a disaster, rather than every word uttered between the various EOC Staff.
Forms will not replace face-to-face communications but will ensure a paper trail of critical verbal communication is maintained, if not recorded on the individual’s or Section's/Branches'/Units' duty logs.
Acting as the Operational Area, Sacramento County coordinates emergency activities within the Operational Area, augmenting, not replacing, any member jurisdiction’s emergency operations. It also serves as the communications link between the State's Inland Region Emergency Operating Center (Mutual Aid Region) and the operating centers of the Sacramento Operational Area member jurisdictions. It provides a single point of contact for information on the emergency situation, as well as resource needs and priorities.
Transmission of information to the State's Inland Region Emergency Operations Center will be accomplished electronically. If the regular telephone lines servicing the County are not operable, the Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS) will be used to establish the link to the network server, allowing the County to transmit the data to the State.
Critical information from the County of Sacramento and the Sacramento Operational Area will be submitted to the State's Inland Region EOC on a Preliminary Report, Situation Summary, Status Report, and a Flash Report.
Preliminary Report. The Preliminary Report form will be used by the County to transmit information to the Operational Area Emergency Operations Center during the first two hours after an event.
Situation Summary. The Situation summary is an assessment of the emergency and identifies major incidents/problems and response and recovery priorities. It is intended for use after the first two hours of an event.
Status Report. The Status Report is informational, providing data about the effects of the emergency in several categories. The Status Report and Situation Summary will be transmitted to the State together.
Flash Report. The Flash Report is used to transmit vital and/or time-sensitive information between the State and County/Operational Area outside regularly scheduled Situation Summaries and Status Reports.
Resource requests will be made through one of the following processes:
PAGE
• Discipline-specific mutual aid systems: Requests for resources that are normally within the inventories of the mutual aid system will go from Local Coordinator to Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinator to the Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator.
• All other resource requests will be made through the operations and logistics functions at each level.
Resource requests from jurisdictions within the County will be coordinated to determine if the resource is available from other departments or other sources within the County.
Mutual Aid Coordinators at each level will keep the Operations Chiefs informed of the status of resource requests and allocations. Mutual Aid Coordinators at each level will communicate and coordinate with each other to maintain current status on resource requests and allocations within the disaster area.
Resource requests to the Operational Area are usually submitted through CALEOC.
Available resources will be allocated to the requesting local government. If requests for a specific resource exceed the supply, the available resources will be allocated consistent with the priorities established through the action planning process. The Section Chiefs of the Operational Area EOC are responsible for ensuring that priorities are followed.
Resources that are not available within the Operational Area will be requested through the regional level, the State's Inland Region EOC. Resource requests should be coordinated internally at the Operational Area level before being forwarded to the regional level. The Resource Status Unit Leader in the Logistics Section, in coordination with various Operations Branches, is responsible for tracking resource requests.
CalEOC. The purpose of CalEOC is to maintain an accurate flow of information, and to improve the County Office of Emergency Services’ ability to respond to major disasters.
The system will increase their level of service and efficiency by improving their ability to respond to, manage and coordinate requests for resources; and collect, process, and disseminate information during and after a disaster.
Each computer in the County Emergency Operations Center has CALEOC capability.
The following reports or requests will be provided to the Governor's Office of Emergency Services via CALEOC during and after the emergency or disaster:
• Situation Status Reports
• Mutual Aid Requests
• Local Declarations, Gubernatorial, and Presidential Declaration requests • After Action/Corrective Action Reports
Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS). The Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS) has a low susceptibility to geologic hazards and is independent of the public telephone system. OASIS is intended to be a backup to the existing Sacramento County communication resources, which include a county-wide PAGE
radio system, amateur radio systems, and digital packet radio for data communications.
B.6 EOC Action Planning
The use of action plans in the County EOC ensures a clear and measurable process for identifying objectives and priorities for a given event. Action planning is an important management tool that involves:
• A process for identifying priorities and objectives for emergency response or recovery efforts
• Plans which document the priorities and objectives, and the tasks and personnel assignments associated with meeting the objectives
The action planning process should involve the EOC Director and Section Chiefs (which includes the Chiefs of each Section), along with other EOC staff, as needed, such as special districts, and other agency representatives.
The Planning Section is responsible for facilitating the action planning meeting and completing and distributing the action plan. Action plans are developed for a specified operational period, which may range from a few hours to 24 hours. The operational period is determined by first establishing a set of priority actions that need to be performed. A reasonable time frame is then established for accomplishing those actions.
The action plans need not be complex but should be sufficiently detailed to guide EOC elements in implementing the priority actions. Guidelines for developing action plans and an action plan format are contained in the Forms and Tools section.
B.7 EOC Coordination
Inter-agency coordination inside and outside the EOC is important for:
• Establishing overall priorities
• Allocating critical resources
• Development of strategies for handling multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional response problems
• Sharing information
• Facilitating communications
Inter-agency coordination is an integral part of the functioning of a County EOC. The EOC is staffed by representatives from the departments and agencies working together to coordinate the County’s emergency response. Agency representatives from local governments including special districts, community-based organizations, volunteer services programs (VSPs), and private organizations, may also participate with EOC PAGE
functional elements in coordinating the County response effort. Coordination with agencies not represented in the EOC may be accomplished through telecommunications, satellite, or other electronic means.
B.7.1 Field Responders
Since the County EOC is also the Operational Area’s operating center, communications and coordination must be established with County field responders who are responding to the emergency. When no Departmental Operations Centers (DOCs) are activated, the Incident Commander(s) operating in the field will report directly to the Operations Section Chief in the County EOC, via the County dispatchers or through other methods that are available.
When County Departments have activated their DOCs, the Field Incident Commander will continue to report directly to the Operations Section Chief in the County EOC and provide status reports to their DOC. When the County EOC is directly overseeing Incident Command teams, it is operating in a centralized coordination and direction mode.
B.7.2 Departmental Operation Centers (DOCs)
The appropriate County EOC Section/Branch/Unit will coordinate with DOCs to obtain information for advance planning, logistical needs, available personnel and equipment resources, and other information as required. The DOCs will assist the Sacramento County EOC in supporting field operations. Other County Department EOCs include Health and Human Services, General Services, Public Works, Public Health, and the Sheriff’s Department.
B.7.3 Operation Area
During EOC activation, direct communications and coordination may be established with the Operational Area and any Operational Area member jurisdictions, specifically is emergency incident falls between the County limits and a neighbor jurisdiction.
Initially, communications will be established by any means available and with whoever is available, regardless of their functional EOC position. Ideally, communications and coordination with the Operation Area EOC and neighboring County EOCs will occur along functional lines.
Whenever feasible, an agency representative from each jurisdiction which activated its EOC should be at the Sacramento County EOC. Each of the Operational Area member jurisdictions has agreed to send a representative to the Sacramento County EOC. The city representatives will ensure that adequate coordination and information exchange arrangements are made with the Operational Area.
PAGE
B.7.4 Private, Nonprofit and Volunteer Agencies
Within Sacrament County, coordination of response activities with many nongovernmental agencies may occur, primarily at the field level. However, the County EOC will establish coordination with private and volunteer agencies that have multijurisdictional or County-wide response roles. The agencies that play key roles in the response should have representatives at the County EOC.
Coordination with volunteer and private agencies that do not have representatives in the EOC may be accomplished through telecommunications, liaison with community councils that represent several agencies, or involvement of agencies in special multi-agency groups on specific issues.
B.7.5 Special Districts
The emergency response role of special districts is generally focused on their normal services or functional area of responsibility. During disasters, some types of special districts, such as fire districts, will be more extensively involved in the emergency response by directly coordinating, communicating, and assisting local governments.
In Sacramento County, relationships with special districts and the local governments are complicated by overlapping boundaries. For the special districts that serve more than one local government and/or serve the County unincorporated areas, they will coordinate and communicate directly with the County EOC.
Ideally, the special district involved in the emergency response will have a representative at the County EOC, serv ing as the focal point of coordination and work with other local government representatives in the EOC. If a special district is unable to send a representative, then the Liaison Officer in the EOC will be responsible for establishing communications and coordination with the special district.
B.7.6 Inland Region Emergency Operations Center
Direct coordination and communications with the Inland Region Emergency Operations Center (REOC) is essential. There is one primary method and one alternate method for the Operational Area to coordinate with the Regional EOC:
• Primary Method - The REOC sends a field representative to the Operational Area • Alternate Method - The Operational Area and the REOC coordinate through various telecommunications systems
Coordination and communications between the County EOC and the Region EOC will occur between the five SEMS functions. Direct coordination and communications will also be established between the Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinators, who are located in the County EOC, and the Region's Mutual Aid Coordinator, who are located PAGE
in the State's Inland Region EOC. These coordinators may be functioning from their respective Operational Area and regional EOCs or from other locations depending on the situation and the mutual aid system.
B.7.7 State & Federal Field Response
There are some instances where a state or federal agency will be part of a field response in the county. State agency field response may result of a flood fight effort, oil spill, hazardous materials accident, or other hazard scenarios. Federal field response could result from the same scenarios or a military aircraft accident, where the federal military authorities are the Incident Commander.
When a state agency or federal agency is involved in field operations, coordination will be established with the County EOC. State or federal agencies operating in the field may be found in any ICS section, branch, or unit, or part of a Unified Command. The incident will determine their location.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
C EOC Organization
The following pages contain functional descriptions for each section of the County EOC. Figure 6: EOC Organization Chart below, provides an overview of the County’s EOC organization.
PAGE
EOC Director
Operations Chief
Ag & Natural
Resources Branch
Animal Services
Branch
Fire Branch
Law Branch
Medical | Health
Branch
Care & Shelter
Branch
Construction &
Engineering
Branch
Damage | Safety
Assessment Unit
Debris
Management Unit
Public Works Unit
Utilities Unit
Planning &
Intelligence Chief
Technical
Specialists
GIS Specialist
Social Media
Specialist
Logistics Chief
Communications |
IT Unit
Transportation Unit
Personnel Unit
EMMA Coordinator
Supply |
Procurement Unit
Facilities Unit
Food Unit
Donations
Management Unit
Volunteer
Coordination Unit
Finance &
Administration
Chief
Purchasing Unit
Recovery Unit
Public Information EOC Coordinator
Legal Officer Liaison Officer
Safety Officer
FIGURE 6: EOC
ORGANIZATION CHART
PAGE
C.1 Management Section
FIGURE 7: EOC MANAGEMENT SECTION
C
o
u
n
t
y
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
x
e
c
u
t
i
v
e
C
o
u
n
t
y
C
o
u
n
s
e
l
F
i
n
a
n
c
e
G
e
n
e
r
a
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
P
e
r
s
o
n
n
e
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
T
e
c
h
n
o
l
o
g
y
A
g
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
C
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
e
r
A
n
i
m
a
l
C
a
r
e
&
R
e
g
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
R
e
g
i
o
n
a
l
P
a
r
k
s
S
a
n
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
D
i
s
t
r
i
c
t
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
n
g
i
n
e
e
r
i
n
g
T
r
a
n
s
p
o
r
t
a
t
i
o
n
W
a
s
t
e
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
&
R
e
c
y
c
l
i
n
g
W
a
t
e
r
R
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
C
o
r
o
n
e
r
E
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
H
e
a
l
t
h
&
H
u
m
a
n
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
H
u
m
a
n
A
s
s
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
O
f
f
i
c
e
o
f
E
m
e
r
g
e
n
c
y
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
EOC Position
EOC Director
EOC Director
Public
Information
EOC
Coordinator
Legal Affairs
Officer Liaison Officer
Safety Officer
PAGE
Safety Officer
PIO
Liaison Officer
Legal Officer
TABLE 7: COUNTY DEPARTMENT FILLING EOC MANAGEMENT SECTION POSITIONS This section contains the section description and responsibilities for personnel assigned to the Management Section of the County EOC. Job aids, Section Specific Forms and EOC Forms can be found Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Functional Annex A and in documentation resource boxes from in the primary and alternate EOC.
Section Overview:
• The Management Section is responsible for overall emergency policy and coordination.
Section Responsibilities Include:
• Overall management and coordination of emergency response and recovery operations
• Oversee and manage all Sections in the EOC.
• Coordinate and liaison with appropriate federal, state, local government, private and volunteer entities
• Establish priorities and resolve demand conflicts
• Prepare and disseminate emergency public information, other essential information and data about impacts and damage
Figure 7: EOC Management Section, above, shows all of the positions that are part of the EOC Management Section.
Table 7: County Department Filling EOC Management Section Positions, above, shows all of the departments filling in EOC Management Section positions.
PAGE
C.2 Operations Section
FIGURE 8: EOC OPERATIONS SECTION
Operations
Chief
Ag & Natural
Resources
Branch
Animal Services
Branch
Fire Branch Law Branch
Medical |
Health Branch
Care & Shelter
Branch
Construction &
Engineering
Branch
Damage |
Safety
Assessment Unit
Debris
Management
Unit
Public Works
Unit
Utilities Unit
PAGE
Count
y Department
Count
y Executive
Count
y Counsel Finance
Genera
l Services
Personne
l Services
Technology
Agricultura
l Commissioner
Anima
l Car
e
& Regulation
Regiona
l Parks
Sanitatio
n District
Count
y Engineering
Transportation
Wast
e Managemen
t
& Recycling
Wate
r Resources
Coroner
Environmenta
l Management
Healt
h
& Huma
n Services
Huma
n Assistance
Offic
e o
f Emergenc
y Services
Sacrament
o Metr
o Fire
Sherif
f Department
EMSPlannin
g
& Environmenta
l Review
EOC Position
Operations Chief
Ag & Natural
Resources Branch
Animal Services
Branch
Fire Branch
Law Branch
Medical/Health
Branch
Care & Shelter
Branch
Construction &
Eng. Branch
PAGE
Damage/Safety
Assessment Unit
Debris
Management Unit
Public Works Unit
Utilities Unit
TABLE 8: COUNTY DEPARTMENT FILLING EOC OPERATIONS SECTION POSITIONS This section contains the section description and responsibilities for personnel assigned to the Operations Section of the County EOC. Job aids, Section Specific Forms and EOC Forms can be found Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Functional Annex A and in documentation resource boxes from in the primary and alternate EOC.
Section Overview:
• The Operations Section is primarily responsible for managing the operations of various response elements involved in the disaster/emergency Section Responsibilities Include:
• Fire: Fire/Rescue, Hazardous Materials, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Preservation
• Law: Coroner, Law Enforcement, Investigations, Security • Care & Shelter: Care and Shelter
• Public Works: Street, Traffic, Utilities, Solid Waste, Wastewater, Parking, Facility and Vehicle Maintenance
• Construction & Engineering: Building Safety, Building Damage, and Safe Access • Agriculture & Natural Resources: Agriculture and Natural Resources • Animal Care: Animal Care
Figure 8: EOC Operations Section, above, shows all of the positions that are part of the EOC Management Section.
Table 8: County Department Filling EOC Operations Section Positions, above, shows all of the departments filling in EOC Management Section positions.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
C.3 Planning & Intelligence Section
FIGURE 9: EOC PLANNING & INTELLIGENCE SECTION
Planning &
Intelligence
Chief
Technical
Specialists
GIS Specialist
Social Media
Specialist
PAGE
C
o
u
n
t
y
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
x
e
c
u
t
i
v
e
C
o
u
n
t
y
C
o
u
n
s
e
l
F
i
n
a
n
c
e
G
e
n
e
r
a
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
P
e
r
s
o
n
n
e
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
T
e
c
h
n
o
l
o
g
y
A
g
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
C
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
e
r
A
n
i
m
a
l
C
a
r
e
&
R
e
g
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
R
e
g
i
o
n
a
l
P
a
r
k
s
S
a
n
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
D
i
s
t
r
i
c
t
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
n
g
i
n
e
e
r
i
n
g
T
r
a
n
s
p
o
r
t
a
t
i
o
n
W
a
s
t
e
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
&
R
e
c
y
c
l
i
n
g
W
a
t
e
r
R
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
C
o
r
o
n
e
r
E
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
H
e
a
l
t
h
&
H
u
m
a
n
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
H
u
m
a
n
A
s
s
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
O
f
f
i
c
e
o
f
E
m
e
r
g
e
n
c
y
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
S
a
c
r
a
m
e
n
t
o
M
e
t
r
o
F
i
r
e
S
h
e
r
i
f
f
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
E
M
S
P
l
a
n
n
i
n
g
&
E
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
R
e
v
i
e
w
EOC Position
Planning &
Intelligence Chief
Geographic
Information
Systems (GIS)
Social Media Tech
Spec
TABLE 9: COUNTY DEPARTMENT & ALLIED AGENCIES FILLING EOC PLAN & INTEL SECTION POSITIONS This section contains the section description and responsibilities for personnel assigned to the Planning & Intelligence Section of the County EOC. Job aids, Section Specific Forms and EOC Forms can be found Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Functional Annex A and in documentation resource boxes from in the primary and alternate EOC.
Section Overview:
• The Planning & Intelligence Section is primarily responsible for compiling, assembling, and reporting all safety/damage assessment information Section Responsibilities Include:
PAGE
• Collect, evaluate, analyze, display, and disseminate incident information and status of all assigned and available resources
• Functions as the primary support for decision-making to the overall emergency organization
• Provides anticipatory appraisals and develops plans necessary to cope with changing events
Figure 9: EOC Planning & Intelligence Section, above, shows all the positions that are part of the EOC Planning & Intelligence Section.
Table 9: County Department & Allied Agencies filling EOC Planning & Intelligence Section Positions, above, shows all of the departments filling in EOC Management Section positions.
PAGE
C.4 Logistics Section
FIGURE 10: EOC LOGISTICS SECTION
Logistics Chief
Communications
| IT Unit
Transportation
Unit
Personnel Unit
EMMA
Coordinator
Supply |
Procurement
Unit
Facilities Unit
Food Unit
Donations
Management
Unit
Volunteer
Coordination
Unit
PAGE
Count
y Department
Count
y Executive
Count
y Counsel Finance
Genera
l Services
Personne
l Services
Technology
Agricultura
l Commissioner
Anima
l Car
e
& Regulation
Regiona
l Parks
Sanitatio
n District
Count
y Engineering
Transportation
Wast
e Managemen
t
& Recycling
Wate
r Resources
Coroner
Environmenta
l Management
Healt
h
& Huma
n Services
Huma
n Assistance
Offic
e o
f Emergenc
y Services
Sacrament
o Metr
o Fire
Sherif
f Department
EMSHand
s o
n Sac/VOAD
EOC Position
Logistics Chief
Communications /
Information Unit
Transportation Unit
Personnel Unit
EMMA
Coordinator
Supply /
Procurement Unit
Facilities Unit
Food Unit
PAGE
Donations
Management Unit
Volunteer
Coordination Unit
TABLE 10: COUNTY DEPARTMENT & ALLIED AGENCIES FILLING EOC LOGISTICS SECTION POSITIONS This section contains the section description and responsibilities for personnel assigned to the Logistics Section of the County EOC. Job aids, Section Specific Forms and EOC Forms can be found Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Functional Annex A and in documentation resource boxes from in the primary and alternate EOC.
Section Overview:
• The Logistics Section is responsible for providing resources to support the city’s disaster response, including, but not limited to, personnel, vehicles, and equipment.
Section Responsibilities Include:
● Provide operational and logistical support for emergency response personnel and optimize the use of resources
● Provide support to the other sections of the EOC and support as directed for field emergency response activities
● Support the restoration of essential services and systems Figure 10: EOC Logistics Section, above, shows all the positions that are part of the EOC Logistics Section.
Table 10: County Department & Allied Agencies Filling EOC Logistics Section Positions, above, shows all of the departments filling in EOC Management Section positions.
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
C.5 Finance/Administration Section
FIGURE 11: EOC FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION SECTION
C
o
u
n
t
y
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
x
e
c
u
t
i
v
e
C
o
u
n
t
y
C
o
u
n
s
e
l
F
i
n
a
n
c
e
G
e
n
e
r
a
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
P
e
r
s
o
n
n
e
l
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
T
e
c
h
n
o
l
o
g
y
A
g
r
i
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
C
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
e
r
A
n
i
m
a
l
C
a
r
e
&
R
e
g
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
R
e
g
i
o
n
a
l
P
a
r
k
s
S
a
n
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
D
i
s
t
r
i
c
t
C
o
u
n
t
y
E
n
g
i
n
e
e
r
i
n
g
T
r
a
n
s
p
o
r
t
a
t
i
o
n
W
a
s
t
e
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
&
R
e
c
y
c
l
i
n
g
W
a
t
e
r
R
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
C
o
r
o
n
e
r
E
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
H
e
a
l
t
h
&
H
u
m
a
n
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
H
u
m
a
n
A
s
s
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
O
f
f
i
c
e
o
f
E
m
e
r
g
e
n
c
y
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
s
S
a
c
r
a
m
e
n
t
o
M
e
t
r
o
F
i
r
e
S
h
e
r
i
f
f
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
E
M
S
H
a
n
d
s
o
n
S
a
c
/
V
O
A
D
EOC Position
Finance &
Administration
Chief
Finance &
Administration
Chief
Purchasing Unit
Recovery Unit
PAGE
Purchasing
Recovery
TABLE 11: COUNTY DEPARTMENT & ALLIED AGENCIES FILLING EOC FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
SECTION POSITIONS
This section contains the section description and responsibilities for personnel assigned to the Finance & Administration Section of the County EOC. Job aids, Section Specific Forms and EOC Forms can be found Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Functional Annex A and in documentation resource boxes from in the primary and alternate EOC.
Section Overview:
• The Finance & Administration Section is responsible for providing financial support and coordination.
Section Responsibilities Include:
● Protect Life, Property, and the Environment
● Provide Continuity of Financial Support to the County and Community ● Document and Manage County costs and recovery of those costs as allowable ● Maintain a positive image for the County in its dealings with the community Figure 11: EOC Finance & Administration Section, above, shows all the positions that are part of the EOC Finance & Administration Section.
Table 11: County Department & Allied Agencies Filling EOC Finance & Administration Section Positions, above, shows all of the departments filling in EOC Management Section positions.
PAGE
D EOC Action Planning
EOC Action Planning is a process that allows for the coordination of EOC activities and the development of the EOC Action Plan.
The EOC Action Plan (EAP) is a printed document which outlines the priorities and planned response of the organization for a defined operational period (time period).
During the initial stages of incident management, EOC staff must develop a simple plan that can be communicated through concise verbal briefings. Frequently, this plan must be developed very quickly and with incomplete information. As the incident management effort evolves over time with additional lead time, staff, information, more detailed and concise EOC Action Plans are created.
Overall – planning involves the following 5 phases:
1. Understanding the situation
2. Establishing incident objectives
3. Developing the Plan
4. Preparing and Disseminating the Plan
5. Executing, Evaluating and Revising the Plan
The basis for an efficient and effective EOC Action Planning process begin with the development and maintenance of a common operating picture.
D.1. Common Operating Picture Guidance
In order to develop a common operating picture emergency management organization member must exercise effective situational awareness.
Situational Awareness is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical information about an incident – knowing what is going on around you [requiring] continuous monitoring of relevant sources of information regarding actual incidents and developing hazards (National Response Framework).
Elements of situational awareness include:
● Perception (Gather information)
● Comprehension (Interpret information)
● Projection (Anticipate future status and needs)
Situational awareness can be obtained through the following sources:
● Responders and government agencies
● 911 centers
● Citizens
● Media
● Social media
PAGE
● Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Situational awareness information compiled together is used to develop a common operating picture.
A common operating picture is a continuously updated overview of an incident compiled throughout an incident’s life cycle from data shared between integrated systems for communication, information management, and intelligence and information sharing (NRF Resource Center).
Having a common operating picture enables:
● Effective and timely decision-making
● Increase collaboration among all responders and disseminates pertinent information
● Improve incident safety
● Inform predictions and proactive response
● Help ensure consistency of messages
A common operating picture contains the following elements:
● Data: Collect bits from various sources
● Information: Bits are put together
● Intelligence: Analyze the information
● Make recommendations for decisions
PAGE
Situational awareness influences the
development of a common operating
picture and follows the following
input/output process.
Situational Awareness shared at every SEMS level
through a common operating picture helps others
achieve overall incident situational awareness as
shown in the diagram on the right.
If an event is not continuously monitored and the
common operating picture updated and shared,
situational awareness will decrease and in inaccurate
operating picture will result.
Situational awareness and common operating picture
information can be shared through:
● Senior leadership briefs
● Formal reports
● Information gathered from Incident/EOC Action
Plans (I/EAPs), Situation Reports (SITREPs), etc.
D.2 Planning P
The Planning “P” is a guide to the action planning process. The Planning “P” can be used for both smaller, short-term incidents and events, and for longer, more complex incident planning.
The Planning “P” depicts the stages in the action planning process.
The leg of the “P” includes initial steps to gain awareness of the situation and establish the organization for incident management. Steps in Phase 1 are done only one time.
Once they are accomplished, incident management shifts into a cycle of planning and operations, that continues and is repeated each operational period. In this way, the Planning “P” becomes the Planning “O” after the first operation period.
PAGE
Figure 11: Planning P
PAGE
Figure 12: Ongoing O
D.3 Planning P Meeting Agendas
The following are example Planning P meeting details and agendas:
PAGE
Initial Briefing Meeting
(Planning P Step 3):
Meeting Called By: EOC Director
Attended By: All EOC personnel deemed necessary by the EOC Director.
Led By: EOC Director or Designee (ex: P&I Chief)
Purpose: Provide information on current on-scene operations, agency and jurisdictional concerns and establish working EOC organization.
Outcome: Organizational Structure and Common Operating Picture! Ground Rules:
● Cell Phone on Silent or Vibrate
● Come Prepared for each meeting
● No side conversations
● Ask questions if you don’t understand
● Take Notes
● Stick to agenda
Agenda/Flow
● EOC Director brings meeting to order, conducts roll call, covers ground rules and reviews the agenda
● Introduce EOC Management and General Staff
● Provide situation update to include:
1. What has happened
2. Affected areas and individuals
3. Incident Command Post Objectives and Priorities if known (ICS-201 for Field)
4. Activated emergency response facilities
5. Jurisdictions and agencies involved
6. Any actions we have taken
7. Safety Concerns
8. Agency or jurisdiction restrictions
● Verify that Incident commander(s), Area Command(s), supporting EOCs, DOCs, and coordinating agencies have been informed that the EOC is staffed and operational. ● Establish the following:
o Event name
o Operational period duration and work shift hours
o Initial goals and objectives
o EOC staffing organization, structure, pattern
o Meeting schedule
● All resource requests will be facilitated through the EOC. ● Agree on unified logistics approach to resource ordering procedures to follow. ● Agree on resource authorization procedures.
● Agree on Information/Intelligence matters and the flow of information into the EOC and vetted information out of the EOC.
● Next meeting EOC Objectives meeting.
● Prepare for the Objectives Meeting.
PAGE
Objectives Updates & Policy Confirmation Meeting
(Planning P Step 4):
Meeting Called By: EOC Director
Attended By: Management & General Staff
Led By: Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator or Designee Purpose: Develop EOC objectives to support on-scene and EOC operations and confirm policies.
Outcome: EOC objectives updated, and policies confirmed.
Ground Rules:
● Cell Phone on Silent or Vibrate
● Come Prepared for each meeting
● No side conversations
● Ask questions if you don’t understand
● Take Notes
● Stick to agenda
Agenda:
● P&I Chief (PSC) brings meeting to order, conducts roll call, covers ground rules and reviews the agenda
● Review and /or update key current actions
● Review current and projected situation
● Set prioritized SMART objectives in support of field Incident Commander(s) considering on-scene incident objectives/resource priorities, limitations, and constraints
● Discuss the incidents potential for the next operational period ● Review and confirm policies by EOC Management with input from General Staff which may include:
● Managing sensitive information/intelligence
● Information flow into and out of the EOC
● Resource ordering process
● Cost sharing and cost accounting (Finance/Admin.)
● Operational security issues
● Establishment of a JIC
● Review, document, and/or resolve status of any open actions.
PAGE
Resource Meeting
(Planning P Step 5):
Meeting Called By: EOC Director
Attended By: Management & General Staff (other EOC positions as appropriate) Led By: Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator or Designee Purpose: Develop a unified EOC strategy to support emergency management and onscene operation resource needs.
Outcome: Resources identified to support emergency management and field needs.
Ground Rules:
● Cell Phone on Silent or Vibrate
● Come Prepared for each meeting
● No side conversations
● Ask questions if you don’t understand
● Take Notes
● Stick to agenda
Agenda:
● P&I Chief brings meeting to order, conducts roll call, covers ground rules and reviews the agenda
● Review current and projected incident situation
● Review and /or update key current actions
● Review coordination and support objectives and ensures accountability for each ● Resources on-scene, en-route, and ordered are identified (Plans Section and Operations Section)
● Resource priorities are discussed P&I Chief and Operations Chief ● PSC and OSC develop strategic and resource needs
● Logs Chief verify support requirements and contributes logistics info as necessary ● Logs Chief reviews resource ordering process
● F&A Chief evaluates funding /fiscal implications
● Quick recap of the meeting and assignments
● End meeting and prepare for Planning Meeting
● Sections/Staff conduct break out meetings to fill in the information gaps that may exist
● Prepare for Planning Meeting
PAGE
Planning Meeting
(Planning P Step 6):
Meeting Called By: EOC Director
Attended By: Management & General Staff (other EOC positions as appropriate) Led By: Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator or Designee Purpose: Validate EOC Action Plan components: objectives, policies, authorities, resources etc.
Outcome: Validation of EOC Action Plan.
Ground Rules:
● Cell Phone on Silent or Vibrate
● Come Prepared for each meeting
● No side conversations
● Ask questions if you don’t understand
● Take Notes
● Stick to agenda
Agenda:
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator brings meeting to order, conducts roll call, covers ground rules and reviews the agenda
● EOC Director provides opening remarks
● Situation Unit provides briefing on current situation, resources at risk, weather forecast, and incident projections.
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator reviews coordination and support priorities, objectives, and decisions
● Operations Chief provides briefing on current operations followed with an overview on the proposed plan including strategy work assignments, resource commitment, contingencies, Operations Section organizational structure, and needed support facilities
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator reviews Operations Chief proposed plan to ensure that the EOC Management Priorities and operational objectives are met. ● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator reviews and validates responsibility for any open actions/tasks and management objectives.
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator conducts round robin of EOC Management Group and Management Staff members to solicit their final input and commitment to the proposed plan.
● Logistics Chief covers transport, communications and supply updates and issues,
● Finance Chief covers fiscal issues,
● Public Information Officer covers public affairs and public information issues, ● Liaison Officer covers interagency issues, and
● Safety Officer covers any safety concerns or considerations PAGE
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator requests EOC Management Group’s approval of the plan as presented. EOC Management Group may provide final comments
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator issues assignments to appropriate EOC members for developing Coordination Plan support documentation along with deadlines.
● Planning Section prepares the EOC Action Plan using the forms and /or format as described in the EOP or determined during the Planning meeting preparation phase.
● Sections conduct break out meetings to fill in the information gaps that may exist.
PAGE
EOC Briefing Meeting
(Planning P Step 9):
Meeting Called By: EOC Director
Attended By: All EOC personnel
Led By: Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator or Designee Purpose: To brief the oncoming shift on the EOC Action Plan and status of on-scene operations
Outcome: Oncoming shift understands EOC Action Plan and situation to execute Ground Rules:
● Cell Phone on Silent or Vibrate
● Come Prepared for each meeting
● No side conversations
● Ask questions if you don’t understand
● Take Notes
● Stick to agenda
Agenda:
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator brings meeting to order, conducts roll call for personnel required to attend both incoming and out-going shift, covers ground rules and reviews the agenda
● EOC Director provides opening remarks
● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator reviews objectives and any changes to the EOC Action Plan
● Situation Unit conducts Situation Briefing.
● Operations Chief discusses current response actions and accomplishments. ● Logistics Chief covers transport, communications, and supply updates ● Finance Chief covers fiscal issues.
● Public Information Officer covers public affairs and public information issues ● Safety Officer covers any safety concerns or considerations ● Liaison Officer covers interagency issues and Intel covers intelligence issues ● Planning & Intelligence Chief/Coordinator solicits final comments and adjourns briefing.
● Out-going Sections Chiefs/Coordinators conduct individual break out meetings with the on-coming Section Chiefs/Coordinators to complete process PAGE
E EOC Deactivation
The County EOC may be deactivated by one of the following:
• County Executive
• County Executive designated alternate
• Chief of Emergency Services
• Upon the request of the Board of Directors/Disaster Council • Upon the request of a City within the County
• Upon the request of the Field Incident Commander within the County The County has developed the following EOC deactivation criteria that include conditions that must be met:
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
E.1 EOC Deactivation Criteria
Met
(Yes or No) Detail
The EOC Management and General Staff alongside the Incident Command/Unified Command/Area Command has determined that the response effort can be suspended or substantially scaled down.
The affected area(s) are in a stable condition, and there is a high probability that they can be maintained in that condition.
Emergency conditions no longer constitute a critical danger to people, the environment or property.
Existing conditions no longer meet established emergency or EOC Activation criteria and it appears unlikely that conditions will deteriorate.
All injured have been treated and/or transported to medical facilities.
All initial emergency notifications have been completed.
Intent to deactivate the EOC has been discussed/coordinated with in the EOC amongst the general staff and approved by the EOC Director as well as local agencies, the operational area etc. the state and all other organizations responsible for response. Notification, of intent to deactivate the EOC will include:
● Reasons for Deactivation
● Date/time Deactivation will be effective
NOTE: The intent to deactivate the EOC should be discussed with agencies / organizations sufficiently in advance of the effective date/time that recipients have the opportunity to discuss the decision and its bases before it becomes effective. This will also ensure that a demobilization plan is developed, and operations are transitioned to recovery and/or a formal Recovery Plan is drafted.
Decision regarding the need for a formal Recovery Plan has been made based on a review of the following criteria:
● Technical criteria for resumption of new normal for affected community. ● Investigation and fact-finding activities are expected to be lengthy or involve multiple contractors and/or jurisdictions.
● Substantial and prolonged coordination and communications will be required with off-site governments, agencies, and/or response organizations to assess the extent of area or property damage as well as to rebuild impacted critical infrastructure / the community.
● The event resulted in a large number of injuries, or illnesses requiring on going coordination and public information.
PAGE
Table x: EOC Deactivation Criteria
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
F Resources
Category Kind Function Specifications Quantity Owner Location PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
G Contact List
Person or
Location
Name
Title or
Function
Phone
Number Email Other
PAGE
PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
PAGE
H Supporting Documentation
The following document and resource links include materials that self-certify compliance with SEMS. This includes evidence of training, planning, exercises, and performance. Note that this is not all inclusive.
● Integrated Preparedness Plan (2020)
● Regional Mass Notification Test - February 2018
● Regional Mass Notification Test - March 2017
● February 2017 Winter Storms - April 2017
● January 2017 Winter Storms - April 2017
● VTTX Agriculture - Animal Evacuation June 2016
● VTTX Flood March 2016
● VTTX Multi Casualty Incident (MCI) September 2016
● VTTX Tornado March 2016
● VTTX Winter Storm December 2016
Appendix J6.3
American River South ULDC
City of Sacramento
Comprehensive Flood
Management Plan
Comprehensive Flood
Management Plan
City of Sacramento Department of Utilities
May 2024
City of Sacramento iii
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
February 2016 (Updated May 2017)
City of Sacramento
Department of Utilities
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Prepared by:
Rosa Millino, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities Jamie McKinley, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities Lisa Deklinski, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities Nathan Blair, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities Remi Mendoza, City of Sacramento, Community Development Department Pete Ghelfi, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency
Daniel Bowers, City of Sacramento Office of Emergency Management Rich Axtel, City of Sacramento Office of Emergency Management\ Neal Joyce, City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities City of Sacramento iv
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background....................................................................................................................1.1
1.1.1 Relation to the City of Sacramento 2035 General Plan .....................................1.3
1.2 Understanding Flood Risk .............................................................................................1.3
1.2.1 Flood Risk..........................................................................................................1.4
1.2.2 The Seven Risk Reduction Tools.......................................................................1.4
1.3 CFMP Purpose and Overview .......................................................................................1.7
1.3.1 2016-2021 CFPM: Plan Purpose .......................................................................1.7
1.3.2 2016-2021 CFPM: Plan Overview ....................................................................1.7
1.3.3 City Staff Department Roles and Responsibilities.............................................1.9
1.3.4 CFMP Update Process.....................................................................................1.10 2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
2.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................2.1
2.1.1 Growth, Development, and Flooding.................................................................2.1
2.1.2 Official Flood Control Efforts ...........................................................................2.3
2.1.3 City of Sacramento Floodplains and Floodplain Mapping................................2.7
2.2 History of Major Flooding...........................................................................................2.12 3 LAND USE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
3.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................3.1
3.1.1 Land Use Planning.............................................................................................3.1
3.1.2 Development Guidelines....................................................................................3.2
3.2 Current Implementation Status......................................................................................3.2
3.2.1 Federal Flood Protection Measures ...................................................................3.2
3.2.2 State Flood Protection Measures .......................................................................3.5
3.2.3 Local Flood Protection Measures ......................................................................3.6
3.2.4 Floodplain Land Use Planning & Development Standards Summary.............3.12
3.2.5 Development Regulations in A99 Flood Zone ................................................3.13
3.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items...............................................................3.14 4 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
4.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................4.1
4.2 Current Implementation Status......................................................................................4.1
4.2.1 Technical Responsibilities.................................................................................4.2
4.2.2 Departmental Coordination..............................................................................4.26
4.2.3 Public Education and Outreach........................................................................4.28
4.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items...............................................................4.34 5 LEVEE AND OTHER STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS
5.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................5.1
5.1.1 Reducing Flood Risk..........................................................................................5.1
5.1.2 Seeking Long-Term Flood Solutions.................................................................5.3
5.2 Current Implementation Status....................................................................................5.10
5.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items...............................................................5.21 City of Sacramento v
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
6 INTERNAL DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS
6.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................6.1
6.1.1 Internal Drainage System...................................................................................6.1
6.2 Current Implementation Status......................................................................................6.4
6.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items.................................................................6.6 7 RISK COMMUNICATION
7.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................7.1
7.2 Implementation Strategies and Action Items...............................................................7.39 8 NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM/COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM
8.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................8.1
8.1.1 National Flood Insurance Program Background................................................8.1
8.2 Current Implementation Status......................................................................................8.3
8.2.1 Flood Zones and Insurance Rates......................................................................8.3
8.2.2 Flood Insurance in Sacramento..........................................................................8.5
8.3 Community Rating System Background .....................................................................8.10
8.3.1 Community Rating System in Sacramento......................................................8.12
8.4 Implementation Strategies and Action Items...............................................................8.17 9 LEVEE SECURITY PLAN
9.1 Introduction and Background ........................................................................................9.1
9.2 Current Implementation Status......................................................................................9.4
9.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items.................................................................9.6
APPENDICES
A. SUMMARY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
B. RISK COMMUNICATION (PPI) PLANNING PROCESS DOCUMENTATION C. RESCUE & EVACUATION AREA MAPS
D. REPETITIVE LOSS AREA ANALYSIS
E. PROCEDURES FOR FLOOD RESPONSE PROJECTS
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
City of Sacramento vi
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
AAR After-Action-Report
AB Assembly Bill
ADA American Disabilities Act
ALERT Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time
ATC Applied Technology Council
ARFCD American River Flood Control District
BAM Best Available Map
BCEGS Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule
BFE Base Flood Elevation
BMP Best Management Practice
Cal OES California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services CDBG Community Development Block Grant
CDD Community Development Department
CDEC California Data Exchange Center
CFM Certified Floodplain Manager
CFMP Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
CIP Capital Improvement Projects
CIS Community Information System
City City of Sacramento
CP Coverage Improvement Plan
CRS Community Rating System
CSS Combined Sewer System
CTP Cooperating Technical Partner
CVFPP Central Valley Flood Protection Plan
DFIRM Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map
DI Drain Inlets
DOC Department Operations Center
DOU Department of Utilities
DWR California Department of Water Resources
City of Sacramento vii
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
EIR Environmental impact report
EOC Emergency Operations Center
EOP Emergency Operations Plan
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FIA Flood Insurance Coverage Assessment
FIRM Flood Insurance Rate Map
GRR General Reevaluation Report
HSEEP Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program HMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance
IA Individual Assistance
ICC Increased Cost of Compliance
ICS Incident Command System
IP Improvement Plan
JFP Joint Federal Project
LHMP Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
MA9 Maintenance Area 9
MEP Maximum Extent Practicable
NDRF National Disaster Recovery Framework
NFIP National Flood Insurance Program
NIMS National Incident Management System
NLIP Natomas Levee Improvement Project
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency
O&M Operation and Maintenance
OES Sacramento County’s Office of Emergency Services
PCA Project Cooperation Agreement
PIO Public Information Officer
PPI Program for Public Information
PRP Preferred Risk Policy
QPF Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts
RAC Rate Advisory Commission
RLAA Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
RD 1000 Reclamation District 1000
RFMP Regional Flood Management Plan
City of Sacramento viii
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
RM River Mile
Sac Bank Sacramento River Bank Protection Program
SAFCA Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency
SB Senate Bill
SBA Small Business Administration
SDE Substantial Damage Estimator
SEMS Standardized Emergency Management System
SFHA Special Flood Hazard Area
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
SPD Sacramento Police Department
SQIP Stormwater Quality Improvement Program
SUALRP Sacramento Urban Area Levee Reconstruction Project SRFCP Sacramento River Flood Control Project
SRFCS Sacramento River Flood Control System
SSSG South Sacramento Streams Group
WMP Watershed Management Plan
ULDC Urban Levee Design Criteria
ULOP Urban Level of Flood Protection
USACE US Army Corps of Engineers
1 INTRODUCTION
City of Sacramento 1.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
1.1 Background
The City of Sacramento (City) is located in the heart of California’s Central Valley at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers (see Figure 1.1). The Central Valley is a flat alluvial plain approximately 50 miles wide and 400 miles long in the central portion of California.
The northern part is the Sacramento Valley drained by the Sacramento River, and the southern part is the San Joaquin Valley drained by the San Joaquin River. It is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east, the Tehachapi Mountains to the south, Coastal Range to the west, and Cascade Range to the north. The topography of the area is relatively flat. There is a gradual slope rising from elevations as low as sea level in the southwestern portion of the Valley up to approximately 75 feet above sea level in the northeastern portion.
Sacramento is the cultural and economic center of the six-county metropolitan area (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties) and the largest city in the Central Valley.
The regional location of Sacramento is roughly halfway between San Francisco to the west and Lake Tahoe to the east. Sacramento covers a total area of approximately 99 square miles and is the seventh most populous city in California with a 2020 Census Bureau population of 528,001 individuals. Sacramento has a Mediterranean climate that is characterized by mild winters and dry, hot summers. Rain typically falls between November and March, with the rainy season tapering off almost completely by the end of April. Average daily high temperatures range from the 50s in December and January to the 90s in July (with many days of over 100° Fahrenheit).
The City, like other urban areas, faces risks to life and property from many natural and man-made hazards, including fire, earthquake, terrorism, toxic spills, wind, drought, wildfire, and flood. Most notably, of all these risks, flooding poses the greatest threat to the residents of Sacramento.
Given the City’s high flood risk and vulnerability, this Comprehensive Flood Management Plan (CFMP) is maintained and implemented by City government to guide the City’s flood risk reduction and mitigation efforts. This CFMP, initiated by the City’s Department of Utilities (DOU), will serve as the City’s strategic plan to reduce flood risk over the next five years (2024- 2029).
City of Sacramento 1.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 1.1. City of Sacramento Location
City of Sacramento 1.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
1.1.1 Relation to the City of Sacramento 2040 General Plan It is anticipated that by the year 2040, Sacramento will add 77,000 new jobs; and 69,000 new homes. The City has historically relied on Greenfield development to meet the housing, retail, and service needs generated by growth. The City’s new 2040 General Plan, adopted February 27, 2024, takes a different approach, and focuses growth inward, encouraging infill development.
The 2040 General Plan also reflects the City’s commitment to the protection of life and property from the risks of natural and man-made hazards. This commitment is based on the premise that a safe environment enhances quality of life, contributes to a city’s livability, and is important for attracting and retaining businesses needed to sustain a thriving economy. Flood management is primarily referenced in the Environmental Resource and Constraints Element of the General Plan, which addresses interagency coordination, funding for 200-year flood protection, maintenance of facilities, levee setbacks, and new development.
The 2040 General Plan includes policies and maps to address flood risks and higher standards for flood protection. Policies proposed include levee requirements, new development evaluations, and flood management planning efforts, all resulting in a minimum flood protection standard of a 200- year event. The 2040 General Plan expands upon established goals to focus on infill and growth, by integrating sustainability and equity policies and implementation actions. To accompany the General Plan Update, the City has also prepared a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. The Climate Adaptation Plan identified flood control infrastructure as critical facilities, and established adaptation strategies for use into the future. The Climate Action and Adaptation Plan was adopted by City Council on February 27, 2024. Additional flood-related policies in the 2040 General Plan address response and disaster preparedness for potential emergencies in the Public Health and Safety Element and the Mobility Element. The Utilities Element calls for the implementation of master planning programs, including identifying facility and infrastructure needs for flood management.
1.2 Understanding Flood Risk
Flooding is the rising and overflowing of a body of water onto normally dry land. Floods are among the costliest natural disasters in terms of human hardship and economic loss nationwide.
Floods can cause substantial damage to structures, landscapes, and utilities and create significant life safety issues.
The City of Sacramento is susceptible to various types of flood events: riverine, flash, and localized stormwater flooding; and levee and dam failure flooding. Regardless of the type of flood, the cause is most often the result of severe weather patterns and excessive rainfall, either in the flood area or upstream reach. Flooding is the most significant natural hazard that the City faces.
City of Sacramento 1.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
1.2.1 Flood Risk
As measured by the risk of flooding and the value of at-risk assets in the floodplain, the City of Sacramento has significant flood risk compared to other parts of California and the nation. The definition of flood risk can be stated as:
Flood Risk = Probability of Flood x Consequences
Therefore, effective flood risk reduction works at reducing both the probability and the consequences of flood. Flood risk reduction can be accomplished through implementation of a range of structural (through levee improvements and maintenance, internal drainage improvement, etc.) and non-structural tools (e.g., land use planning, public outreach and preparedness activities, etc.).
There is often a temptation to focus all risk reduction activities and resources on structural protection (e.g., levees, dams, flood gates, etc.) as over 100 miles of levees protect more than twothirds of the City. However, since levees can be overtopped or fail due to a variety of circumstances, flood risk cannot be completely eliminated by structural flood control projects alone. While the City continues to partner with others such as the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) on levee improvements and other structural projects, further risk reduction within the City can be achieved through other, nonstructural measures. Thus, flood risk reduction is best achieved by employing a suite of risk reduction tools, with each one adding to the overall reduction in flood risk.
1.2.2 The Seven Risk Reduction Tools
Figure 1.2 shows seven risk reduction tools utilized by the City to reduce flood risk:
• Land Use Planning and Development Guidelines
• Emergency Management
• Levee and Other Structural Improvements
• Internal Drainage Improvements
• Risk Communication (Program for Public Information)
• National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)/Community Rating System (CRS) • Levee Security
City of Sacramento 1.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 1.2. Flood Risk Reduction Tools
Source: DOU 2016
For each of the seven risk reduction tools, the City has identified a number of critical questions related to flood risk reduction:
1. Land Use Planning and Development Guidelines:
• Because flood risk reduction begins with planning, what kind of development will the City allow in areas protected by levees?
• How will the City plan this development, with consideration for climate change? • What kind of buffer will be required adjacent to levees? • What special restrictions or requirements will the City place on development in areas protected by levees?
• What ordinances need to be drafted or modified?
• What does the City need to do to ensure that codes and ordinances are implemented and followed?
• How can the City prioritize risk reduction activities related to future conditions affected by increased flooding and/or climate change?
LAND USE
PLANNING/
DEVELOPMENT
GUIDELINES
EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
LEVEE & OTHER
STRUCTURAL
IMPROVEMENTS
INTERNAL
DRAINAGE
IMPROVEMENTS
RISK
COMMUNICATION
INSURANCE
LEVEE
SECURITY
LOW RISK HIGH RISK
RISK REDUCTION TOOLS
City of Sacramento 1.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
2. Emergency Management:
• How can the City assist its citizens in preparing for, responding to (including possible evacuations), and recovering from a serious flood event? • What does the City need to do to be prepared to respond successfully and recover quickly from a serious flood event?
• How best can the City define and identify critical facilities and include them in the emergency strategy?
3. Levees and Other Structural Improvements:
• How will the City work with Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) and other local, state and federal agencies to ensure that the flood control system protecting our citizens is properly operated and maintained?
• How will these agencies work together to make sure that improvements to the system are continually being made?
4. Internal Drainage Improvements:
• What will the City do over the next five years to reduce flood risk through effective operation and maintenance of the City’s internal storm drain system? • How will the City make improvements to the system, including solutions to accommodate intense bursts of precipitation in urbanized areas?
5. Risk Communication (Program for Public Information):
• What does the City need to do to effectively communicate flood risk to the citizens so that they are motivated to take all necessary steps and use all available tools to reduce their flood risk? • How can staff effectively communicate risk to the City Manager and City Council so that they will fully support the implementation of this CFMP?
6. National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)/Community Rating System (CRS):
• What does the City need to do to maximize the flood risk reduction offered by these federal programs?
• How do we get more residents to take advantage of flood insurance, including customizable coverage amounts and deductible options?
• How can the City achieve the best possible rating in the CRS program?
7. Levee Security:
• What steps is the City taking to protect urban and urbanizing area levee systems from acts of terrorism and other malicious or negligent acts?
City of Sacramento 1.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Who is responsible for managing security planning efforts and establishing a chain of command for emergency operations?
• What vulnerabilities are being addressed with network detection, deterrence, physical security, and intrusion interdiction during high threat periods?
1.3 CFMP Purpose and Overview
The City adopted its first CFMP in 1996, and has modified, updated, and enhanced plan components at regular intervals. Initial iterations of the CFMP were educational in nature. As planning and hazard mitigation practices evolve through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS), this CFMP has continued to integrate ever improving best-practices. The CFMP purpose and overview focuses on strategic efforts to make the City more resilient to flood hazards, further described in the sections below.
1.3.1 2024-2029 CFMP: Plan Purpose
This City of Sacramento CFMP establishes a strategic, comprehensive management approach to reducing flood risk through the implementation of seven risk reduction tools utilized by the City.
It is the intent of this CFMP to communicate these tools to City staff, the community, and other key stakeholders to better facilitate an integrated, unified approach by the City to flood risk reduction. The CFMP is also consistent with related City hazard reduction documents (such as the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan), as an implementation tool for flood mitigation efforts.
This CFMP will guide the City’s flood risk reduction and mitigation efforts from the current year (2024) through 2029. As a comprehensive management document, the plan includes a detailed description of each risk reduction tool and includes implementation strategies with goals, schedules, specified responsibilities, and accountability for City departments, and potential funding sources (where appropriate). While both City government officials and Sacramento residents must understand that flood risk cannot be eliminated, the CFMP will guide the City’s ongoing efforts to reduce the overall flood risk to the community. The intent of this CFMP is not to quantify the flood risk reduction specific to each of the tools, but to demonstrate that by using all of the tools, flood risk can be reduced for the City.
1.3.2 2024-2029 CFMP: Plan Overview
This CFMP provides an overview of flood history in Sacramento and addresses how, using a number of flood risk reduction tools, the City proposes to: (1) reduce the frequency of damaging floods; (2) respond to future flood disasters through emergency management activities; and (3) minimize risk from flooding through adherence to land use planning and development guidelines, improvement of levees and other structures, and promotion of public education and awareness that among other things, encourages residents to purchase flood insurance.
City of Sacramento 1.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Specifically, this plan document outlines how the City will utilize all seven risk reduction tools and associated implementation strategies, each of which are discussed in detail in subsequent chapters of the plan. This 2024-2029 CFMP is organized into eight chapters as described below:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 1 introduces this CFMP update which includes:
• Background
• Relation to the City’s 2040 General Plan
• Understanding Flood Risk and Risk Reduction Tools
• CFMP Purpose and Overview
• Staff Roles and Responsibilities
• CFMP Update Process
Chapter 2: Historical Perspective
This Chapter provides a historical perspective of flooding in the City and surrounding area. A summary of past flood efforts is provided. Current conditions are also outlined.
Chapters 3-9: The Seven Risk Reduction Tools
Chapters 3 through 9 in the CFMP each discuss one of the seven risk-reduction tools and all include: 1) a brief Introduction and Background of the chapter’s contents and the risk reduction tool being discussed; 2) the Current Implementation Status of the tool and how it is being used to reduce flood risk today; and 3) Implementation Strategies and Actions Items for 2024-2029 and beyond, which outline the action items identified for implementation to reduce flood risk in the City of Sacramento as part of this CFMP.
The implementation strategies and action items for each risk reduction tool also includes an implementation schedule. The implementation schedule is broken down by three implementation timeframes: short term (1-3 years), mid-term (3-5 years), and long term (greater than 5 years). The chapters detailing the seven risk reduction tools are:
• Chapter 3: Land Use Planning and Development Guidelines • Chapter 4: Emergency Management
• Chapter 5: Levee and other Structural Improvements
• Chapter 6: Internal Drainage Improvements
• Chapter 7: Risk Communication/Program for Public Information (PPI) • Chapter 8: NFIP/CRS
• Chapter 9: Levee Security
City of Sacramento 1.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Appendix A: Summary Implementation Plan
A Summary Implementation Plan organized by risk reduction tool is included in Appendix A. This includes a summary table that details a list of implementation strategies, responsible parties, potential funding, and implementation schedule. Complete implementation action items for each risk reduction tool from each chapter are also included in this Appendix.
Appendix B: Risk Communication (PPI) Review Process Documentation Appendix B includes documentation supporting the review process as part of the PPI. PPI meeting invitations, and agendas are included here.
Appendix C: Rescue and Evacuation Area Maps
Appendix C includes the detailed Rescue and Evacuation Maps that are used for development purposes and support Chapter 3 Land Use Planning and Development Chapter.
Appendix D: Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
The Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA) incorporates requirements for repetitive loss properties from Section 510 of the 2017 CRS Coordinator’s Manual.
Appendix E: Procedures for Flood Response Projects
Appendix E includes flood response outreach projects that have been developed in advance to allow for quick implementation during and after a flood event.
City Staff Department Roles and Responsibilities
The 2024-2029 CFMP is a city-wide document that affects most City departments and many City staff. The departments responsible for its implementation include:
• DOU, Field Services Division
• DOU, Engineering Services, Floodplain Management
• DOU, Security and Emergency Preparedness
• City Office of Emergency Management (OEM)
• Community Development Department (CDD), Long Range and Current Planning • Police and Fire Departments
For this 2024-2029 CFMP to be implemented effectively, input and consensus will be needed from all responsible City departments. In addition, one City staff position will be identified as being ultimately responsible for overall plan implementation and reporting. The head of the Floodplain Management Section, housed in the DOU, will assume that position, and he or she will be City of Sacramento 1.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
responsible for holding all departments involved with the CFMP accountable for their multiple implementation tasks and time frames.
1.3.3 CFMP Update Process
Once adopted, the City of Sacramento will be responsible for CFMP implementation and maintenance. The status of implementation actions identified in this CFMP will be updated on an annual basis as part of the Annual Progress Report prepared in accordance with the implementation requirements of the Sacramento County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) Update, of which the City is a primary partner and participating jurisdiction, and as required by the NFIP’s CRS program. The update schedule for this CFMP is aligned with future five-year updates of the LHMP.
Thus, this CFMP will be formally reviewed and revised as a strategic plan every five years. 2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
City of Sacramento 2.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
2.1 Introduction and Background
Flooding and the threat of a flood emergency have historically been linked to the Sacramento area and the Central Valley. The City has always been susceptible to major flood events because of its location at the confluence of two great waterways: the Sacramento and American Rivers. The City has been flooded periodically during major storms that traditionally occur in December, January, and February.
In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, small creeks and high streams are fed by underground springs, storm run-off, and melting snow. Descending from the upper watershed, these creeks and streams form large rivers such as the Sacramento, American, Feather, Yuba, San Joaquin, Mokelumne, and Cosumnes. These waterways are characterized by: (1) small riverbeds conveying normal flow from the mountains; and (2) wide overbank floodplains carrying flood flows caused by heavy mountain rainfall. The Sacramento River Watershed, which includes the American River, encompasses some 27,000 square miles and drains most of Northern California (see Figure 2.1).
In the City of Sacramento, much of the flood damage occurs in the floodplains of the Sacramento River and the American River. Six small tributaries of the Sacramento River pass through and provide drainage for the City of Sacramento. These tributaries are Dry Creek, Magpie Creek, and Arcade Creek in the northern portion of the City (north of the American River), and Morrison Creek, Elder Creek, Florin Creek, Unionhouse Creek, and Laguna Creek in the southern portion of the City (south of the American River). Additional natural drainages within the City include Chicken Ranch and Strong Ranch sloughs, and Rio Linda Creek. Man-made drainage canals that provide drainage for a large portion of the urbanized area that is not served by the City’s combined sewer system or the storm drainage collection system include the Natomas East Main Drain Canal and the East, West, and Main Drainage canals. These waterways and drainages are discussed in greater detail in Chapter 5 and 6.
2.1.1 Growth, Development, and Flooding
By the 1840s, settlers slowly began to move westward across the Great Plains from crowded cities in the eastern United States. Many wagon trains of Americans looking for fresh land to farm and new homes in California came through John Sutter’s Fort near Sacramento. However, the boom to growth and development in the Central Valley really began with the discovery of gold in 1849 at Sutter’s Mill, just east of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills.
City of Sacramento 2.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.1. Sacramento River Watershed
Source: caringforourwatersheds.com, retrieved 11/14/2014 City of Sacramento 2.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
The gold mining era reached its peak several decades later, ending in the late 1800s. By then, however, the dredge tailings – sands and gravels produced by hydraulic mining activity – had clogged many of the Valley’s waterways; damaged farms, fields, and orchards; and exacerbated the area’s frequent flooding. In 1884, the farmers filed a lawsuit against the mine owners to make them stop dumping debris in rivers and streams. A new federal law known as the Sawyer Decision, considered by many the first environmental protection legislation, virtually outlawed destructive hydraulic mining.
At the same time, farmers who now relied on the fertile Valley soil to grow crops for themselves and for export worldwide recognized the need to devise ways of controlling the rivers from flooding their banks and destroying local houses and farms. In an independent fashion, area farmers built a piecemeal flood control system of levees, embankments, and channels to protect themselves from the frequent river inundations. However, this early patchwork of levee improvements provided little protection for the larger flood events of the late 1800s.
2.1.2 Official Flood Control Efforts
A coordinated effort to control flooding in the Valley did not come about until the State of California and the federal government became involved in the early 1900s. Joint efforts by the California Reclamation Board (now the California Central Valley Flood Protection Board) and the USACE culminated in 1917 with authorization from the U.S. Congress for the Sacramento River Flood Control Project (SRFCP). The original project envisioned systematic construction of levees along the river channels, paralleled by large, leveed overflow channels connected to the rivers through a series of weirs and by-pass channels. Together, the new system would safely convey flows in excess of river channel capacity to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The Central Valley Project, a later companion to the SRFCP, established a series of multipurpose dams and reservoirs in the Sierra foothills to augment the existing flood control system. Folsom Dam and Reservoir, a prominent feature of the project in the Sacramento area, regulates run-off for some 1,860 square miles of drainage area of the American River.
The original congressional approval for the project was followed by subsequent reauthorizations in 1928, 1937, 1941, 1944, and 1950, which increased the federal government’s involvement and expanded the Sacramento River Area Flood Control System, as it is now called. Today, the flood control system is essentially complete as originally planned. Figures 2.2 and 2.3 show the current flood control system from a regional and more local perspective. Figure 2.4 illustrates internal levees in Natomas, to provide additional context for flood protection. The responsibility for operating and maintaining the system locally is divided between the City of Sacramento, American River Flood Control District (ARFCD), Reclamation District 1000 (RD 1000), and Maintenance Area 9 (MA9). While this comprehensive flood control system of dams, levees, overflow weirs and flood bypasses plays a critical role in protecting the City from serious flood damage, it does not eliminate the flood risk entirely.
City of Sacramento 2.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.2. Sacramento River Flood Control System Regional Perspective Source: DWR, November 2003
City of Sacramento 2.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.3. Sacramento Flood Control System Local Perspective Source: SAFCA, MBK Engineers
City of Sacramento 2.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.4. NILEC Project Map
Source: City of Sacramento DOU, January 2024
City of Sacramento 2.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
2.1.3 City of Sacramento Floodplains and Floodplain Mapping In support of the NFIP, FEMA identifies flood hazard areas throughout the United States and its territories. Most areas of flood hazard are commonly identified on Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs).
• DFIRMs identify risk in a community. It is the official map of a community on which FEMA has delineated the SFHAs, BFEs, and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
DFIRMs are regularly reviewed and updated for the City of Sacramento, as flood hazards are dynamic and change frequently for a variety of reasons. The most current DFIRMs for the City became effective on February 22, 2024.
• Flood Insurance Studies (FISs) are a compilation and presentation of flood risk data for specific watercourses, lakes, and coastal flood hazard areas within a community. When a flood study is completed for the NFIP, the information and maps are assembled into an FIS. The FIS report contains detailed flood elevation data in flood profiles and data tables. The current FIS for the City of Sacramento also became effective on February 22, 2024.
Figure 2.5. FEMA Regulatory Products
Source: FEMA
FEMA Non-Regulatory Products
FEMA began a new initiative in 2010, the Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) program. The program takes a watershed-based approach to flood studies, which creates a more accurate, holistic picture of the flood risk. The Risk MAP program provides communities with additional flood risk products and datasets (cumulatively called the flood risk database) to enhance mitigation plans and better protect their citizens. The non-regulatory products include the following:
City of Sacramento 2.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Flood Risk Database
− Changes Since Last FIRM (CSLF)
− Flood Depth and Analysis Grids
− Flood Risk Assessment
− Areas of Mitigation Interest
• Flood Risk Report
• Flood Risk Map
Non-regulatory products have not been prepared for the City of Sacramento at this time. Flood hazard mapping information for the City of Sacramento, as defined below, is available on the City’s website: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/utilities/flood-preparedness The City has had many changes to its designated floodplain since joining the NFIP, administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), on September 15, 1978. Figure 2.6 provides an historical perspective of the City’s floodplains and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and Figure 2.7 provides the current Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) for the City.
Based on the current FIRM for the City and analysis conducted for the Sacramento County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (2021), over 34,000 parcels totaling in excess of $19 billion are located in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The SFHA, also known as the 100-year floodplain, is the area expected to be inundated from a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. There are over 84,438 parcels valued at over $54 billion located in the 0.2% annual chance (or 500-year) floodplain. In addition, there are over 24,000 parcels valued in excess of $14 billion that are located in an area protected by a levee from the 1% annual chance flood. The LHMP further breaks down parcel by land use/property use and improvements to illustrate risk within each flood hazard zone.
There are over 80,000 individuals residing within the 100-year flood zone, and over 27,000 individuals living within the 500-year flood zone. Over 288 critical facilities were mapped within the 100-year flood zone, including essential service facilities, at-risk population facilities, and hazardous materials and solid waste facilities. Over 1,500 critical facilities are mapped within the 500-year flood zone, and 545 mapped within an area protected by a levee from the 1% chance annual flood. Cumulatively, there are 2,377 critical facilities mapped within a flood hazard zone in the City of Sacramento. Further discussion regarding flood risk and vulnerability is included as part of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
In addition to 1% and 0.2% annual chance floodplains regulated under the NFIP, California legislation resulting from Senate Bill 5 (SB 5, 2007), later amended to SB 1278, requires cities and counties within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley to address new flood protection standards of the 200-year (0.5% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year) flood when considering development. This legislation (SB 5 and AB 162) intended to improve local land use decisions by strengthening the link between land use and flood management. These standards, discussed in more detail in Chapter 3, became effective in 2016.
City of Sacramento 2.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.6. City of Sacramento Floodplain History
Source: 2016 City of Sacramento
City of Sacramento 2.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.7. City of Sacramento Current Effective DFIRM
Source: City of Sacramento 2040 General
City of Sacramento 2.11
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
As part of the SB 1278 initiative, the DWR developed preliminary 200-year flood maps for floodplains located within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley watershed. These maps were developed to better reflect the most accurate information about the flooding potential in a community and were designed to provide a better understanding of the true risk of flooding to public safety and property. These DWR Best Available Maps (BAM), have no regulatory status for floodplain development and do not replace the existing FEMA regulatory floodplain maps (i.e., FIRMs and DFIRMs), and therefore do not make any changes in federal flood insurance requirements for homes and businesses. These maps were used by the City to identify areas that warranted further 200-year studies and to help make informed floodplain management and land use decisions. These studies are discussed in more detail in Chapter 5. A sample BAM from the DWR website for the City is presented in Figure 2.8.
Figure 2.8. Sample of BAM Data for the City of Sacramento Source: http://gis.bam.water.ca.gov/bam/
City of Sacramento 2.12
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
2.2 History of Major Flooding
Historically, the City of Sacramento has always
been vulnerable to flooding because of its
relatively flat terrain and number of
watercourses that traverse the City and
surrounding County area. Flooding frequently
occurred before a flood control system existed.
Early residents of downtown Sacramento were
forced to build on top of the original town level
to avoid floods.
Flooding can occur in the City of Sacramento
anytime from October through April. Flooding
generally results from prolonged heavy rainfall
and is characterized by high peak flows of
moderate duration and by a large volume of
runoff. Flooding can be more severe when
antecedent rainfall has resulted in saturated ground conditions. Several areas of the City are subject to flooding by the overtopping of rivers and creeks, levee and dam failures, and the failure of urban drainage systems that cannot accommodate large volumes of water during severe rainstorms.
SAFCA has concluded that Sacramento faces an unacceptably high risk of flooding for two primary reasons:
1. The cores of today’s levees are often the levees built by farmers and settlers as much as 150 years ago. Early levees were not constructed to current engineering standards, and little care was given to the suitability of foundation soils. These remnants of the past make today’s levees unreliable. It was believed prior to 1986 that the levees containing the Sacramento River and the American River were of sufficient height and stability to protect the county from 100-year or greater storms. The storms that occurred in February 1986 demonstrated that those levees are not always sufficient.
To address this issue, levee improvements to strengthen levees and to make them less susceptible to seepage-induced failures are a major portion of SAFCA’s efforts to reduce the risk of flooding in Sacramento. An overview of these ongoing levee improvements is included in Chapter 5 of this CFMP.
2. The quantity of water flowing out of the Sierra Nevada Mountains during large floods appears to be increasing. Folsom Dam was designed to reduce flood flows in the American River to a flow rate that could be safely carried by downstream levees. Construction on Folsom Dam began in 1950. The first storm that occurred after beginning the construction of Folsom Dam was larger than any occurring in the prior 45 years. Since that 1951 storm, City of Sacramento 2.13
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Sacramento has experienced four more “record floods” each somewhat larger than the previous. A comparative analysis run on the two periods (1905 to 1950 and 1950 to 2000) shows that a storm with a one in 500 chance of occurring in any given year based on the earlier period is approximately the same size as a storm with a one in 50 chance of occurring using the entire 95-year period.
The graphic below shows the relative size of large floods over the past 100 years.
Figure 2.9. Historic American River Flood Flows
Source: SAFCA
Sacramento experienced great floods in 1850, 1852, 1862, 1911, 1913, 1951, 1956, 1963, 1964, 1986, 1995, 1997, 2005, and 2017. Record breaking flood events are detailed further below:
1850 Flood - During the night of January 7, 1850, a great storm swept in from the west. Almost overnight the water posed a grave threat to life and property. Within two days of the storm’s beginnings, downpours that reached an inch an hour, had transformed the rivers into raging torrents. There was no levee protecting the new city, which started right at the riverbanks. Within hours, the entire community, for a mile back from the river, was deep under rushing waters. Houses were toppled; businessmen watched as thousands of dollars in inventory was washed out their doors; and a small steamboat navigated the town's streets to deliver goods. Very few homes escaped having water on the first floors. Many were swept from their underpinnings.
City of Sacramento 2.14
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.10. Sketch of the City of Sacramento during the Flood of 1850 Source: California State Library
1852-53 Flood – In December of 1852, the Sacramento Valley was again inundated, even more deeply than they had in the high water of 1850. On March 29, 1853, the Sacramento River rose twelve feet within twenty-four hours. When the water finally broke through the levees, it was at a point south of the city, toward Sutterville. The out rush of waters on the flatlands were sweeping and violent. By April 2, 1853, the water had backed up into the city. Again the City was under water. Sacramento was a city submerged. The City was a lake, boats were in the streets and the water didn't drain away for two months. The City had levees along both the Sacramento and American Rivers. Although levees served to prevent the rivers from invading the growing city, they also served to trap storm and refuse water that would otherwise drain directly into those rivers. 1861-1862 Flood – Sacramento had enjoyed eight winters of the rivers staying in-bank. The City had prospered and became the State capital. On December 9, 1861, at 8:00 A.M., the American River suddenly went over the levee at Smith's Gardens, about 31st & B Streets, in the northeastern part of the City. The water took its old channel, rushed through the slough west of the Fort and over its banks in less than 30 minutes, the low lots between 0 & R Streets were overflowed two to three feet deep. The R Street levee stopped its flow, causing it to back up into the City. By 9 A.M., the entire City, south of J Street, was inundated. By 11:30 A.M., only J, K and the levee streets (1, R, and Front) were above water. Within an hour and a half, J and K Streets were under water. 1951 Record Flood – Just after ground is broken on Folsom Dam, the American River watershed experiences the first of five record storms.
City of Sacramento 2.15
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.11. January 1862 K Street Flooding
Source: Drainage and Flood Control, 152 Years.
Figure 2.12. 1950 Flood – H Street Bridge
Source: SAFCA
City of Sacramento 2.16
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.13. 1950 Flood Coverage
Source; Friends of the River, October 10, 2005 (www.parc-auburn.org/floodmang.pdf); US Bureau of Reclamation (www.usbr.gov/dataweb/dams/ca10174.htm)
1956 Record Flood – Though engineers had been predicting it would take a year to fill the nearly completed upstream Folsom Dam, the second record storm filled the dam in a week and Sacramento is saved from flooding.
1964 Record Flood – The 3rd record flood in less than 15 years. Engineers concluded that Folsom Dam was only designed to handle a 120-year storm, not a 500-year storm.
City of Sacramento 2.17
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.14. Flooding on Franklin Boulevard in 1964
Source: Drainage and Flood Control, 152 Years.
1986 Record Flood: In February 1986, major storms in northern California caused record flood flows in the American River basin. Overflows from Folsom Reservoir, together with high flows in the Sacramento River, caused water levels to rise above the safety margin on levees protecting the Sacramento area. A series of tropical storms roared through the State that month. Ten inches of rain fell in 11 days. The levee overtopped in a low spot of Strawberry Manor, flooding approximately 500 homes. Outflows from Folsom Reservoir, together with high flows in the Sacramento River, caused water levels to rise above the safety margin on levees protecting the Sacramento area. The storm brought large flood flows into Folsom Reservoir with a maximum six-day record inflow of 1.14 million acre-feet, exceeding the six-day design inflow of 987,000 acre-feet. To relieve the pressure on the dam, 115,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), the design capacity of the levees downstream, was released from the reservoir for two days. As the rain continued, officials boosted those releases to 130,000 cfs for 24 hours. Officials considered increasing releases to 150,000 cfs, but the rain let up, and disaster was averted. At that point, it was estimated by flood officials that three more hours of rainfall would have overwhelmed the system, flooding thousands of homes. Runoff in the American River quickly filled the temporary diversion dam built at the Auburn Dam site, approximately ten years earlier, causing it to burst, and sending 100,000 acre-feet of water rushing into Folsom Reservoir. The level of flood protection provided by Folsom Dam was determined to be a little more than a 63-year level of protection to people and property. The USACE determined that a majority of the City did not have 100-year level of flood protection.
City of Sacramento 2.18
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.15. 1986 Flood – H Street Bridge
Source: SAFCA
Figure 2.16. Aerial View of 1986 Flood
Source: SAFCA
City of Sacramento 2.19
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.17. 1986 Flood
Source: SAFCA
1997 Record Flood: This flood occurred on the New Year’s Day holiday. Unprecedented flows from rain and melted snow surge into the Feather and the San Joaquin. Sacramento is spared when the fury of the storm hits 40 miles north in the Feather River. Levee failures flood Olivehurst, Adboga, Wilton, Manteca, and Modesto. By the end of January 1997, 48 counties were declared disaster areas and 290 square miles of property, valued at about $2 billion, including homes, farmlands, bridges, roads and flood management infrastructures were damaged. Nine people were killed and 120,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
City of Sacramento 2.20
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 2.18. Tower Bridge – Jan 2003
Source: SAFCA
Figure 2.19. December 30, 2005 Pomegranate Ave along Florin Creek in south Sacramento
Source: SAFCA
City of Sacramento 2.21
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
2017 Record Flood: The City of Sacramento was impacted by a series of atmospheric rivers and storm systems during January 2017, complicated by the several years of persistent drought. After several years of drought conditions, the state of California received historical amounts of precipitation, causing widespread flooding in the Sacramento metropolitan area. The City’s Emergency Operations Center was activated and ordered raising the floodgates at Del Paso and Union Pacific Railway. The Sacramento Weir was opened during January and February to divert flows into the Yolo Bypass, to alleviate flooding downstream in the City of Sacramento. Flooding occurred in Garcia Bend Park, the I Street Bridge, NEMDC and Magpie Creek. Heavy flows were discharged into the spillway at Nimbus Dam. The worst impacts primarily occurred outside of the City, and no deaths or major evacuations occurred.
Other large flood events will certainly occur in the future, leaving the City vulnerable to additional, potentially catastrophic flooding. Further localized flooding problems, both in and outside of the natural floodplains, are likely to continue as drainage channels are altered and confined with new development.
3 LAND USE PLANNING
AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
City of Sacramento 3.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
3.1 Introduction and Background
Land use planning is a tool used to guide the future use, or reuse, of land within a jurisdiction.
Such planning helps determine where people, jobs, and structures will be located and where different types of uses will occur. Public safety and flood risk are also taken into consideration in land use planning. The City of Sacramento General Plan provides a comprehensive framework to guide development in Sacramento over time, establishing land use designations, development intensity standards, and general characteristics of desired development.
Development guidelines are used to ensure that structures built within the floodplain are located and constructed so that potential flood impacts are minimized. Development guidelines apply to residential structures (i.e., single family and multifamily development) as well as non-residential structures (i.e., commercial, industrial, and office buildings; permanent material storage; and tanks). Some development guidelines can be applied to both new and existing development.
This chapter discusses the importance and relevance of land use planning and development guidelines to flood control in the Sacramento area.
3.1.1 Land Use Planning
Under the General Plan, infill development (i.e., that which occurs on previously developed land) is encouraged over greenfield development (i.e., that which occurs on previously undeveloped land), requiring the City to: (1) build more compactly; (2) redevelop underutilized property; (3) develop more intensely near transit; and (4) locate jobs closer to housing. One of infill development’s key benefits is the reduced need for future development in undeveloped floodplain areas.
In addition to policies governing which land is developed, the 2040 General Plan also includes policies that influence how land is developed. For example, levee integrity is enhanced by requiring development to meet state and federal setback requirements. Other land use planning policies support the requirement that development adjacent to levees must dedicate land for the levee footprint to the City, thus preserving rivers and creeks for floodplain storage. In addition, the 2040 General Plan calls for adequate stormwater internal drainage through master planning for facilities needed to prevent 10-year-event street flooding and 100-year-event structure flooding.
These policies are then implemented by the Sacramento City Code, Floodplain Management Regulations (Chapter 15.104) and the City Zoning Code.
City of Sacramento 3.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
3.1.2 Development Guidelines
The focus of development guidelines is twofold. Some measures are directed at protecting public safety, while others are designed to safeguard property. Development guidelines address building design, building location, and land use; they change as greater levels of flood protection are achieved. The four levels of flood protection applied to both federal and local guidelines are:
• Less than 100-year level of flood protection.
• 100-year level of flood protection.
• 200-year level of flood protection.
• Greater than 200-year level of flood protection.
Local guidelines require additional development guidelines for Evacuation and Rescue Areas.
3.2 Current Implementation Status
Both land use planning and development guidelines are implemented using the City’s zoning, building, and subdivision codes. The City is currently implementing various federal, state, and local mandates for land use planning and development.
(Note: For a summary comparison of these three different levels of government requirements, see Section 3.2.4.)
3.2.1 Federal Flood Protection Measures
FEMA coordinates federal response actions for a variety of natural disasters, including floods, fires, earthquakes, or other emergency situations in the United States for which a Presidential Disaster Declaration is made. More than 50 percent of these declarations are due to flooding.
Flood protection measures relating to development guidelines focus on either saving lives or protecting property. While the supporting protective measures described below may result in higher construction costs, they are necessary to reduce potential flood damages to levels acceptable by FEMA.
• Where property is concerned, “floodproofing” is the term applied to a broad category of measures, including “any combination of structural or non-structural changes or adjustments incorporated in design, construction or alteration of individual buildings or properties that will reduce flood damages.”1
• Floodproofing measures such as relocating or raising existing buildings are applicable to buildings already in the floodplain and often concentrate on individual structures. 1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Flood-proofing Techniques, Program and References, National Flood-proofing Committee, February 1993, p.3.
City of Sacramento 3.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• The cost of floodproofing existing structures can be expensive if a large number of structures are involved or the structures are located in a deep floodplain. In these situations, other methods such as raising the ground level by fill or building levees often prove more cost effective.
In a typical 100-year flood zone, FEMA requires protective development guidelines be in place prior to the issuance of building permits. Information regarding these measures is provided to developers before construction begins. The primary focus of these measures is to raise the lowest floor of a dwelling above the base flood elevation (BFE) or to floodproof the structure (nonresidential structures only).
In considering flood protection measures, elevating and dry floodproofing of structures and establishment of refuge areas are viable alternatives for new development. In existing development, elevating and dry floodproofing structures are neither practical nor financially feasible without grant funds. Therefore, refuge areas are the most feasible flood protection measure for existing development.
Structure Elevation
Elevating an existing structure so that damageable (non-flood resistant) portions are above expected flood waters provides one floodproofing technique. Methods of raising a structure include construction on piles or columns with no lower area enclosures except access, garage, and storage. (This is the only recommended method in areas where flooding is accompanied by currents or waves.)
• An advantage of this method over others (e.g., relocation, which is discussed below) is that no land costs are involved, and neighborhoods are left intact. • Typically, structures are raised by jacking them up onto a new foundation or by cribbing, a method that works better on lighter wood frame buildings than on stucco or masonry, which can crack.
• Utilities and electrical systems should be located above the BFE or be floodproofed. • If raised high enough, the structure’s new lower portions may be used for storage of easily moved items. However, the structure’s lower portion cannot be used for habitation or occupied during high water.
Elevated structures may be most effective in areas of the City with flood depths up to five feet.
The design, however, may not be consistent with existing development, especially for infill areas.
Structure elevation may also preclude disabled access per the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and California Title 24 requirements. Where elevated structures and raised foundations are neither practical nor feasible, building pads should be elevated so that the lowest floor elevation of a structure sits above the BFE.
As with most floodproofing measures, the substantial increase in construction costs presents a major drawback to elevating existing structures. FEMA provided examples of typical elevation City of Sacramento 3.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
project costs in its 1986 Design Manual for Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures. The manual serves as an excellent technical reference for most floodproofing techniques and includes design details and technical notes as well as cost information.2 FEMA has also developed a similar manual for non-residential structures.3 These costs would need to be significantly increased today in Sacramento, not only for present dollar values, but to reflect the higher cost of construction and permits in this region as compared with other areas of the country.
Structure Relocation
This measure involves physically relocating a structure out of the flood hazard area, either to higher ground on the same property or onto another lot. Relocation is particularly appropriate for high hazard areas and structures that would be unsafe if continually occupied. Relocation can have the added benefits of creating more open space in the floodplain for other appropriate activities and increasing the conveyance capacity of a floodway (i.e., the path of water flow).
As with structure elevation, the cost of structure relocation presents the major drawback to this measure, since the purchase of a new lot is often required. In an area such as Sacramento, this alternative is often not feasible. However, relocation may be viable in creek areas subject to localized flooding due to the limited number of structures in these locations.
Construction of Barriers/Wet and Dry Floodproofing
Barriers include traditional structures such as levees and floodwalls. These types of barriers can be built for individual structures in addition to being used on a region-wide basis, although in most instances this is impractical. Other barriers include the concept of wet and dry floodproofing of non-residential structures.
Wet and dry floodproofing methods use waterproof methods to seal portions of structures below the BFE, thereby preventing damage to the structure. Buildings are designed, along with attendant utility and sanitary facilities, so that the area of the structure below the BFE is waterproof. Building walls should be substantially impermeable to the passage of water; structural components should have the capability of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and the effects of buoyancy. • The dry floodproofing method seals a building with waterproof methods and materials up to the flood level, thereby preventing damage by not allowing water to enter the structure. Dry floodproofing generally involves placing sealant along the lower portion of the structure; raising window openings; providing closures for doors and other openings; and raising and/or 2 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Manual for Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures, September 1986, pp. 55-60.
3 FEMA, Flood Proofing Non-residential Structures, May 1986 City of Sacramento 3.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
floodproofing utilities and electrical service. Costs for this measure vary widely depending on the features needed.
• The wet floodproofing method minimizes damage to a structure and its contents from water that is allowed into a building. Flood water flows through the building, which is protected from flood damage by using flood-resistant materials below the flood level and elevating items above the BFE that are subject to flood damage. For flood depth of more than three feet, this method must be coupled with design improvements to enable the structure to withstand the hydrostatic pressure.
3.2.2 State Flood Protection Measures
Senate Bills (SB) 5 and 17 and Assembly Bills (AB) 5, 70, 156, and 162 (Legislation) were signed into law in 2007 to address flood problems, direct use of bond funds, and support local land-use planning. As part of this Legislation, DWR was required to develop a Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP). The CVFPP was adopted in 2012 and updated every 5 years (most recently updated in 2022). In 2012, SB1278 and AB1965 were enacted, revising provisions related to planning and zoning for flood protection.
At the time, the City amended the General Plan to include the data and analysis contained in the 2012 CVFPP. The City’s General Plan was amended in February 2015, and the Zoning Code was amended in 2016. The City now makes findings related to an urban level of flood protection as stipulated in California Government Code Sections 65865.5, 65962, and 66474.5, using criteria consistent with, or developed by DWR after July 2016. DWR has developed draft criteria, Urban Level of Flood Protection (ULOP) (November 2013).
The ULOP required a minimum urban level of 200-year flood protection before a community can issue a building permit or approve a parcel map. This requirement affects areas in the SacramentoSan Joaquin Valley where flood depths are anticipated to exceed three feet and are in a watershed greater than 10 square miles for the 200-year flood event. If a ULOP plan is in place to reach 200- year flood protection and adequate progress is shown annually, then these requirements can be delayed until 2025. The City presented the Sacramento Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) ULOP plan to City Council in 2016, and consideration for 200-year flood protection was integrated into the City’s regulatory practices.
Many areas of the City that are in watersheds greater than 10 square miles and exceed three feet in depth will not be covered by a ULOP plan. The 200-year floodplain in these areas were mapped and will be utilized for development purposes.
The Legislation also required DWR to propose updated requirements to the California Building Standards Code for adoption and approval by the California Building Standards Commission.
These requirements apply to construction in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, where flood levels are anticipated to exceed three feet for a 200-year flood event.
City of Sacramento 3.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Appendices G and K of the California Building Standards Codes were added in January 2010 by DWR with an optional adoption by local communities. Appendix G requires the minimum requirements of the NFIP, which includes anchoring structures (including fuel tanks) and gas shutoff valves. The City has added portions of Appendix K to its floodplain ordinance. Appendix K requires accessibility to:
• Refuge and staging locations with exits (e.g., second-floor areas with windows or balconies). • Exit locations when the way out is in an extraordinary location for persons with disabilities (e.g., a roof hatch).
• Evacuation points/routes for transport to safety.
The requirements listed above were incorporated into the City’s Floodplain Management Ordinance and took effect in 2016.
3.2.3 Local Flood Protection Measures
The City has adopted the following local measures to guide development in the floodplain. These measures are to be applied in compliance with, or in addition to, FEMA and state requirements.
Each of the measures described in the development guidelines should comply with FEMA regulations, the City Building Code, and the California Building Standards Code.
Elevating and Floodproofing Structures
Structural and non-structural building components at or below one foot above the BFE should be flood-resistant; residential structures should be elevated one foot above the BFE. All mechanical equipment (e.g., hot water heaters, furnaces, air-conditioners, and water softeners), utilities, and drains should also be above the BFE or floodproofed. New structures should be designed and adequately anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads. The City’s floodplain management regulations require:
• Non-conversion agreements for any proposed enclosed areas below the BFE. • Hold Harmless Agreements for new development or substantial improvements in floodplains. • No increase in flood levels from development.
Magpie Creek Floodplain
The City uses a local floodplain along historical Magpie Creek for new development purposes.
This is the best available information for this area. Eventually this area will be mapped on the City’s DFIRMs. Figure 3.1 shows the Magpie Creek floodplain.
City of Sacramento 3.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 3.1. 100-year Magpie Creek Floodplain
Source: City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, 2024 City of Sacramento 3.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Local Public Safety Measures
Complementing those measures that protect property, the second component of land use planning and development guidelines focuses on public safety for proposed structures in rescue and evacuation areas based on the City’s Rescue and Evacuation Areas Map (Figure 3.2) The rescue areas are areas that water has the potential of reaching a depth of at least 1 foot after 2 hours from the time of levee failure, depending on the location of the failure. Evacuation areas are areas that water travels to when the City has a levee break based on modeling. See Appendix C for detailed maps of these areas.
City of Sacramento 3.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 3.2 City of Sacramento Rescue and Evacuation Areas Source: City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, 2024 City of Sacramento 3.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Rescue Areas
Within the rescue areas, local public safety measures address refuge areas for the following:
• Public facilities and commercial buildings (excluding industrial occupancies) with an enclosed building area greater than 40,000 square feet;
• Residential subdivisions occupying an area greater than two acres; and • Special Needs Facilities.
Refuge Areas
The concept of refuge areas is based on providing a temporary safe haven for residents in the event of a catastrophic flood emergency until they can be rescued. Refuge areas are not intended to provide food, clothing, or shelter against the elements. Their sole purpose is to prevent drowning and loss of life.
• Refuge areas include locations within immediate walking distance of residents or workers that are above the highest expected flood depths.
• Building roofs, accessible attics, upper story floors, high ground, and levees are all potential refuge areas.
To be effective as a refuge area, a structure must include a way to access its roof top or attic. Both external and internal ladders and stairways that have exit doors or hatches can provide such access.
Building roofs or attics must also be designed or retrofitted to carry the load of many people closely packed together. If private buildings are to be used as refuge sites, legal agreements would most likely have to be executed.
In developed portions of the City, potential refuge areas need to be identified and access provided if none already exists. In areas of new development, refuge areas can be incorporated into community plans and phased in as needed. Maps that clearly show refuge areas and access points should be prepared and distributed to neighborhoods as part of the community education effort discussed in Chapter 7, Risk Communication (Public Education and Awareness).
Public Facilities and Commercial Buildings Refuge Areas In order to allow more time for evacuation and emergency services in the event of a flood event, major public facilities and commercial building projects greater than 40,000 square feet (excluding industrial) must have roof access and a top plate at least one foot above the BFE or contain secondstory construction. Refuge at private structures will be required to accommodate employees only.
Additional public access will require agreements with developers. Additional engineering will be necessary to accommodate increases in loads.
City of Sacramento 3.11
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
New Residential Development Refuge Areas
New residential subdivisions greater than two acres must provide or identify refuge locations.
Refuge locations may include commercial and office buildings (these require agreements with developers), levees, schools, or other public facilities with roof access. The refuge locations must be located within walking distance of a project site.
Special Needs Facilities
In areas of deep flooding, evacuation and rescue efforts during a flood event may prove more difficult and time-consuming than in areas of shallower flooding. Residents with mobility problems may be most impacted. Therefore, planning for special needs facilities such as hospitals, schools, and elder care facilities located in rescue zones must anticipate a potentially extended rescue or evacuation time. In fact, the location of some special needs facilities may be inappropriate in rescue zones where flood depths exceed three feet.
Rescue and Evacuation Areas
Within rescue and evacuation areas, local public safety measures address the following additional requirements:
• Title 15 requirements;
• Special Need Facilities; and
• Emergency Vehicle Access.
Title 15
• Approved lever handle gas valves shall be used for all residential and nonresidential gas appliances as required under Title 15.
• Above ground fuel tanks shall be securely anchored to a foundation to prevent movement or flotation during a flood as required under Title 15.
Special Needs Facilities
The City’s floodplain management regulations require:
• Special needs facilities have a flood warning and response plan approved by the local administrator prior to occupancy of the structure.
Emergency Vehicle Access
To facilitate rescue and evacuation services prior to and during a flood event, new subdivisions located in both rescue and evacuation zones must have two or more entrance and exit points. Knox boxes shall be provided in gated communities to facilitate emergency vehicle access.
City of Sacramento 3.12
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
3.2.4 Floodplain Land Use Planning & Development Standards Summary
Federal (FEMA) Mandates
• Require standard FEMA measures (e.g., elevation, flood proofing, etc.) for less than 100-year protection.
• Require flood insurance for less than 100-year protection.
State (DWR) Mandates
• Require minimum urban level of 200-year flood protection for issuing development permits. (The plan for 200-year flood protection must be in place by July 2016 with the 200-year flood protection provided by 2025.)
Local (City) Mandates
• Elevate or floodproof structures one foot above the BFE. • Anchor structures.
• Elevate or floodproof utilities.
• Require non-conversion agreements for enclosed areas below the BFE. • No increase in flood levels from development.
• Hold Harmless agreements for new development or substantial improvements in Special Flood Hazard Areas.
• Public refuge areas and evacuation locations for certain new development, as described below.
Public Refuge Areas and Evacuation Locations for Rescue Areas • The following categories of new development must provide refuge and a means for evacuation:
− Special needs facilities (e.g., hospitals, senior centers, etc.). − Non-residential development greater than 40,000 square feet. − Residential subdivisions greater than two acres.
• New construction must have a public refuge that is:
− Not less than one foot above the rescue flood elevation and within one mile of the location where occupants are expected to congregate pending evacuation; or − A building space not less than one foot above the rescue flood elevation from which occupants may be evacuated during conditions of flooding, such as a space within the building that has an exit door or operable window; a deck, balcony, porch, rooftop platform, or rooftop area; or combinations thereof.
• New construction must provide evacuation locations such that:
− An evacuation route is provided through any number of intervening rooms or spaces without the use of a key, combination, tool, or special knowledge or effort. − Evacuation locations provide at least seven square feet per occupant.
City of Sacramento 3.13
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
− Evacuation locations that are spaces within buildings provide the occupants a means to be evacuated out of the building, and at least one window or door meets the egress requirements of the California Residential Building Code. − Evacuation spaces that are balconies must have finished floors not less than one foot above the rescue elevation; and must be designed for the live load required for building occupancy.
− Evacuation spaces that are rooftop platforms and areas must not be less than one foot above the rescue flood elevation; must support the live load required for occupancy; and must provide access by way of stairway, ramp, ladder, or other means. − Evacuation spaces that are located in building attics must not be less than one foot above the rescue flood elevation; must provide adequate headroom (as defined by the city’s floodplain management ordinance); must be solidly sheathed; must support the live load required for occupancy; and must provide access by way of stairway, ramp, ladder, or other means.
Rescue and Evacuation Areas Additional Requirements
• New subdivisions shall have two or more vehicular ingress and egress points. • Approved lever handle gas valves shall be used for all residential and nonresidential gas appliances.
• Above ground fuel tanks shall be securely anchored to a foundation. • Special needs facilities must have a flood warning and response plan approved by the local administrator prior to occupancy of the structure.
3.2.5 Development Regulations in A99 Flood Zone
Projects that propose new construction or substantial improvement/damage (SI/SD) must meet the following flood related requirements, effective July 1, 2024:
• Residential structures must elevate so that the lowest floor (include basement) is a minimum of one-foot above the highest adjacent 100-year event HGL of the City’s drainage system and at least 18-inches above the Controlling Overland Release Point in the public right-of-way and provide Elevation Certificates (ECs) signed by a registered Professional Engineer, Survey, or Architect.
• Commercial structures must elevate OR floodproof to a minimum of one-foot above the highest adjacent 100-year event HGL of the City’s drainage system and at least 18-inches above the Controlling Overland Release Point in the public right-of-way and provide ECs signed by a registered Professional Engineer, Surveyor, or Architect. If floodproofing, a Floodproofing Certificate is required in addition to the ECs and must be signed by a registered Professional Engineer, Surveyor, or Architect.
• Execute a hold harmless agreement with the City.
City of Sacramento 3.14
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
3.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items
The following implementation strategies are for land use planning and locally mandated development guidelines that are intended to protect both public safety and property, in addition to those measures required by minimum FEMA development standards.
Table 3.1. Land Use Planning and Development Action Items Summary Action Responsible Office Schedule
1. Improve Methods for Providing
Development Guideline
Information to the Public and
Developers.
DOU, Community Development Short Term
2. Enforce Existing Development
Guidelines.
DOU, Community Development Short Term and Ongoing
3. Improve the Building Permit
Process with Respect to
Floodplain Management.
DOU, Community Development Short Term and Ongoing
4. Continue Implementation of
Phased Development for A99
Natomas Floodplain.
Community Development Short Term
5. Update the Design and
Procedures Manual, On-Site
Design Manual and City code to
include new development
requirements in the A99 Natomas
Floodplain.
Department of Utilities Short Term
1. Improve Methods for Providing Development Guideline Information to the Public and Developers.
Issue/Background Statement: Implementing development standards for new construction and substantial improvements is very important in order to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program. City departments will continue to improve the procedures/methods for implementing development standards required by federal, state, and local codes.
Implementation Strategy: As city codes and ordinances are updated, staff will develop materials summarizing the guidelines for the general public and developers.
Responsible Office: DOU, Community Development
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short Term
City of Sacramento 3.15
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
2. Enforce Existing Development Guidelines.
Issue/Background Statement: In areas defined as rescue/evacuation zones of flooding, the following development guidelines must be enforced as follows:
• Major projects (40,000 square feet and larger) shall provide refuge areas and means for evacuation.
• New residential subdivisions greater than two acres shall provide or identify refuge locations and means for evacuation.
• Special facilities such as hospitals and elder care facilities will be required to have refuge areas and have flood emergency response plans in place prior to occupancy. • New subdivisions shall have multiple entrance and exit points where feasible to facilitate evacuation and other emergency services.
Implementation Strategy: City staff will continue to enforce the development guidelines above, and merge the requirements for refuge areas, exits, and evacuation routes following adoption of the revised floodplain management ordinance.
Responsible Office: DOU, Community Development
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short Term and ongoing
3. Improve the Building Permit Process with Respect to Floodplain Management.
Issue/Background Statement: In 2010, the City submitted a corrective action plan to FEMA and implemented building permit process improvements. Since then, the City has successfully incorporated floodplain development requirements into the building permit process.
Implementation Strategy: The City will continue on an ongoing basis to train staff and improve building permitting, plan check, and inspection.
Responsible Office: DOU, Community Development
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short Term and ongoing
4. Continue Implementation of Phased Development Guidelines for the A99 Natomas Floodplain.
Issue/Background Statement: The Natomas Basin was remapped from an AE to A99 flood zone in June 2015. Because the levee improvements are only partially complete in the Natomas Basin City of Sacramento 3.16
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
and levee construction within City of Sacramento is ongoing, the City implements a conservative approach on development in Natomas.
Implementation Strategy: The City will continue on an ongoing basis to continue implementation of the phase development guidelines.
Responsible Office: Community Development
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short Term
5. Update the Design and Procedures Manual, On-Site Design Manual and City Code to include new development requirements in the A99 Natomas Floodplain.
Issue/Background Statement: To satisfy FEMA’s prerequisites for a Class 9 and Class 4 in the 2017 CRS Coordinators Manual, the City of Sacramento will be making changes to its Design and Procedures Manual (DPM), Onsite Desing Manual (ODM), and City code.
Implementation Strategy: Changes will consist of adding language for projects in a SFHA (including A99) that requires lowest floor (including basement) to be at least 12-inches above the highest adjacent 100-year event HGL of the City’s drainage system and at least 18-inches above the Controlling Overland Release Point in the public right-of-way.
Section 10 in the ODM Flood Related Requirements, will be revised to include the A99 flood zone for the requirement of providing Elevation and/or Floodproofing Certificates (commercial properties have the option of floodproofing if elevation is not feasible) for proposed new construction and Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage.
Additionally, all new construction and substantial improvements shall be constructed with electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, air conditioning equipment, and other service facilities elevated or dry floodproofed one foot above the 100-year event HGL.
The City will begin the collection of Elevation and Floodproofing Certificates for new construction or substantial improvement/substantial damage projects in the A99 flood zone that apply for a building permit on or after July 1st, 2024.
Responsible Office: Department of Utilities
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short Term
4 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
City of Sacramento 4.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
4.1 Introduction and Background
Emergency management is a critical risk reduction tool in the arsenal of any municipality. The effects of a natural disaster can either be mitigated or worsened depending on the government’s response. The role of city government in a disaster is to take all possible actions in order to provide protection of life and property. To accomplish this task, the City has an aggressive emergency management system in
place that includes comprehensive hazards planning. City staff and the Sacramento Fire and Police departments work closely together to actively engage in the four phases of emergency management: preparedness/planning, response,
recovery, and mitigation (or risk reduction). These efforts are comprehensive in nature and cover an all-hazard approach, including emergencies involving flooding.
Multiple departments and agencies have direct roles and responsibilities in each of the phases of emergency management. These departments are typically focused on operational/function specific roles and responsibilities. It is necessary that these discipline-specific efforts are well-coordinated and integrated into the larger system. This is the foundation of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), a system for management of multiagency and multijurisdictional emergencies in California. SEMS is integrated with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to meet all federal requirements and timeframes. SEMS/NIMS is a comprehensive system that improves local response operations through the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) and the application of standardized procedures and preparedness measures. City staff are regularly trained on SEMS/NIMS and the ICS.
The City also works closely with the Sacramento County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and SAFCA during major flood events which impact both jurisdictions, demanding an integrated response prior to, during and following an emergency. This coordination provides consistent emergency management service delivery to the Sacramento community.
4.2 Current Implementation Status
Emergency management activities within the City, as related to flood events, were reviewed and evaluated for each of the four phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. A summary of activities for each phase is provided in the following sections of this chapter. Recommended implementation strategies and actions were also identified to assist the City in enhancing the level of flood protection and are provided in Section 4.3.
City of Sacramento 4.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
4.2.1 Technical Responsibilities
A. PREPAREDNESS
Flood Hazard Information
Knowing and understanding the flood risks for the community is paramount to being prepared for proper response to an event. The risk of flooding is the potential for damage, loss, or other impacts that are caused by the interaction of the flood hazard with community assets. Understanding the flood hazard for the community is achieved through research and review of existing flood hazard studies, flood hazard mapping, historical documentation of previous flood events, and field visits.
Flood hazard mapping information for the City of Sacramento is presented in Chapter 2 Historical Perspective, Subsection 2.1.3 and in Chapter 8 National Flood Insurance Program/Community Rating System, Subsection 8.2.1.
City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities
• Ultimate Flood Depths map – This map displays what the levels of flooding in the City of Sacramento would be if there were no levee protection. This map shows the ultimate depth of water for areas within City limits if there were nothing to protect the area or if nothing was done to stop flooding. The map is available here:
− https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/utilities/flood-preparedness/flood-maps • Areas Dependent on Levees map – This map displays areas in Sacramento dependent on levees. This map does not show depth of the flooding but does show areas vulnerable to flooding because they rely on levees to protect them. The map is available here:
− https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/utilities/flood-preparedness/flood-maps • Rescue and Evacuation maps - These maps show the depth of flooding with a 300- to 800-foot levee break, 200-year storm, and running 7 days straight without mitigation. These maps are available on the City website. A separate set of maps show the rescue and evacuation areas for development purposes (Appendix C). The rescue areas show which areas would have 2' of water within an hour.
− https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/utilities/flood-preparedness/evacuation-maps California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
• Best Available Maps (BAM) –The BAM have been compiled by the DWR and are provided for informational purposes only, and are intended to reflect current 100-, 200-, and 500-year event risks using the best available data. The maps are available here:
− http://gis.bam.water.ca.gov/bam/
• Levee Flood Protection Zone (LFPZ) Maps – The LFPZ maps were prepared for the Lower Sacramento Valley Region as part of the FloodSAFE initiative. The LFPZ maps identify the areas that are protected by a project levee. The LFPZ maps are also used as part of the DWR’s levee risk notification program. The maps are available as part of the BAM website.
City of Sacramento 4.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Community Assets
With an understanding of the location, extent, and probability of flood events, familiarity with the community assets exposed to the flood hazard is also important. This includes people, property, infrastructure, and other critical facilities.
• People – The following vulnerable and special needs facilities are identified within the community. These facilities serve members of the community who may have additional needs before, during, and after a flood event. This facility information is updated on a regular basis by the DOU and is presented on the Rescue and Evacuation maps noted above. − Daycare and schools (K-12)
− Disabled and elderly care facilities
− Adult education centers
− Community and health centers
− Major hospitals
− Animal Shelters
• Existing Structures – All structures are exposed to risk, but certain buildings or concentrations of buildings may be more vulnerable because of their location, age, construction type, condition, or use. Information on land use, zoning, parcel boundaries and ownership, and types and numbers of structures is available from the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office (http://www.assessor.saccounty.net) and the City of Sacramento’s Community Development Department (https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/community-development). Ideally, a photo of each structure should also be taken to accompany structure data. This helps identify the structure and document the condition of the structure prior to a flood event. • Repetitive Loss Structures – Repetitive loss structures are costly and pose a high-risk threat to residents who may be threatened by continual flooding. The NFIP defines a repetitive loss property as “any insurable building for which two or more claims of more than $1,000 were paid by the NFIP within any rolling 10-year period, since 1978. At least two of the claims must be more than 10 days apart.” There are currently 21 repetitive loss properties within the City of Sacramento.
• Infrastructure – Infrastructure systems, critical for life safety and economic viability, include the following: transportation, power, communication, water, and wastewater systems. The DOU has an Asset Management Group who tracks all utility infrastructure which includes water, sewer, drainage, wastewater treatment, water treatment plants, pump stations, etc. • Critical Facilities – Critical facilities are structures and institutions necessary for a community’s response to and recovery from emergencies. Critical facilities must continue to operate during and following a disaster to reduce the severity of impacts and accelerate recovery. Critical facilities are identified in the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and displayed on the Rescue and Evacuation maps noted above.
City of Sacramento 4.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Flood Warning System
The City uses the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC, http://cdec.water.ca.gov/) for flood forecasting information. The CDEC installs, maintains, and operates an extensive hydrologic data collection network including automatic snow reporting gages for the Cooperative Snow Surveys Program and precipitation and river stage sensors for flood forecasting.
The City also uses the Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time (ALERT) system for local creeks.
ALERT was created by the National Weather Service to signal us about possible flooding. ALERT provides us with continuous and automatic reports from river levels and rainfall gauges to help us detect impending high water levels. The ALERT system website is maintained by the County and is located here: http://www.sacflood.org/. ALERT information includes the following:
• Rainfall Summary
• Stage Summary
• Storm Ready
• Sandbag Information
• Detailed Forecast
• Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts (QPF) are maps depicting the amount of liquid precipitation expected to fall in a defined period of time. • NWS River Forecasts
Figure 4.1 shows the location of available ALERT sensors.
City of Sacramento 4.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 4.1. Sacramento County ALERT System Sensor Locations Source: Sacramento County Alert System, 2023
Emergency Planning
While several planning efforts have been developed, recently updated, and integrated into other planning mechanisms; emergency planning is never complete. Planning activities must be continuous to reflect ongoing changes in the community – demographic, geographical, political, legal, economic, sociological, and cultural changes – that have profound impacts on plan effectiveness. An emergency plan must be able to adapt to these changes, or else the plan’s effectiveness may be compromised.
City departments with field response roles need to have developed Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) to be implemented during emergency situations. During an emergency, departments may need to activate their own department operations centers (DOC) and manage their field resources from those facilities. DOU is one such department which activates a DOC.
The DOC, in turn, coordinates with the City’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC). While staff in City of Sacramento 4.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
some departments truly understand and are ready to implement these concepts, others have further to go to be prepared.
The primary plan that guides the City during any major emergency, including a flood, is the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). State law requires that the City maintain an EOP to direct the organizational response during emergency situations. Response issues and responsibilities contained in the EOP include:
• Emergency public information and warning
• Situation survey and analysis
• Allocation and mobilization of response resources
• Implementation of health and safety measures
• Enforcement of police powers
• Access control and movement
• Evacuation and rescue
• Care and treatment of casualties
• Control and allocation of vital resources and supplies • Protection and restoration of facilities and systems
• Mass care for displaced individuals and families
• Collection, identification and disposal of the deceased The City has recently developed or updated many of the key emergency plans that would be employed during flooding or other major emergencies:
• Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), 2016
• Evacuation Plan for Floods and Other Emergencies, 2016 • Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government, 2009 • Field Services – Drainage Collection, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Emergency Response, 2007
• Utilities Operation Center Plan, 2021
• Resources & References – Drainage Collection, 2007
• Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (City of Sacramento, Annex F), Update 2021 – Current and upcoming emergency planning efforts, as presented in Section 4.3, will address sheltering and evacuation initiatives and include the functions of mass care, temporary housing, and human services. These emergency support functions are further defined as follows:
o Mass Care – this includes planning for mass sheltering, feeding, distribution of emergency supplies, and reunification of children with their parent(s)/legal guardians and adults with their families;
o Temporary Housing – options including rental, repair and loan assistance; replacement; factory-built housing; semi-permanent construction; referrals; City of Sacramento 4.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
identification and provision of safe, secure, functional and physically accessible housing; and access to other sources of temporary housing assistance; and o Human Services – disaster assistance programs that help survivors address unmet disaster-caused needs and/or non-housing losses through loans and grants; also includes supplemental nutrition assistance, crisis counseling, disaster case management, disaster unemployment, disaster legal services, and other state and federal human services programs and benefits to survivors.
Exercises and Training
The DOU’s emergency exercise and training programs have grown recently to focus on enhanced organizational understanding of existing planning expectations, roles and responsibilities during major emergencies and to improve organizational capability and capacity. Providing training to Utilities staff and opportunities for them to exercise their functional responsibilities is essential to ensuring that the City can address the enormous demands presented by an emergency.
Additionally, simulating an emergency provides the optimal forum for testing emergency planning efforts by gauging plan assumptions, capacities and effectiveness. A workforce responsible for community welfare that does not adequately train and practice will likely fail in its mission.
In line with industry best practices, DOU’s exercise program complies with FEMA’s Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP). The exercise program consists of a variety of exercise types including tabletop exercises, operational drills, functional exercises, and fullscale exercises. An After-Action-Report (AAR) and Improvement Plan (IP) are prepared following execution of each exercise and are used to improve DOU’s operating procedures and emergency response. Table 4.1, below, provides a summary of the exercise schedule for the DOU.
Table 4.1. Exercise Schedule for Department of Utilities Exercise Type Recommended
Frequency for DOU
Number for
Immediate
Implementation
(0-6 Months)
Number for
Near-Term
Implementation
(6-18 Months)
Number for
Long-Term
Implementation
(18-36 Months)
Tabletop Exercises Annually 1 2
Other Discussion-Based
Exercises per HSEEP
(Seminars, Workshops,
Games)
As Needed
Drills Twice Annually 2 3
Functional Exercises Every 2 Years 1
The City is mandated by the federal government to ensure that staff members who would participate in responding to a major emergency are adequately trained. This requirement essentially affects many City workers, and each employee’s level of responsibility determines the NIMS and ICS training that he or she must complete. DOU’s training program consists of two main elements:
City of Sacramento 4.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• NIMS and ICS training classes, delivered to staff members according to their respective roles in DOU’s ICS organization, namely, Command Staff, General Staff, and/or other supporting roles. These courses are delivered in a classroom setting or can be taken online through the FEMA Independent Study Program when appropriate.
• Staff classroom training specific to DOU’s implementation of its DOPs and the City of Sacramento EOP. The training will complement the common ICS and related material presented in the standard courses indicated, and be consistent with any other applicable local existing related plans.
DOU’s training plan and participation is incorporated into a centralized training tracking system to facilitate program management and compliance. Table 4.2, below summarizes DOU’s current training plan. All staff has been directed to obtain the identified training appropriate for their level in the ICS organization.
Table 4.2. Training Plan for Department of Utilities
Course
DOU Employee Categories
Awareness
Level
Responder
Level
Supervisor Level Command/EOC Level
All employees Entry-level
responders
Field command staff, section
chiefs, unit leaders,
division/group supervisors,
and branch directors
Command and general staff,
emergency managers, EOC
managers, and DOC or EOC
staff
IS-906 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
IS-907 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
IS-100 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
IS-200.b ✓ ✓ ✓
IS-700.a ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
IS-800.B ✓ ✓ ✓
ICS-300/MGT-346 ✓ ✓
ICS 400 ✓
IS-201/MGT-347 ✓ ✓
IS-860.A ✓ ✓
IS-2200/G775 ✓
The funding mechanism to provide this current effort has been primarily based on grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security and the DWR. As with all grant funding opportunities, funds are not guaranteed for multiple years, and there is currently no other identified funding mechanism to ensure a continued citywide exercise and training program.
In addition to response training, the training topics below are recommended for staff. Additional course detail is provided in Section 4.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items. • Certified Floodplain Manager Program
City of Sacramento 4.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Managing Floodplain Development through the National Flood Insurance Program • Introduction to Incident Command System
• National Incident Management System (NIMS): An Introduction • National Response Framework, an Introduction
• National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) Overview
• Local Damage Assessment
• Introduction to Individual Assistance (IA)
• Introduction to FEMA’s Public Assistance Program
• Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE) Tool, 2.0
• Introduction to Hazard Mitigation
• Mitigation eGrant System for the Subgrant Applicant
• Benefit-Cost Analysis Fundamentals
• Engineering Principles and Practices for Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Structures Training for City staff, not only Department of Utilities, is conducted by the City’s Office of Emergency Services.
B. RESPONSE
The EOC functions as the coordination center during emergencies, including flood events.
Representatives from multiple City operating departments, along with allied partners, are stationed at the EOC, working within an organizational framework outlined in SEMS/NIMS and ICS to ensure close interaction and rapid emergency response. Other critical functions provided at the EOC include coordination of resources and public information releases.
The Utilities Department will activate the Department Operations Center (DOC) at 5730 24th Street, building 22 and will notify the EOC upon activation. The DOC will provide administration and coordination for all Utilities Department emergency response and recovery personnel.
Coordination with the EOC will streamline response efforts and avoid any potential duplication or redundancy. For flood events, the Utilities Department monitors and assesses all weather-related data and provides technical assistance for interpreting weather-related data and its impacts in the City. Initial response follows the receipt of a flood advisory or special weather statement.
Department contacts present at the DOC include the following:
• Department Director
o Alternate - Field Service Manager
o Alternate - Engineering Division Manager
• Public Information Officer
• Operations Section
• Planning Section
• Logistics Section
City of Sacramento 4.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Finance Section
The DOC will open for the following flood and severe weather event criteria:
• Flood Events
− Significant street flooding
− Sacramento and American River at warning stage
− Creeks, channels, and canals at warning stage
− Levee failure
− Dam failure
• Severe Weather
− Intensity and duration of storm – Forecasted ½ inch of rain or more in 1-hour period, or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) quantitative precipitation forecast of
1.4" in 6 hours, or 1.9" in 12 hours equating to 1 in 5 year or greater storm event − Sustained winds over 35 mph with rainfall
− Forecasted sustained freezing temperatures
Activation of the DOC outside of the above criteria, may be necessary, should the flood or severe weather event present an unexpected situation requiring increased departmental coordination, data collection, and resource management.
Emergency Response SOP
For flood events, the SOP for Emergency Response for the Drainage Collection Section outlines response activities as follows:
• Rain patrol
• Storm event situation report
• Levee patrol
• Controls of boils
• Major floodgate closures on primary levees
• Winter preparations
During a storm event, the Utilities Field Services Division patrol the stormwater drainage collection system, pumping plants and the combined sewer system service area, and report on major street flooding that close streets. Figure 4.2 presents the Rain Patrol Plan. Information collected during the patrols is reported back to the DOC and onto the EOC and is utilized to control access to flood impacted areas through notification to the Fire and Police departments, as well as, incorporated into a broad-scope impact assessment of the flood event. A broad-scope impact assessment (windshield survey) is conducted to verify the extent and impact of damage immediately following or during a disaster to expedite the start of the recovery process.
City of Sacramento 4.11
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 4.2. Rain Patrol SOP
Source: City of Sacramento
City of Sacramento 4.12
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Evacuations
The City’s EOP Plan identifies that the Law Enforcement Branch has the responsibility to coordinate evacuation and manage the Evacuation Movement Unit. This responsibility also includes the drafting and issuing of all evacuation orders. Evacuation routes are established for 20 areas within the City.
Safety for Field Staff
People participating in flood response activities should take precautions when working in floodwater. Floodwaters may contain raw sewage or other hazardous substances that can cause infections such as E. coli, Hepatitis A, or Tetanus.
First responders should take the following precautions during flood response activities:
• Hand Washing – To avoid exposure to waterborne illness, wash your hands with soap and clean, running water or use alcohol-based hand gels before work and meal breaks, at the end of work shifts, and after handling contaminated clothing or equipment. • Protective Clothing – If you will be working in or near a flooded area, wear chemical-resistant outer clothing, boots, protective eye goggles, and plastic or rubber gloves. Protective clothing is especially necessary when working in flooded areas with known chemical storage or chemical release hazards.
• If possible, layer latex disposable gloves over cut-resistant gloves. Avoid touching your face with contaminated gloves and properly discard or disinfect gloves after use. • Do not place equipment or clothing that has come into contact with contaminated floodwater in personal vehicles.
• If possible, shower and launder contaminated clothing before returning home. • Other Hazards – If working in or around flooded homes or buildings, minimize exposure to mildew and mold by wearing N-95 masks. Wear gloves and eye protection as well. • Discard mold-damaged materials in plastic bags and clean wet items and surfaces with detergent and water.
• Be aware of exposure to potential chemical or electrical hazards when participating in flood response activities. If working with portable generators, keep them dry and follow instructions for proper handling and safety. Never use a generator indoors or in poorly ventilated areas, due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Place portable generators outdoors and away from doors, windows, and vents.
• If working near roads or highways, remain aware of work zones and traffic control plans and the locations of signs, cones, barrels, and barriers.
• Ground may become saturated with water during heavy flooding, causing sinkholes and unstable terrain. Be aware of these hazards when working in water trenching operations or flooded areas.
City of Sacramento 4.13
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
When to seek medical care:
• Seek first aid or medical treatment if you experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle aches, fever, abdominal cramps, skin rashes, dizziness, or fatigue after working in a contaminated area.
• If skin is broken and has come into contact with contaminated material and it has been five years since your last Tetanus shot, you should talk to your healthcare provider about receiving another Tetanus vaccination. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends a 5-year vaccination interval for first responders.
For more information, visit the Center for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/responders.html and OSHA at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness/index.html.
C. RECOVERY
The City’s EOP identifies overall tasks for short-term and long-term recovery. Short-term recovery operations begin during the response phase and include rapid debris removal and cleanup and restoration of essential services (electricity, water, and sanitary systems). Long-term recovery operations work to restore the community to pre-disaster conditions and include hazard mitigation activities, restoration or reconstruction of public facilities, and disaster response cost recovery. The focus of this section of the CFMP is to outline those recovery tasks specific to floodplain management.
Documentation of Flood Impact Areas
Documentation of flood impacts includes (a) assessing the damage of impacted structures; (b) posting building safety information; and (c) collecting high water marks. Photographs and/or video can also assist in documenting the extent of damage to the community.
Damage Assessments
In a post-disaster environment, one of the most important recovery needs is the assessment of damaged structures prior to issuing a permit for reconstruction in order to remain in compliance with the NFIP and the community’s flood damage prevention ordinance (SCC 115.104 Floodplain Management Regulations).
The process for performing damage assessments includes the following steps:
Step 1. Obtain and/or prepare mapping which combines the SFHA with community street/address or tax maps. Only structures found within the mapped SFHA will need ‘substantial damage’ estimations.
City of Sacramento 4.14
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Step 2. Next, incorporate your broad-scope impact assessment from the Response Phase (derived from patrols by the Drainage Collection Section) into this mapping to identify general locations within the SFHA that are most likely to have damaged structures.
Step 3. Based upon your identified locations and the potential number of damaged structures, begin to outline a plan and logistics for conducting the damage assessments. This includes:
• Identifying staff and/or contract inspectors to form inspection teams; and • Prioritizing areas to conduct assessments.
Step 4. Prior to beginning assessments, data preparations will need to include:
• Field maps for inspection teams with addresses and/or individual lot locations; • Worksheets for data collection and/or digital forms/tablets; • Data population into FEMA’s SDE Tool, including:
− Owner and location information
− Structure information
− Unit costs for determining reasonable structure value, and − Square footage (if possible).
• Identification of any inspection areas that may require permission or special access; and • Procedures for performing damage assessments on locked or occupied structures.
Additional field equipment needs include:
• Digital data collection tools (i.e., laptop, tablets); • Tape measure;
• Camera;
• White board and marker, or other method for identifying street address; and • Appropriate field attire.
Step 5. Assessments for those damaged structures located within the SFHA, should be conducted using:
• FEMA’s SDE Tool and Worksheets; and/or
• Rapid Depth Damage Field Estimate.
While documenting the damage, it is advised to leave a door tag notice to inform the owner that an initial damage assessment has been done and that they are to contact the local floodplain administrator and/or building official before proceeding with repair/ reconstruction, and provide contact information for the Utilities Department and Community Development/Codes.
It is important to be consistent in the method(s) of assessment used. Consistency will leave little room for argument about equality or appeals. All damage assessment documentation should be City of Sacramento 4.15
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
maintained in the individual permit file. This will become especially important when the community is reviewed by the State NFIP Coordinator or by FEMA for NFIP compliance. Damage assessment methods include the following:
FEMA Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE)
FEMA has developed the Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE) Tool version 3.0, to assist state and community officials in estimating substantial damage to residential and non-residential structures.
The SDE tool is based on the concept of using damage estimates for individual building elements to determine whether the structure as a whole has incurred Substantial Damage. Users are able to estimate damage percentages for each described building element. Using these percentages, SDE produces an aggregate “percent damage” for the structure as a whole. Using the calculated element percentages, the user can apply a “percent damaged” or “percent improved” value to each building element, to establish a Substantial Damage/Substantial Improvement determination for each building.
The SDE tool includes assessment options for both residential structures (single-family homes, town or row houses, and manufactured homes) and common non-residential structures (e.g., office buildings, strip malls, restaurants).
Figure 4.3. FEMA Substantial Damage Estimator (SDE) User Manual and Workbook Source: FEMA
City of Sacramento 4.16
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
SDE is customizable, allowing users to develop estimated repair costs and market values, or to input professional estimates or valuations. The SDE tool is intended to be used in conjunction with an industry-accepted construction cost-estimating guide.
Building-specific attributes that affect the estimates that the software produces are input by the user. The required attributes include the quality of construction, foundation type, number of stories, square footage, superstructure type, exterior finish, roof covering, and presence of HVAC systems.
Additional inputs are requested for non-residential buildings, including building use, presence of elevators, escalators, and fire suppression systems.
Field Inspectors should be familiar with the SDE data requirements, how to use the SDE tool or the SDE Damage Inspection Worksheets to record the data, and safety precautions for working in and around damaged structures.
Rapid Depth Damage Field Estimate
Another method for determination of substantial damage is to utilize the Rapid Depth Damage Field Estimate. Using the Depth Damage Field Estimate allows a community to quickly separate flood-damaged structures into three groups:
1) Clearly non-substantial damage (less than 40%);
2) Clearly substantial damage (greater than 50%); and
3) Uncertain whether substantial damage (40-50%).
For structures which are clearly NOT substantially damaged, permits can be issued to repair at the existing elevation; provided no additional improvements or additions will be made and it does not conflict with any other regulations.
The Depth Damage Field Estimate captures essential information to make substantial damage determinations for flood-related damages. The damage estimations are based upon the USACE published Generic Depth-Damage Relationships. A Depth Damage Field Estimate worksheet is completed for each structure, indicating the depth (in feet) of floodwaters. This is done by actual measurement based on visual watermarks and/or observed flood damage to the structure. Ideally a photo of each structure should also be taken to accompany the worksheet. This helps identify the structure and document the condition of the structure.
There may be occasion when obvious structural damage has occurred, possibly from fire, floating debris, or contaminated water, or the condition of the existing home may be so poor such that even lesser depths of flood waters have caused significant damage. This should be noted on the Depth Damage Field Estimate worksheet. If it is uncertain whether substantial damage has occurred, additional improvements and/or additions are proposed, or there is a dispute regarding a damage assessment, more information will be required in order to accurately determine whether they or not they are substantially damaged.
City of Sacramento 4.17
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Post-Flood Building Entry
Structures which have been inundated by the flood event (both inside and outside of the SFHA) may not be safe to enter. Information should be posted advising property owners a safety inspection is required before re-occupancy is authorized and entry to any flood-damaged building requires approval by local officials. This effort may occur simultaneously with the broad-scope impact assessment during the response phase and/or damage assessments.
The ATC-45 Field Manual: Safety Evaluation of Buildings after Windstorms and Floods provides guidelines and procedures to determine whether damaged or potentially damaged buildings are safe for use after windstorms or floods, or if entry should be restricted or prohibited. This publication of the Applied Technology Council (ATC) is not a manual for making substantial damage determinations. It provides guidelines and procedures for conducting both rapid evaluations and more detailed evaluations to determine the safety of damaged structures.
Green, yellow, and red placards are used to designate what types of restrictions are imposed on the building. The following are brief descriptions of the intent of the placards:
• Green – the building has been inspected and no restrictions on use or occupancy have been found.
• Yellow – the building has been inspected and found to be damaged as described on the placard.
This placard can be used as a catchall to cover a wide range of hazards that may limit use of the building or portions of the building but not make it completely unsafe. Examples of such hazards include water saturated ceiling drywall, collapsed chimney on a portion of the roof or creating a falling hazard on an adjacent structure, electrical power lines that had been inundated during flooding, or a portion of the building has collapsed but other portions do not appear to have been damaged. A yellow card may allow for limited use of the building for removal of property, but restrict continuous habitation or sleeping in the building. • Red – the building has been inspected and is damaged and unsafe. No entry is allowed, except as specifically authorized in writing by the jurisdiction. A red placard does NOT imply that the structure is condemned and must be demolished. It may be possible that repairs can be made to mitigate the hazard.
Figure 4.4. ATC-45 Placards
Source: ATC
City of Sacramento 4.18
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Events after the inspection, exacerbating conditions such as severe weather, could require additional inspections and a change of the placard. It should be emphasized that the placement and removal of placards needs to be performed under the authority of the City of Sacramento.
The ATC-45 Field Manual describes the differences between rapid and detailed building evaluations. The rapid evaluation procedure is primarily an assessment of the exterior of the structure and identifies if the building is apparently safe, unsafe or should have restricted use.
Often after a disaster it is important to allow people to return to as many of the affected buildings as possible because of a shortage of shelter and housing or to collect personal belongings. The ATC inspection protocols can be used to quickly determine if a building is habitable. If it is not apparent what the condition of the building is, then a detailed evaluation may be required. This should especially be done for any of the red placard buildings that have not been condemned.
A detailed evaluation includes visual observations of the external walls, cladding, parapets, and foundations; observation of geotechnical conditions; inspection of the internal structural framing, including vertical and lateral load carrying components; inspection for non-structural hazards such as falling ceiling tiles, or hazardous material spills; and any other potential hazards like debris blocking the exits. ATC-45 recommends that all essential facilities such as hospitals or fire stations receive a detailed inspection if any damage is suspected.
In addition, FEMA also publishes supporting guidance regarding post-flood building entry. The Post-Disaster Building Safety Evaluation Guidance (November 2019) summarizes and references best practice guideline documents, identifies recommended improvements, and needs, and provides interim recommendations for issues without best practice guidance. This report concludes that post-disaster building safety evaluations for flood incidents have a proven track record of success (largely due to ATC-45 recommendations as listed above), and provides a detailed discussion of habitability requirements as applied following an incident.
High Water Marks
Capturing and documenting the maximum flood elevations observed at different locations within the impacted area is beneficial to your community for several reasons. High water marks may be used to:
• Estimate the flood frequency;
• Assess the accuracy of the FIRM or DFIRM;
• Calibrate the hydraulic models;
• Conduct Losses Avoidance Studies;
• Prioritize mitigation projects;
• Assist in the preparation of benefit-cost analyses;
• Provide input for building performance assessments; and • Determine the depth of flooding for structures.
City of Sacramento 4.19
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
In addition, posting permanent markers in these locations can:
• Raise awareness of flood risk in the community (see Figure 4.5); • Drive action to reduce risk in the community; and
• Earn CRS points to reduce the cost of flood insurance across the community.
Figure 4.5. High Water Mark Sign at Garcia Bend Park
Source: City of Sacramento DOU
High water marks should be collected for riverine flooding events, in accordance with DWR’s High Water Event Data Collection Manual, and include the following:
• Annual coordination with DWR to determine data collection efforts for the upcoming flood season, which may include DOU participation;
• Reconnaissance of areas adjacent to significant flood sources to identify mudlines or waterlines of trees or structures;
• Maps showing the extent of high water staking, frequency of staking, and information on the format of expected high water staking data;
• Appropriate markers placed on selected items; and
• Survey conducted to record elevations of high water marks.
Code/Ordinance Enforcement
Once location of the structure relative to the SFHA has been determined and damage assessments completed, the Code Compliance Division may proceed to the next step in the permit process. The Code Compliance Division is responsible for seeing that all the applicable requirements of the floodplain regulations are met.
City of Sacramento 4.20
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Triage Process
Implementing a “triage” process will help the Code Compliance Division staff keep the permit process on a timely and efficient schedule, helping to aid in the recovery process for your community. Permit requests can be triaged as follows:
• For damaged structures located outside of the SFHA, permits can be issued and the homeowner can begin to repair.
• For structures which are clearly NOT substantially damaged (<40%), permits can be issued to repair at the existing elevation; provided no additional improvements or additions will be made and it does not conflict with any other regulations. This includes structures constructed both post-FIRM and pre-FIRM.
• Pre-FIRM structures that possibly have received substantial damage (40% to 60%) should undergo a detailed assessment (SDE). To more accurately determine the extent of damage, the permit official needs to have two pieces of information: the structure’s pre-damaged fair market value and the cost to restore the structure back to its pre-damaged condition. If additional improvements or additions are planned, the cost of the additional improvements or additions must also be considered. Post-FIRM regulatory standards apply to all substantially damaged structures. Provide information to property owners of the applicable flood safety standards, reconstruction, and permit requirements. Pre-FIRM standards apply to the structures that are determined not substantially damaged. Floodplain development permits are required. • All pre-FIRM structures that have obviously received substantial damage (60% or more) can forego a more detailed assessment. Post-FIRM regulatory standards apply. Notify property owners of the applicable flood safety standards and maintain enough documentation of the damage to avoid misunderstandings. Floodplain development permits are required.
Permitting Process
Following the “triage” process, the Code Compliance Division may begin to issue permits for reconstruction. The following strategies can assist by simplifying the permit process.
General Communication
• Develop a practical reference guide for the applicant that easily describes and guides them through the permitting process, including flow charts and checklists. Consider Special Populations and Disadvantaged Communities as identified in the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan when developing reference guides, including cultural competency and providing guides in languages spoken by the community.
• Consider locations for the provision of a “one-stop shop” for permit applicants. The “one-stop shop” may also include:
− Process for concurrent application submittal, if development projects require multiple permits; and
City of Sacramento 4.21
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
− Technical review teams with representatives from boards and commissions involved in land use permitting for permit application review.
• Standardized forms and procedures
• Maximize available local websites by providing access to documents and required forms from several departments or agencies, agendas, announcements, and guidance on the permitting process.
• Consider the use of electronic permit tracking systems that may help decrease administrative costs and provide more transparency, speed, and accuracy to the permitting process.
Fair Market Value
The structure’s pre-damaged value is the fair market value of the structure only, excluding the land. The City determines the value by a professional appraisal or tax assessment records. It is important to be consistent in the method(s) of determining value. Consistency will leave little room for argument about equity or appeals.
The County tax assessment record is used as a pre-screening tool. If the structure value is greater than the County tax assessment, then an appraisal must be done. The property owner may provide an appraisal of the property (at their own expense) that represents the fair market value of the structure. Only accept appraisals performed by trained, qualified, state-licensed real estate appraisers.
Cost to Restore Structure to Pre-Damaged Condition
The two main items on a cost of repairs list should include the materials used and the cost of labor.
When calculating the cost of materials and labor, the fair market value must be used – even if the materials and/or labor are donated. Some exclusions from the cost of repair include debris removal, clean-up, building plans, and permit fees.
Building Protection Requirements
Buildings located in a SFHA that are determined to be substantially damaged/improved, must be brought into compliance with the minimum requirements of the community’s ordinance. This includes: elevating the structure to one-foot above the BFE; using flood resistant materials to/below the BFE; adequate/compliant flood vents for enclosures below the BFE; protecting utilities; using flood damage resistant materials below the BFE; elevating utilities and mechanical/electrical equipment; and ensuring that all other local floodplain regulations are met.
An “as-built” elevation certificate is needed to verify compliance.
The regulations may require a residential building to be elevated, resulting in additional costs for the homeowner. Such costs may be covered under the NFIP’s Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage Information on the ICC is available on the FEMA website, linked here:
https://www.fema.gov/floodplain-management/financial-help/increased-cost-compliance City of Sacramento 4.22
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Documentation of Permitting
Copies of all flood-related documents should be kept in the community’s permit files. Examples of the items that should be kept are:
• Elevation certificates or “as-built” certifications
• Floodproofing certificates
• Correspondence with structure owners
• Photographs of structures
• Damage assessments;
• Appraisals
• Inventory of flood-damaged structures
• Copies of FIRMs or FIRMettes
• Any other supporting documentation.
Temporary Housing
Damage assessments also reveal the magnitude of the flood impact across the community and can assist in determining the feasibility of citizens returning to affected residential areas. This may help determine the placement of families into disaster housing based on the projected time to return to their homes after infrastructure and residential repairs have been completed.
Planning for the transition for displaced families from evacuation and sheltering to secure housing alternatives is vital. However, the City currently does not have a disaster housing plan. A disaster housing plan will outline the transition from temporary shelters to short-term/interim housing to permanent housing for displaced citizens. Disaster housing planning efforts, further outlined in Section 4.3, will address the following:
• Disaster housing options;
• Communication;
• Land use planning;
• Inspections, building permitting, and temporary permit suspension; • Construction; and
• Other housing recovery-related issues.
D. MITIGATION
Local Hazard Mitigation Planning
The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) of 2000 requires communities to develop an approved local hazard mitigation plan to remain eligible to apply for certain federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants. Active development of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan should occur during the Preparedness Phase, as it pertains to assessment of flood risk and identification of flood-related City of Sacramento 4.23
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
mitigation actions that would make the community more resistant to damage from future flood events. The Sacramento County Multi-jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed in 2021 as an update to the 2016 Sacramento County LHMP. The multi-jurisdictional LHMP included planning and coordination between Sacramento County, seven incorporated communities and 24 special districts. The City of Sacramento Annex to the LHMP includes hazard mitigation planning elements that are specific to the City of Sacramento. The current Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for Sacramento was updated and approved by FEMA in 2021 with internal progress reports completed annually. The plan is available here:
• https://waterresources.saccounty.gov/Pages/Drainage---Local-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan.aspx In addition to the annual progress report, the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan should be reviewed after a major flood event. The flood event may have revealed additional vulnerabilities that were previously unknown. If so, this should be added to the Risk Assessment portion of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. In addition, the Mitigation Strategy of the Hazard Mitigation Plan should be reviewed to determine if any of the identified actions should be pursued in the post-flood environment to prevent similar damages from occurring during the next flood event.
Documentation of the plan review should include:
• Description of the flood event and damages caused. If known, the flood frequency should be provided.
• New information relating to flood risk. Did the flood occur in areas known to be at risk? Or, were areas flooded, and structures damaged, that are outside the mapped flood hazard areas? • Are there mitigation initiatives included in the current Local Hazard Mitigation Plan that should be pursued in light of the recent event?
• Are there additional mitigation initiatives that should be added to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan?
Applications submitted for funding from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Programs must “be consistent with” the mitigation strategy outlined in the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. If new mitigation projects are identified for funding as a result of the recent event, a formal amendment to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan may be necessary if the project is not consistent with the currently approved mitigation strategy.
Grant Funding
It is important to maintain an understanding of the various grant programs and how they relate specifically to flood mitigation. An understanding of the various funding streams and opportunities will enable the City to match up identified mitigation projects with the programs that are most likely to fund them. Additionally, some of the funding opportunities can be utilized together.
Mitigation grant funding opportunities available following a disaster include the following:
City of Sacramento 4.24
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Grants
The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) administers the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Grants. There are three main types of HMA grants: (1) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, (2) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, and (3) Flood Mitigation Assistance Program. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funding to develop hazard mitigation plans and rebuild in a way that reduces future disaster losses in their communities. Eligible mitigation projects include long-term efforts to reduce the risk and potential impact of future disasters. This grant program can fund a wide variety of mitigation projects including planning and enforcement, flood protection, retrofitting and construction projects.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) also funds hazard mitigation projects.
The BRIC program prioritizes projects that focus on capability- and capacity-building, encouraging and enabling innovation, promoting partnerships, enabling large projects, maintaining flexibility, and providing consistency. Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) is a competitive grant program that provides funding for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program. Eligible applicants for the HMA include state and local governments, certain private non-profits, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. While private citizens cannot apply directly for the grant programs, they can benefit from the programs if they are included in an application sponsored by an eligible applicant.
• More information about FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants can be found on the FEMA HMA Web site at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation • Applications for the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants can be found on the Cal OES website at: https://www.caloes.ca.gov/office-of-the-director/operations/recoverydirectorate/hazard-mitigation/hazard-mitigation-grant-program/ FEMA Public Assistance Section 406 Mitigation
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act provides FEMA the authority to fund the restoration of eligible facilities that have sustained damage due to a presidentially declared disaster. The regulations contain a provision for the consideration of funding additional measures that will enhance a facility’s ability to resist similar damage in future events.
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
The California Department of Housing and Community Development administers the State’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program with funding provided by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program is available to all non-entitlement communities that meet applicable threshold requirements. All projects must meet one of the national objectives of the program – projects must benefit 51 percent low- and moderate-income people, aid in the prevention or clearance of slum and blight, or meet an urgent need.
City of Sacramento 4.25
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
There are three ways CDBG funds can impact hazard mitigation. First, CDBG funds can be used as local planning grants for up to $50,000. This is another opportunity for assuring local comprehensive plans and regulations address state and regional hazard mitigation objectives.
Second, annual CDBG appropriations are used for community development projects, which often include local mitigation projects. Third, CDBG Disaster Recovery funds are allocated after some federally declared disasters. Grant funds can generally be used in federally declared disaster areas for CDBG eligible activities including the replacement or repair of infrastructure and housing damaged during, or as a result of, the declared disaster.
Department of Water Resources Grants
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) offers several grant and loan programs that support flood management and address flood risk. Public agencies are eligible for grant funding and other applicants may be eligible depending on the program. Flood related grants and programs that may be applicable include the Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions Program; Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects Program; Flood Emergency Response Projects grants; and Floodplain Management, Protection and Risk Awareness (FMPRA) Grant Program. The Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions Program provides funding on a cost-share basis to local levee maintaining agencies for rehabilitation and maintenance of levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects Program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Program provides funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards. Flood Emergency Response Projects grants include three emergency response grant programs, Statewide Grants, Delta Grants, and Delta Emergency Communication Equipment Grants, which are available for California public agencies whose primary responsibility is flood emergency response and coordination. The FMPRA grant program supports local agency efforts to prepare for flooding by providing financial assistance for flood risk reduction activities. Eligible project activities include planning and monitoring projects and implementation projects for flood risk related to stormwater flooding, mudslides, and flash floods.
Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans
SBA offers low interest, fixed rate loans to disaster victims, enabling them to repair or replace property damaged or destroyed in declared disasters. It also offers such loans to affected small businesses to help them recover from economic injury caused by such disasters. Loans may also be increased up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by possible future disasters of the same kind.
Increased Cost of Compliance Coverage
Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage is one of several resources for flood insurance policyholders who need additional help rebuilding after a flood. It provides up to $30,000 to help cover the cost of mitigation measures that will reduce flood risk. ICC coverage is a part of most City of Sacramento 4.26
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
standard flood insurance policies available under NFIP. ICC coverage can help pay for four different types of mitigation activities to bring a building into compliance with the community’s floodplain management regulations:
• Elevation is the process that consists of raising the building to or above the BFE. • Floodproofing applies only to non-residential buildings. For a building to be certified as floodproofed, it must be watertight below the BFE. The walls must be substantially impermeable to water and designed to resist the stresses imposed by flood waters. • Relocation involves moving the entire building to another location on the same lot, or to another lot, usually outside the floodplain.
• Demolition may be necessary in cases where damage is too severe to warrant elevation, floodproofing, or relocation; or where the building is in such poor condition that it is not worth the investment to undertake any combination of the above activities.
4.2.2 Departmental Coordination
The City’s operating departments serve the public on a day-to-day basis, focusing on their respective disciplines. During an emergency, individual departments naturally tend to determine what best course of action to take before, during, and after the event. Minimal information flow and response coordination often result, especially before an EOC activation. While operating department employees are the subject matter experts in their field, what is frequently lacking is a global sense of the emergency event, and this insight from all departments is needed to determine overall incident significance, projections, response efficiency, resource needs, political concerns, regional impacts, etc. Departmental coordination efforts include the following, at a minimum:
• Local Agencies/Staff
− Elected officials – There will be pressures to rebuild quickly and perhaps less on current building requirements. It is essential to brief local officials on the NFIP ordinance requirements and the permitting process, including the damage assessments. Rebuilding after provides the opportunity to build back stronger, by choosing to rebuild beyond minimum requirements and instead opt for more resilient solutions with considerations for climate change.
− Public Information Officer (PIO) – Can disseminate information to the general public on the recovery process. Coordinate with the PIO regarding applicable topics and information, as provided in Section 4.2.3.
− Community Development/Building – Community Development will be the primary agency for issuing building permits during recovery. Coordination with this agency is essential in sharing information on substantially damaged structures and enforcement of the NFIP flood ordinance. The permit official is responsible for seeing that all the applicable requirements of the community’s floodplain regulations are met or exceeded. − Community Development/Planning – Coordinate regularly with planning officials and participate in planning initiatives in the City. The best form of mitigation is prevention of City of Sacramento 4.27
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
the risk. As the City is developing other plans such as Comprehensive Plans, Master Plans, Capital Improvement Plans, and Future Growth Plans, provide flood risk information to ensure planned development areas will not increase the City’s vulnerability to flooding.
Integrate considerations for Special Populations and Disadvantaged Communities as identified in the LHMP, to ensure planned development will not increase flood risk to vulnerable populations.
− Utilities Department – Will coordinate cleanup activities within streams and flood control facilities/assets, as well as support the following functions: public information, evacuations, construction and engineering, situation status, and documentation/GIS. − Public Works – Should provide information on public infrastructure that has been damaged as well as provide insight on how damages could be avoided in the future. − Information Technology – Coordinate digital mapping data including flood risk layers, broad-scope impact assessments, parcel data, damage assessments, etc. With these GIS services, the City can compare flood risk layers such as the DFRIM with other planning products such as future land use maps. This up-front coordination in the early planning stages can help communities avoid future development in areas at risk to flooding. − Geographic Information System Department and the Assessor’s Office, City & County – Will provide parcel information and assessed values.
− Transportation – Provide personnel and resources for road closures and traffic diversion, if required. Provide damage assess for roads and bridges. Open and close specific floodgates. − Local utilities and electric cooperatives – Should be instructed not to turn service on to damaged homes without an “approved to connect” sign. Public utility providers can also provide information on damages incurred as well as ideas on prevention of similar future damages. This includes the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).
− Reclamation District No. 1000 (RD1000) – This special district, formed by the California State Legislature, is one of the joint power’s authorities forming SAFCA. RD1000 maintains 42 miles of levees surrounding Natomas, over 30 miles of large drainage canals and seven pump stations that collect and pump the stormwater and agricultural runoff back into the adjacent river system. During a flood event, RD1000 provides field response staff.
The District has a stockpile of sandbags and rock to initiate a flood fight. Should the need be greater than the available resources, the District will call upon local contractors who are ready to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week to an emergency with major equipment, flood fight materials and labor, as necessary.
− American River Flood Control District – This special district maintains 40 miles of levees along the American River and portions of Steelhead, Arcade, Dry, and Magpie creeks.
During a flood event, the District provides field response staff. Flood fight materials are stockpiled for quick deployment to an emergency site. Early detection of a problem and a quick response are essential to saving a levee during a flood emergency. − Maintenance Area 9 – This special district, run by the California Department of Water Resources, maintains approximately 20 miles of levees along the east side of the Sacramento River from Sacramento to Courtland.
City of Sacramento 4.28
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
4.2.3 Public Education and Outreach
Chapter 7 outlines a Program for Public Information (PPI) that addresses outreach efforts across the community outside of response during emergency scenarios. Public education, outreach topics, and template messages in case of emergency specific to a flood response and recovery are defined herein. Given Sacramento’s unique vulnerability to flooding the City cannot realistically eliminate the need to respond to a major flood event. The City also recognizes the advantage of providing public education for its citizens ahead of such an event. Coping with a disaster is much more difficult and dangerous if the community is unprepared. Indeed, as residents become better prepared for emergencies, fear, confusion, and losses before, during and after a disaster can be greatly minimized. This also results in allowing authorities to concentrate on protecting life and ending the emergency because citizens are better equipped to maintain increased levels of selfsufficiency.
If a major flood event threatens Sacramento, local government and disaster organizations will likely be strained beyond their capacities. Emergency preparedness on the part of the community can make a tremendous difference in dealing successfully with the disaster. With adequate planning, families can be educated on how to evacuate their homes, take care of basic medical needs, and make temporary living in public shelters more comfortable. Residents can even be taught how to provide basic lifesaving skills, thus enhancing community-based response efforts.
The City’s strategy for public emergency alerts and notifications involves multiple methods of communication. Included in the City’s Alert and Notification toolbox are:
• Use of local media outlets
• Emergency Alert System
• Everbridge
• Emergency sirens
• Use of staff or community volunteers
• Use of the SacramentoReady.org website
However, even with access to several different methods, providing adequate and timely notification to the public involves tremendous challenges – especially with sudden or no-notice events, which present even greater problems. A wide variety of factors can limit government’s ability to provide complete alert and notification services:
• Power outages may limit phone contact and access to media sources. • Emergency sirens may not be well-maintained and may not be fully deployed throughout the City.
• Not all methods of communication will reach some special needs populations. • Many residents who had land-line phones now only use cellular phones.
City of Sacramento 4.29
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Education and Outreach Topics
Appendix E includes the draft flood response projects and the distribution procedures.
Flood victims will want to return to their homes to begin the process of clean-up and rebuilding as soon as possible. The following information should be provided to the general public:
• Outline the damage assessment process and substantial damage requirements. • Describe the ATC-45 green, yellow, and red placards.
• It should be clear that property owners obtain appropriate permits from the Community Development Department before beginning repairs or reconstruction. • Clearly outline which activities do and do not require permits. • Special attention should be given to any local, state, or federal regulations that may conflict or overlap, as whichever imposes the more stringent restrictions shall prevail. • Recommendations on contacting insurance agents to discuss claims. • Advisory information on contractors. If homeowners hire cleanup or repair contractors, they should check references and be sure they are qualified to do the job. Be wary of people who drive through neighborhoods offering help in cleaning up or repairing your home. • Where and how to access disaster program assistance and other resources. • Advisory information on floodwaters. Water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline or raw sewage.
• Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits, and leaching systems as soon as possible.
Damaged sewer systems are serious health hazards.
• Listen for news reports to learn whether the community’s water supply is safe to drink. • Clean and disinfect everything that got wet from floodwaters or rain. Mud left from floodwaters can contain sewage and chemicals.
• Rest often and eat well.
• Keep a manageable schedule. Make a list and do jobs one at a time. • Discuss your concerns with others and seek help. Contact the Red Cross for information on emotional support available in your area.
City of Sacramento 4.30
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 4.6. Sample Emergency Broadcast Messages
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
City of Sacramento Contact: _____________________
Street Address
City, CA Zip
DATE & TIME: _____________________
WHAT: _________________________has occurred at ________________________.
WHERE: _______________________(specific location) at _____________________.
WHEN: _________________________am / pm today.
EVACUATIONS in the ____________________(be specific) area are underway.
RED CROSS SHELTERS are located at__________________________________.
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO?
Residents are asked to: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ __ MESSAGES:
Avoid the areas/intersections of ________________.
Remain vigilant, prepared to leave_________________.
Be prepared to move animals to:________________.
Animal shelters are located at:___________________.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
o Listen to Emergency Radio
o Monitor Local TV stations
o Call the Emergency Public Information Number 916.264.5011 o Go online to City of Sacramento Website, www.cityofsacramento.gov OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
ASSISTING FIRE AGENCIES include: ASSISTING OTHER AGENCIES include:
• City of Sacramento Fire
• California Dept. of Forestry
• Sacramento County Fire
• City Police
• Sacramento County Sheriff
• CA Highway Patrol
• Other
City of Sacramento 4.31
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
HAZARD SPECIFIC EMERGENCY BROADCAST FORMAT
WINTER STORM – NWS STREAM ADVISORY
The U.S. Weather Service has issued a small stream advisory for western Sacramento County during the hours of _____ to _____. City of Sacramento Emergency Operations Center urges you to be aware that the grounds are heavily saturated, which means a heavy rainstorm could cause localized flooding. You are advised to watch the water level of creeks and other drainages in your neighborhood carefully, particularly if you live in an area, which has a history of winter flooding.
Low-lying sections of road and bridges may become impassable and pose a danger due to high water. Avoid areas that are flooded. Do not drive across a flooded road. If your car stalls abandon it immediately and seek higher ground. Never try to walk across a flowing stream where the water is above your knees.
If your home is in a flood-prone area, and flooding seems likely, be prepared to leave while you can get out safely.
Please stay tuned to this station or other local stations for emergency information updates. Do not call 9-1-1 except to report an emergency situation.
You can receive more information by monitoring this local radio or television station, or by visiting the City of Sacramento website at www.cityofsacramento.gov.
Figure 4.7. Sample Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
City of Sacramento
Street Address
City, CA Zip
Date & Time __________________
Contact: 916.264.5011
SACRAMENTO -- Mayor NAME has issued an Executive Order to declare a City emergency in response to rising flood waters. The declaration activates the City's Emergency Operations Center to coordinate response among City departments and services, along with outside partner agencies, such as the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, Reclamation District City of Sacramento 4.32
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
1000, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the United Way. It also allows the City to request state resources and reimbursement, as necessary.
The NAME River levels are expected to quickly crest by DATE to ## feet. City crews have closed ## flood gates along the NAME River and have begun a 24-hour watch along both the NAME River and the NAME to monitor and quickly act upon signs of distress, such as boils.
The City's Department of Utilities will begin a sandbagging operation to fortify parts of the NAME River levees between STREET LOCATION.
City drivers also should be aware that while flooding can occur on any street, STREET NAME will remain closed until flood waters recede.
The Sacramento City Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue Team, which operates ## boats, has been deployed for rescue missions. Emergency responders remind drivers to both slow down and "turn around, don't drown."
Residents should always call 911 for emergencies, but are encouraged to use 311 for nonemergencies. Report City service needs, such as street light and signal outages, downed trees, or flooded roads, to the 311 Call Center at 311.
Psychological Impact of Flood Disasters
The City of Sacramento’s public outreach efforts should include information on the psychological impacts a flood disaster can have on the affected community as well as the first responders that are involved in the disaster.
Flood Victims
Floods are the most common type of natural disaster in the U.S. and U.S. territories. Depending on the severity of impact, survivors may experience psychological impacts and distress, particularly if lives and livelihoods are devastated. Special care should be given to survivors, including:
• Children and teens
• Those who have suffered damage to their homes, or have been displaced from their homes or businesses
• Evacuees
• Loved ones of victims
• First responders, rescue, and recovery workers
• Special Populations and Disadvantaged Communities that have been found to be more vulnerable to climate impacts and natural hazards
• Survivors in impacted areas (including children and teens) City of Sacramento 4.33
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Feelings such as overwhelming anxiety, constant worrying, trouble sleeping and other depressionlike symptoms are common responses to disasters and traumatic events (before, during and after the event), although reactions can vary from person-to-person. Public outreach efforts should include information that most people impacted by floods are able to 'bounce back' in a short period of time, but others may need additional support in order to cope and move forward on the path of recovery.
Once flood warnings and/or evacuation orders are issued, the risk for distress becomes greater:
• Feeling unprepared, isolated, overwhelmed or confused. • Evacuees may be conflicted about evacuating due to concerns or lack of clarity about where to go. Fear about leaving their home and what may happen if they leave, fear that a shelter may not accept pers, and concern they don’t have enough medication to sustain them. • Not being able to reach a loved one living in an impacted area during the event because cell and land lines are tied up, their power is out and so no access to internet, etc. • Triggers of difficult memories and emotions associated with similar traumatic experiences in the past for those in/around or anywhere outside of the impacted areas, particularly for those who may have had a difficult recovery from the experience. • Stress associated with temporary relocation: unfamiliar environment (particularly difficult for teens and children to adjust); accessibility for people with disabilities; separation from pets; difficulty sleeping, etc.
• Those with limited physical mobility, economic means (no car or access to mass transit), limited English-speaking, or those who may have pre-existing mental health concerns are all also particularly vulnerable to isolation.
After evacuation orders are lifted, additional distress may occur upon return to the impacted area if a home, business, school, place of worship or a beloved community landmark such as a neighborhood park or wildlife refuge is damaged or destroyed.
Flood First Responders
Risk factors for emotional distress among first responders and rescue and recovery workers include:
• Prolonged separation from loved ones.
• Mental fatigue brought on from working long hours.
• Working under difficult or challenging conditions that may also be unstable during or immediately after disasters; risk to physical safety and other threats to life during rescue and recovery operations.
• Disruption in home or work life brought on by deployment. • Vicarious trauma brought on by witnessing or being exposed in some way to difficult stories of survival or loss.
• Difficulty readjusting to home or work life post-deployment.
City of Sacramento 4.34
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Signs of emotional distress or psychological issues among first responders related to floods may include:
• Eating or sleeping too much or too little.
• Pulling away from people and things.
• Having low or no energy.
• Feeling numb or like nothing matters.
• Having unexplained aches and pains like constant stomachaches or headaches. • Feeling helpless or hopeless.
• Excessive smoking, drinking or using drugs (including prescription medication). • Feeling unusually confused or forgetful.
• Worrying a lot of the time; feeling guilty but not sure why. • Feeling like you have to keep busy.
• Hyper-vigilant – constantly thinking that something is going to happen, including when forecasts for any storm are issued whether or not they have the chance to produce flooding. • Constant yelling or fighting with family and friends; irritable.
For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at http://www.samhsa.gov/disaster/.
4.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items
Table 4.30 summarizes implementation strategies and action items and provides information on the schedule and current status. The individual action items, as recommended and prioritized by the Utilities Department, are presented in order of priority. Each action item in Table 4.3, below includes the background information and ideas for implementation, responsible office, potential funding, and timeline for each identified action.
Table 4.3. Emergency Management Action Items
Action Responsible Department Schedule
1. Continue National Incident Management
System (NIMS) and Standardized
Emergency Management System (SEMS)
Exercises and training within DOU
DOUOEM Short Term
2. Continue Exercise and Training Program
within DOU
DOU Annually
3. Conduct Ongoing Emergency and
Recovery Planning and Development
OEM, DOU Short Term
4. Develop a Disaster Housing Plan OEM Short Term
5. Develop Intergovernmental Flood
Management and Control
City of Sacramento, DOU, ARFCD,
RD1000, SAFCA, USACE, DWR
Long Term
6. Increase Public Education Efforts OEM, PIO, DOU Short Term City of Sacramento 4.35
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Action Responsible Department Schedule
7. Coordinate Outreach Efforts OEM, PIO, DOU Short Term
8. Enhance Public Alert and Notification OEM, SPD Long Term
9. Increase Personal Preparedness of City
Staff
OEM Short Term
10.Develop a Coordination and Information
Reporting System
OEM Short Term
11.Substantial Damage Assessment Training DOU, CDD Short Term
12.Develop Post-Disaster Briefing Memo for
Elected Officials
DOU,, OEM CDD Short Term
13.Participate in Risk MAP Process DOU, OEM Long Term
14.Review City’s Flood Warning System DOU (for City sensors), OEM, Short Term
15.Develop a Post-Earthquake Remediation
Plan, if required by ULDC
DOU, OEM, SAFCA, RD1000,
ARFCD, MA 9
Long Term
16.Flood Relief Plan, if required by the ULDC DOU, OEM, SAFCA Long Term
1. Continue National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Exercises and training within DOU.
Issue/Background Statement: One of the systemic improvements for the emergency management system both statewide and in the City is the implementation of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), a system for management of multiagency and multijurisdictional emergencies in California. SEMS consists of five organizational levels that are activated as necessary:
• Field response
• Local government (City or special district)
• Operational area (County geographic boundaries)
• Regional agencies
• State agencies
NIMS/SEMS incorporate the use of the ICS, the Master Mutual Aid Agreement, existing mutual aid systems, the operational area concept, and multiagency or interagency coordination. By standardizing key elements of the emergency management systems, NIMS/SEMS facilitate the flow of information within and between levels of the system and enhance coordination among all responding agencies. Use of NIMS/SEMS will improve mobilization, deployment, utilization, tracking, and demobilization of needed resources. NIMS/SEMS is designed to be flexible and adaptive to various disasters and the needs of all emergency responders.
Local governments need to be compliant with NIMS/SEMS to be eligible for funding of their personnel-related costs under state disaster assistance programs and/or federal grant funding.
City of Sacramento 4.36
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
NIMS/SEMS, which is applicable to all facets of emergency management, must be incorporated into the planning process, training and exercise programs, response, and after-action reporting.
Implementation Strategy: FEMA offers independent study courses, as identified in Section 4.2.1 Preparedness, for the Incident Command System, NIMS, and the National Response Framework.
Recommend DOU staff take the online courses and once completed, all departmental training should be tracked and updated every three years. Details for training are presented in Action Item #2.
Responsible Office: DOU for internal staff; OEM for citywide compliance and coordination Potential Funding: Training courses are free; staff time to complete Schedule: Short Term
2. Continue Exercise and Training Program within DOU
Issue/Background Statement: It is important to maintain exercise and training programs in which the City can successfully train staff to perform to expectations during emergencies by exercising needed skills in simulated scenarios. This program must become a standard method of conducting business so that employees can truly be part of an exercise and training culture.
Implementation Strategy: Exercise and training is funded through grant opportunities and the DOU’s operating budget. DOU will continue to look for ways to obtain grant funding to provide exercises and training for DOU staff. Online training is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI). A variety of training courses are applicable to flood preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities. Information on EMI courses and schedules is available here: http://training.fema.gov/emicourses/
Recommended courses include:
• Introduction to Incident Command System for Public Works Personnel (FEMA Independent Study IS-100.PWb)
• National Incident Management System (NIMS): An Introduction (FEMA Independent Study IS-700.a)
• National Response Framework, an Introduction (FEMA Independent Study IS-800.b) • National Disaster Recovery Framework Overview (FEMA Independent Study IS-2900) • Certified Floodplain Manager Program (ASFPM-accredited certification program; FEMA 480 Floodplain Management Requirements: A Study Guide and Desk Reference for Local Officials)
• Managing Floodplain Development through the National Flood Insurance Program (EMI Course 273)
• Local Damage Assessment (FEMA Independent Study IS-559) • Introduction to Individual Assistance (FEMA Independent Study IS-403) City of Sacramento 4.37
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Introduction to FEMA’s Public Assistance Program (FEMA Independent Study IS-634) • Substantial Damage Estimator Tool, 2.0 (FEMA Independent Study IS-284) • Introduction to Hazard Mitigation (FEMA Independent Study IS-393.a) • Mitigation eGrant System for the Subgrant Applicant (FEMA Independent Study IS-30.B) • Benefit-Cost Analysis Fundamentals (FEMA Independent Study IS-276) • Engineering Principles and Practices for Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Structures (FEMA Independent Study IS-279)
Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Possible grant funding and operating budget; staff time Schedule: Figure 4.8, Table 4.4, and Table 4.5, outline the exercise and training schedules for DOU staff:
Figure 4.8. Training Level Complexity by Course
City of Sacramento 4.38
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Table 4.4. DOU Exercise Schedule
Exercise Type Recommended
Frequency for DOU
Number for
Immediate
Implementation
(0-6 Months)
Number for
Near-Term
Implementation
(6-18 Months)
Number for
Long-Term
Implementation
(18-36 Months)
Tabletop Exercises Annually 0 1 2
Drills Twice Annually 0 2 3
Functional Exercises As Needed 0 0 1
Other Discussion-Based Exercises per HSEEP (Seminars,
Workshops, Games) As Needed
Table 4.5. DOU Training Schedule
Course
DOU Employee Categories
Course
Type Course Title
Awareness
Level
Responder
Level
Supervisor Level Command/
EOC Level
All
employees
Entry-level
responders
Field command staff,
section chiefs,
unit leaders, division/group
supervisors, and branch
directors
Command and
general staff,
emergency
managers, EOC
managers, and
DOC or EOC staff
NIMS BASELINE COURSES
IS-700.a ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
National Incident Management System
(NIMS), and Introduction
ICS-100
IS-100.b ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Introduction to Incident Command System, I100 for Public Works Personnel IS-800.b ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
National Response Framework, an
Introduction
NIMS ADDITIONAL TRAINING - EOC
City of Sacramento 4.39
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Course
DOU Employee Categories
Course
Type Course Title
Awareness
Level
Responder
Level
Supervisor Level Command/
EOC Level
All
employees
Entry-level
responders
Field command staff,
section chiefs,
unit leaders, division/group
supervisors, and branch
directors
Command and
general staff,
emergency
managers, EOC
managers, and
DOC or EOC staff
IS-706 ✓
Independent
Study
NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid, an Introduction
IS-775/G775 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study/State
Course
EOC Management and Operations
NIMS ADDITIONAL TRAINING – FIELD OPERATIONS
ICS-200 ✓ ✓ ✓
ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action
Incidents
ICS-300 ✓ ✓ Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
ICS-400 ✓ Advanced ICS
OTHER
IS-906 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Basic Workplace Security Awareness
IS-907 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Active Shooter: What You Can Do
IS-106.12 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Workplace Violence Awareness Training
IS-860.A ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT
FEMA 480 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Floodplain Management Requirements: A
Study Guide and Desk Reference for Local
Officials
FEMA-273 ✓ ✓
EMI Campus
Course
Managing Floodplain Development through
the National Flood Insurance Program
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT – DISASTER RECOVERY
City of Sacramento 4.40
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Course
DOU Employee Categories
Course
Type Course Title
Awareness
Level
Responder
Level
Supervisor Level Command/
EOC Level
All
employees
Entry-level
responders
Field command staff,
section chiefs,
unit leaders, division/group
supervisors, and branch
directors
Command and
general staff,
emergency
managers, EOC
managers, and
DOC or EOC staff
IS-559 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Local Damage Assessment
IS-284 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Using the Substantial Damage Estimator 2.0
Tool
IS-2900 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
National Disaster Recovery Framework
(NDRF) Overview
IS-403 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Introduction to Individual Assistance (IA)
IS-634 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Introduction to FEMA’s Public Assistance
Program
IS-279 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential
Structures
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT – MITIGATION
IS-393.a ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Introduction to Hazard Mitigation
IS-30 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Mitigation eGrants for the Subgrant
Applicants
IS-276 ✓ ✓
Independent
Study
Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Fundamentals
City of Sacramento 4.41
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
3. Conduct Ongoing Emergency and Recovery Planning and Development.
Issue/Background Statement: The City must continue its aggressive approach to creating and periodically updating internal emergency plans and exercising those plans regularly. Analysis and modification of existing plans need to be prioritized and adequately resourced. A dedicated planning effort needs to be provided to examine the recovery process and City actions during the recovery phase of the emergency.
The City’s emergency management system must provide adequate response activities and supplement and restart community systems. These systems include both the most obvious infrastructure – electric power, communications, and water and sewer systems – and the community’s human service support system, including health and medical systems, schools, police and fire departments, and businesses. Extended disruption of community systems can cause additional losses and suffering beyond the direct impact of the flood event, often called the “disaster after the disaster.”
Implementation Strategy: The Emergency Operations Plan should be reviewed and updated to reflect changes impacting its effectiveness. The last revision was completed in 2016, and is generally reviewed every three years. Numerous communitywide, economic, geographic, and regulatory changes have occurred within this timeframe that necessitate this update. In addition, the 2018, Utilities Emergency Operation Plan outlines the emergency management policies identified for the Department of Utilities and provides a response framework consistent with NIMS and SEMS. This plan was updated in 2021 and will be reviewed every three years to reflect changes that may impact its effectiveness. The DOC Plan/Field Response will be updated starting in the fall of 2014 through a grant from DWR.
Responsible Office: City OEM with DOU participation
Potential Funding: Dependent upon federal and state resources.
Schedule: Short Term
4. Develop a Disaster Housing Plan.
Issue/Background Statement: Following a major flood event, citizens of the City of Sacramento may be displaced due to damage or loss of residential structures, environmental contamination, or other environmental factors. A Disaster Housing Plan will detail a framework for providing temporary housing options for displaced residents and the transition to permanent housing in order to expedite long-term community recovery. This plan would elaborate on the temporary housing outline provided in this Chapter. This action was incorporated into the City LHMP as Action #13.
Implementation Strategy: Preparation of the Disaster Housing Plan, in conjunction with the ESF#6 elements of the EOP, will be facilitated by City’s OEM and will address the following elements:
City of Sacramento 4.42
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Temporary housing siting criteria, provision, and removal; • Repairs and the ability to reconstruct homes rapidly; • Reconstruction and the incorporation of mitigation measures during rebuilding; • Transitioning residents back to permanent housing; and • Rebuilding affordable housing.
Responsible Office: OEM
Potential Funding: Cost estimated at $25,000 to $50,000; possible grant funding Schedule: Short Term
5. Develop Intergovernmental Flood Management and Control.
Issue/Background Statement: There are many separate federal, state, special district, County, and City agencies involved in flood control along the Sacramento and American rivers. This has focused flood protection on the funding and construction of flood projects. Although better collaboration in the planning and implementation of such structural enhancements is important, coordination of flood watch and warning as well as the actual response to a flood event are also in need of improvement.
Implementation Strategy: The City should work closely with emergency planners and response personnel from as many organizations as possible such as the DOU, RD 1000, ARFCD, SAFCA, USACE, and DWR to establish a coordinated plan for flood emergency response. This effort should focus on better definition of responsibilities, improved communication, utilization of the ICS and SEMS for flood control management, and development of an interagency tabletop exercise.
Responsible Office: City of Sacramento, DOU, ARFCD, RD1000, SAFCA, USACE, DWR Potential Funding: Staff time; cost estimated at $100,000; possible grant funding Schedule: Long Term
6. Increase Public Education Efforts
Issue/Background Statement: Public education for emergency preparedness and flood awareness must be increased. Given current staffing constraints, Emergency Planning’s current Public Education Program is provided only on an “as requested” basis. No ongoing funding exists to support a citywide public education program. Declining budgets have continued to lower the priority of these programs. The issues of prioritization and resulting funding/staff support should be considered throughout the term of this strategic plan.
City of Sacramento 4.43
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Implementation Strategy: Coordinate public education and outreach methods with the Program for Public Information.
Responsible Office: See Chapter 7, Table 7.8 PPI Projects and Initiatives Potential Funding: See Chapter 7, Table 7.8 PPI Projects and Initiatives Schedule: See Chapter 7, Table 7.8 PPI Projects and Initiatives
7. Coordinate Outreach Efforts
Issue/Background Statement: In order to ensure that the public receives consistent, accurate and timely information, outreach efforts must be effectively coordinated. In addition, to ensure that limited resources are utilized most efficiently in public education and outreach efforts, coordination activities must occur within one central location.
Implementation Strategy: DOU has begun this effort with the development of the Program for Public Information (PPI) as presented within Chapter 7 of this document. DOU will continue to develop a coordinated outreach program working with OEM, the City’s Public Information Officer (PIO), and other department PIOs within the first two years of this strategic plan.
Responsible Office: See Chapter 7, Table 7.8 PPI Projects and Initiatives Potential Funding: See Chapter 7, Table 7.8 PPI Projects and Initiatives Schedule: See Chapter 7, Table 7.8 PPI Projects and Initiatives
8. Enhance Public Alert and Notification
Issue/Background Statement: It is imperative to have as many ways as possible to reach the public quickly and efficiently in times of need. While the City employs a variety of methodologies to contact its residents, further analysis and development are needed. Systems currently exist that allow for the public to register contact information and receive messages through text or voice format in addition to Reverse 911-like processes. These systems have the capacity to reach a variety of technologies currently in use and gaining greater use frequency such as cellular phones, e-mail, text, etc.
Implementation Strategy: The County OEM has replaced the Reverse 911 system with “Everbridge”, a faster system than Reverse 911. Residents who had registered for Reverse 911 were transferred to the new system. Ongoing funding and maintenance of the Everbridge system is essential. Grant funding has covered the initial implementation years, but moving forward regionally, ongoing funding to maintain the system will be need.
Responsible Office: OEM and SPD will be the primary responsible office. DOU may assist with grant funding requests and applications by providing flood impact and/or evacuation information.
City of Sacramento 4.44
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Potential Funding: Possible grant funding
Schedule: Medium to Long Term
9. Increase Personal Preparedness of City Staff
Issue/Background Statement: The recent Continuation of Operations/Continuation of Government (COOP/COG) planning included an effort to develop personal disaster education for the use of City staff at home. This initiative was designed to enhance the City staff’s ability to survive the emergency at home, enhancing survivability, and provide for an environment that enables staff to have confidence in family safety. If these factors are met, employees are more likely to continue service to the public during a disaster.
Implementation Strategy: The City should provide training and means to raise the level of personal preparedness and safety of its staff during disaster. The City has an obligation to the community to provide for public safety and maintain essential services. Without the availability of City staff, these services are greatly compromised, as is the City’s ability to maintain government operations.
OEM will provide preparedness information and materials to City staff on the OEM intranet site.
Responsible Office: OEM
Potential Funding: Possible grant funding; staff time
Schedule: Short Term
10. Develop a Coordination and Information Reporting System Issue/Background Statement: When incidents impact multiple departments or extend beyond day-to-day, routine operations, OEM needs a coordination and information reporting system. In order to adequately centralize the global incident picture development, OEM must be provided departmental incident reporting. Many incidents may not appear to be significant from a departmental perspective, but may well be important when all information pieces are put together.
Implementation Strategy: The City should determine the appropriate mechanism to ensure departmental participation in a well-coordinated response and/or recovery. This may be through the use of the EOP, City policy or other method. The development of the mechanism may be completed within the first two years of this strategic plan term, but the culture shift may require greater time.
Responsible Office: OEM
Potential Funding: Possible grant funding; staff time
City of Sacramento 4.45
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Schedule: Short Term
11. Substantial Damage Assessment Training
Issue/Background Statement: This update to the CFMP includes the addition of two damage assessment methods for implementation following a flood event. Local staff that is responsible for assessing, collecting, and reporting damages during and after any event should be trained in both data collection/assessment methods. Well-planned data collection will increase the efficiency of the inspectors while ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the data.
Implementation Strategy: FEMA SDE training is offered at the Emergency Management Institute and often by the local chapters of ASFPM. Training for the Rapid Damage Assessment Method using USACE tools may be led by in-house staff or outside contractor. Training for both methods should include:
• Aspects of data collection such as the structure address, photographs, curbside information, exterior and interior inspections, and interaction with the structure owner. • Group pilot inspections for residential buildings and non-residential buildings to familiarize the inspectors with the required data collection and worksheets. • Software and field materials
• Guidance for resident and occupant interaction
Responsible Office: CDD, with the assistance of DOU and PW (public works) Potential Funding: Online courses, staff time
Schedule: Short Term
12. Develop Post-Disaster Briefing Memo for Elected Officials Issue/Background Statement: The success of disaster recovery operations is often tied to the speed of recovery. The ability to return to a sense of normalcy after an event is a common goal among those impacted by the event, including elected officials who often face intense pressure to quickly distribute post-disaster assistance, pick up debris and clear roads, restore utilities, re-open schools, rebuild communities, and provide public services.
With the intense pressure to show progress with recovery, elected officials may want to either lessen current building requirements or forego the post-disaster planning process altogether. It is essential to brief local officials on the NFIP ordinance requirements and the permitting process, including the damage assessments.
Implementation Strategy: Prepare a memo for elected officials which summarizes the recovery process. This will help elected officials manage public expectations and understand short-term City of Sacramento 4.46
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
restoration and long-term redevelopment. The briefing memo will be distributed to elected officials at the start of the recovery process following a flood event.
Responsible Office: CDD with assistance from DOU and PW Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short Term
13. Participate in the Risk MAP Process
Issue/Background Statement: There are improved opportunities to assess flood risks and identify actions to reduce vulnerability to those risks. As mapping activities move into Risk MAP, resilience meetings will be held to review FEMA non-regulatory products and identify flood mitigation actions. The resilience meetings will bring new stakeholders to the Risk MAP table, collaborate efforts across all agencies, and utilize GIS to visualize and communicate risk. The Resilience process will include coordination with the existing mitigation plans, as well as, identification of new action items.
Implementation Strategy: DOU will participate in all aspects of the Risk MAP process and provide data support, as necessary.
Responsible Office: DOU
Potential Funding: Staff time; coordination with FEMA
Schedule: Medium to Long Term
14. Review City’s Flood Warning System
Issue/Background Statement: Sacramento County’s ALERT system consists of 2 base stations and 49 gauging stations. The system provides access to stage and rainfall information during storm events.
Implementation Strategy: Update sensors
Responsible Office: DOU (for City sensors), OEM
Potential Funding: DWR Grant
Schedule: Medium to Long Term
15. Develop a Post-Earthquake Remediation Plan, if required by ULDC Issue/Background Statement: A Post-Earthquake Remediation Plan is required by the 2012 Urban Levee Design Criteria (ULDC) if seismic damage from 200-year-return-period ground City of Sacramento 4.47
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
motions is expected after an urban level of flood protection is achieved. A seismic vulnerability analysis is to be developed to determine a rough estimate of seismic damage to the levee or floodwall system.
Implementation Strategy: Develop plan by 2029 in accordance with the ULDC. The plan should include emergency preparedness, mobilization, data gathering, actions, interim repairs, long-term repairs, extent of damage, and public notifications.
Responsible Office: DOU, OEM, SAFCA, RD1000, ARFCD, MA9 Potential Funding: Funding from DWR Grant or Staff Time Schedule: Long Term, 2029
16. Flood Relief Plan, if required by the ULDC
Issue/Background Statement: A Flood Relief Plan is required by the ULDC in the operation and maintenance manual (or emergency action plan) if flood relief structures such as culverts, gates, weirs, pumping plants, and levee relief cuts are relied upon for performing as designed to the urban level of flood protection.
Implementation Strategy: Develop plan by 2029 in accordance with the ULDC. The plan must include specified triggers, procedures, and responsible agencies for flood relief structures.
Responsible Office: DOU, OEM, SAFCA, RD1000, ARFCD
Potential Funding: Funding from DWR Grant or Staff Time Schedule: Long Term, 2029
5 LEVEE AND OTHER
STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS
City of Sacramento 5.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
5.1 Introduction and Background
In the aftermath of the 1986 floods, several flood control projects were identified to address the flood risks in the Sacramento area. Some of these projects were designed to correct structural deficiencies observed during the flood, while other projects were added once the water had receded and revealed levee conditions. Additional projects were intended to increase the level of protection provided by the system. The 1997 flood event also highlighted additional deficiencies that are now being corrected to increase the level of community flood protection. Much of the City is currently dependent on levees to prevent flooding. This can be seen in Figure 5.1.
This chapter provides a brief description of levee and other structural improvement projects that have been implemented to reduce flood risk in the City, or that will be implemented over the next five years and beyond.
5.1.1 Reducing Flood Risk
To more effectively address problems that became evident following the 1986 floods, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recommended the separation of projects connected with the Sacramento and American Rivers. The Sacramento River improvements would focus predominately on rehabilitating the existing system, while the American River required a significant increase in the system’s flood control capacity. The State of California joined these efforts as a non-federal sponsor through DWR and Central Valley Flood Protection Board (CVFPB), formerly known as the State Reclamation Board.
Local agencies responsible for operating and maintaining the Sacramento metropolitan area levee system and managing land use in the floodplain reacted to these developments by requesting that the California State Legislature create the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA).
Established in 1989, SAFCA is a regional joint-exercise-of-powers agency consisting of the City, Sacramento and Sutter counties, Reclamation District 1000, and the American River Flood Control District. SAFCA’s long-term goal is to provide the urbanized portions of Sacramento with a minimum 200-year level of flood protection in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic damages and loss of life associated with a failure of the flood control system in the City.
SAFCA initiated a number of studies to determine the best implementable approach to address the area’s flood problems. These flood control projects are in various stages of implementation; some have been completed, others are under construction, and a number are still being planned. The descriptions that follow include the purpose of each project and the anticipated completion schedule for projects still in design or under construction.
City of Sacramento 5.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 5.1. Areas of the City Dependent on Levees
Source: City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, 2024 City of Sacramento 5.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
5.1.2 Seeking Long-Term Flood Solutions
During the flood season, the level of Folsom Reservoir is controlled by operating Folsom Dam in accordance with criteria set forth by the Secretary of the Army. When Folsom Dam was constructed in the early 1950s, it was believed that Folsom Reservoir would provide Sacramento with a 250-year level of flood protection. However, this estimate has been steadily downgraded over the years as better data was gathered on American River flows. In the aftermath of the 1986 and 1997 floods, USACE determined that the reservoir provides little more than a 63-year level of protection to people and property in the American River floodplain based on available operational criteria at that time.
SAFCA and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) then considered options for reoperation (i.e., modifying the operation) of Folsom Dam and Reservoir. • Reoperation would provide as much immediate flood protection as possible pending federal authorization and implementation of a long-term project to improve the existing American River flood control system.
• SAFCA and the Bureau would achieve this goal through an agreement under which Folsom’s existing flood control diagram, governing reservoir storage space allocations and outflows during flood control operations, would be revised to permit safe containment of a 100-year or larger flood event in the watershed.
• In exchange for the additional flood protection, SAFCA would be obligated to reimburse the Bureau for a portion of the costs due to lost water or power resulting from the reoperation.
SAFCA and the Bureau also considered alternatives to increase space available for flood control at Folsom Dam. They decided to require a variable reduction in the reservoir pool when a designated amount of empty space was no longer available for flood storage in the three largest watershed hydropower reservoirs (French Meadows, Hell Hole, and Union Valley) located upstream from Folsom. Since the dam was not designed for efficient flood releases with a low reservoir pool, substantial increases in empty space in the reservoir would yield only marginal increases in flood protection, thereby limiting the additional protection achieved through a reoperation plan to around a 100-year level. In 1994, SAFCA and the Bureau executed an agreement to operate Folsom Dam and Reservoir to take advantage of incidental flood control provided by upstream water and power reservoirs at French Meadows, Hellhole, and Union Valley.
The intent was for reoperation to continue until it either becomes part of the permanent long-term plan for flood control improvements or is replaced by an alternative means of protection.
American Rivers Common Features & Folsom Dam
SAFCA and the CVFPB have been working with USACE to identify an American River project that will address the low level of flood protection provided by the existing system. As part of this effort, in 1992 SAFCA joined the state and USACE in proposing federal legislation to authorize:
City of Sacramento 5.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Construction of an expandable flood control dam along the north fork of the American River near Auburn.
• Improvement of the existing levee system around Natomas. • Reoperation of Folsom Dam to create additional space for flood storage on an interim basis, pending completion of improvements to the dam.
The proposed dam would have increased the capacity of the existing flood control system to permit safe containment of floods up to a 200-year flood event level in the American River. However, in view of environmental and cost concerns, Congress deferred any action on the flood control dam and reoperation of Folsom, but authorized USACE to either proceed with construction of the Natomas levee improvements or credit SAFCA for undertaking these improvements as a local project.
In 1996, SAFCA again tried to build support for a flood control dam, but as in 1992, failed to gain the support of Congress. SAFCA also identified features that were “common” to any project associated with controlling flood flows at Folsom Dam. These common features focused on the conveyance of higher flood flows through the leveed portion of the American River. The American River Common Features Authorization was adopted as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996. This authorization called for the strengthening of the American River levees to pass a design flow of 160,000 cfs with freeboard.
Being unable to gain support for an Auburn Dam, SAFCA and its state and federal partners identified a way to improve low-level flood releases from Folsom Dam by modifying the existing outlet gates. In 1999, Congress authorized the Folsom Dam Outlet Modifications Project (Mods) to increase low-level flood releases from the dam by enlarging the eight existing outlets and constructing two additional outlets. This would allow larger releases earlier in a storm event, providing additional flood storage in the reservoir. Once implemented, the plan was expected to provide the community with a 140-year level of flood protection.
Also in 1999, additional features were added to the Common Features Authorization to include:
• Additional levee raising on the American River’s right bank. • Levee strengthening on the right bank near the mouth of the Natomas East Main Drain Canal. • Levee reshaping of the right bank near Jacob’s Lane.
• Levee strengthening and raising of the Mayhew Levee.
• A closure structure for the Mayhew Drain.
Improvements identified in 1996 and 1999 under the American River Common Features Authorization would be completed in 2016. However, additional bank and levee erosion improvements along the lower American River would be initiated to increase the channel capacity to 160,000 cfs.
City of Sacramento 5.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
In 2004, Congress acted again, approving a plan to raise Folsom Dam by seven feet under the Folsom Dam Raise Project. This project would allow additional flood water to be stored in the reservoir during a major flood event, and when implemented and combined with the outlet modifications and downstream levee improvements, would provide a greater than 200-year level of flood protection.
In 2005, improvements to American River levees and operational improvements for Folsom Dam provide 100-year protection for much of the American River Floodplain. However, the Mods project was stopped when construction bids for the first phase of work were significantly higher than expected. This unanticipated high cost created the need to re-evaluate the two authorized projects (Mods and Raise). As a result, USACE, CVFPB, SAFCA, and the Bureau looked at options that could address dam safety concerns and still provide at least 200-year protection.
In June 2006, a joint report was issued entitled Folsom Dam Raise and Auxiliary Spillway Project Alternative Solutions Study II, which identified an auxiliary spillway alternative with a 3.5-foot dam raise that would provide at least 200-year level of protection for the community. Costs of implementing this alternative are similar to the existing authorized projects, but have significantly less risk in the construction. In addition, this project requires less construction time, resulting in an increased flood protection level sooner. Congress would approve construction of a new dam and auxiliary spillway at Folsom Dam in 2007, and construction began on the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project in 2008. The new dam and auxiliary spillway project was completed in 2017, providing increased flood protection for properties in the American River floodplain.
In 2016, Congress authorized additional levee improvements including 11 miles of bank and levee erosion protection under the American River Common Features project. Bank and levee erosion work would begin in 2022 along the lower American River to increase the channel capacity from 115,00 cfs to 160,000 cfs. This authorization also included WRDA 16, including up to 12 miles of erosion remediation on the Sacramento River and addressing levee stability along the Sacramento River south of the American River.
The Folsom Dam Raise project began construction in 2019, and as of 2023 USACE continues Folsom Dam Raise projects by initiating construction on raising the Right and Left Wing Dams, Dikes 1 through 6, and strengthening and top sealing the Main Dam gates and concrete piers.
Sacramento River Projects
Sacramento Urban Area Levee Reconstruction Project (SUALRP) During the 1986 flood, through-levee seepage occurred along much of the Sacramento River levees in the Natomas and Pocket areas. This was evidenced by serious landside sloughing of the levee in Natomas and “seepage boils” along the landside toe in the Pocket. This system deficiency, caused by porous levee materials and poor compaction, was corrected by the Sacramento Urban Area Levee Reconstruction Project (SUALRP). The SUALRP addressed through-levee seepage problems within the Sacramento River Flood Control System (SRFCS) by installing a slurry wall City of Sacramento 5.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
(lean concrete mix) or adding a landside stabilizing berm along most of the levee from Verona on the north to Freeport on the south.
SUALRP was completed in 1993 under the direction of USACE. While it improved flood protection for the community, SUALRP did not increase the design level of flood protection. The federal government (through USACE), the CVFPB, and SAFCA shared the project cost of approximately $37 million.
Sacramento Riverwall
The Sacramento Riverwall, a project feature of the SRFCS, is a concrete floodwall adjacent to Old Sacramento. The Riverwall is located on the east side slope of the Sacramento River between the I Street Bridge and the extension of R Street. Constructed in 1917 by the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Riverwall was determined to be unstable because of serious erosion on the waterside toe and design deficiencies found with the original construction. Failure of this section of the SRFCS at flood stage on the Sacramento River would cause flooding to Old Sacramento, downtown, and portions of Interstate 5. Reconstruction of the Riverwall was addressed by USACE as an additional element of SUALRP described above. The project was completed in the late 1990s.
Levee Slump on Garden Highway south of I-5
In 2002, RD 1000 noticed a gradual dip of the levee south of Interstate 5. The lowest point of the dip occurred near an existing agriculture well. Around the well was a fine sand, likely pumped from the ground during irrigation. Enough material was pumped over time to cause the levee to settle. RD 1000 and SAFCA agreed to put in a slurry cutoff wall to prevent seepage from going through the levee and to raise the levee back to its original height. The seepage fix was designed to provide 200-year level of protection. The project was completed at a cost of $1 million.
Little Pocket and Sump 132 Underseepage Remediation
In 2003, SAFCA completed approximately 2,400 feet of a levee underseepage cutoff wall in the Little Pocket area and 400-feet of levee underseepage cutoff wall construction at Sump 132 in the Pocket area. This project addressed known underseepage problems in the respective areas by creating a slurry wall approximately 110' deep to prevent high seepage pressures from weakening the foundation of the levee. The project was designed to protect against the 200-year storm event.
The project was completed in 2004 for a cost of $6.4 million.
Pocket Underseepage – Reach 2 and Reach 9
In order to pass the criteria for providing 100-year event protection against underseepage in the Pocket area, two reaches of levee needed to be treated for underseepage. Approximately 2,500 feet of cutoff wall were constructed in 2006. Completion of this work by USACE, along with erosion repairs, allowed USACE to certify that the Sacramento River levees in the Pocket area provided a minimum of 100-year level of protection.
City of Sacramento 5.7
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Sacramento River Bank Protection Program (Sac Bank)
The Sacramento River Bank Protection (Sac Bank) Program is an ongoing effort to address systemic erosion issues along the Sacramento River and its tributaries, including the American River. Erosion constantly eats away at the river banks and can eventually threaten the levee section.
The two greatest threats are high water events, which lead to scour and high bank erosion, and summer boat traffic, which creates wave-induced erosion at the levee toe.
In 2004, USACE completed levee toe erosion protection at River Mile (RM) 56.7, located downstream of Miller Park on the Sacramento River; this site is part of the Sac Bank program.
This stretch of river is located in an area where there is no waterside berm, and the levee has an extremely steep waterside slope. It was identified as a critical erosion site that would need to be fixed prior to the levee being recognized as providing a 100-year level of flood protection. The erosion fix (a waterside rock berm with a soil planting trench) addressed existing erosion problems by remediating some large holes that were forming in the levee at the low water mark. The project prevents summer wave wash from eroding the levee and provides habitat for out-migrating salmonids.
Pioneer Reservoir
Pioneer Reservoir is located in the area on the proposed “Docks Project” development area along the Sacramento River just upstream of the California Auto Museum. This project constructed a seepage berm and six relief wells to address high seepage pressures in the area. The project was completed in 2007.
Sacramento River East Levee Projects
Under the WRDA 16 work effort, several levee improvement projects have been completed or are in progress to remediate deep under-seepage. Several contracts have been completed for exploratory drilling, tree removal/trimming, and levee construction improvements (installation of seepage cutoff walls). At the time of this writing, three erosion control contracts are in progress, with work anticipated to be completed by February 2024.
Natomas Area Flood Control Improvements (Local Project) The 1986 flood demonstrated the inadequacy of the levee system protecting the Natomas basin and the lower Dry and Arcade Creek watersheds from high flows in the American River and tributary streams east of the basin. To address this problem, USACE proposed a series of levee improvements and other flood control improvements designed to address through-levee seepage and work in tandem with increased storage on the American River to provide affected areas with. better flood protection. After SAFCA completed the work, FEMA recognized the Natomas Basin as having a 100-year level of flood protection. In addition, the project provided a minimum 100- year level of protection to the lower Dry and Arcade Creek watersheds, including portions of Rio Linda and North Sacramento.
City of Sacramento 5.8
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
South Sacramento Streams Group (SSSG)
Morrison Creek Levee System
The existing levee system along Morrison Creek and its major tributaries was found to have insufficient capacity to carry a 100-year flood event. The decrease in flood protection provided by the system is based on: (1) increased water surface elevations projected in the Delta; and (2) higher flows coming through the system from the upper reaches of the watershed. The problem could be further exacerbated as new development occurs upstream unless the additional run-off is either detained upstream or the downstream channel capacity is increased.
USACE, in cooperation with SAFCA and the City and County of Sacramento, completed a study of alternatives, including both upstream detention and modifications to the downstream levee system. Results of the study supported work to be done to the existing Morrison Creek levees as well as to the Unionhouse, Florin, and Elder Creek levees. The County collected development impact fees from upstream developers, which were used to build detention basins to hold the additional run-off generated as new development occurs. A map of the affected area is shown in Figure 5.2 below.
Figure 5.2. Areas benefited by improvements to the Morrison Creek, Unionhouse, Florin, and Elder Creek levees
Source: DOU
City of Sacramento 5.9
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
In 2005, USACE completed the construction of nearly four miles of levee from Freeport Boulevard/Sacramento River Levee on the west to the Union Pacific Railroad to the east, raising the existing levee system to protect against a 200-year flood.
USACE constructed floodwalls along the four creeks (Elder, Unionhouse, Florin, and Morrison) up to Franklin Boulevard. At the end of 2012, the final piece of the Morrison Creek project downstream of Franklin was completed. A 3,300-ft floodwall was constructed along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks on the east bank. The cost of this floodwall was $5.9 million.
Unionhouse Creek Channel Improvements
In 2012, SAFCA, in partnership with the City of Sacramento and DWR, improved over a mile and a half of Unionhouse Creek between Franklin Blvd. and Bruceville Road. The project increased the amount of water that can be contained in the channel, resulting in 100-year flood protection.
The cost of the construction project was a little under $2.5 million.
Florin Creek Improvements
In 2017, SAFCA, in partnership with the City of Sacramento and DWR, constructed a 35-acre foot detention basin along Florin Creek near Persimmon Avenue in conjunction with channel improvements by USACE and in cooperation with the CVFPB and SAFCA. These improvements provide a FEMA level of flood protection along much of Florin Creek from Highway 99 downstream to Franklin Blvd.
American River–Related Projects
Mayhew Levee
The Mayhew Levee parallels the American River starting at the mouth of the Mayhew Drain and proceeding upstream for about 4,000 feet. In 2008, the levee was raised about three feet, widened to USACE standards, and a slurry wall was constructed through the center of the levee to a depth of about 60 feet. These levee improvements allowed 160,000 cfs to pass and provided a 100-year level of protection. The Mayhew Drain Closure Structure was completed in 2009 to prevent drainage backup from the American River, which had previously led to additional strain on drain levees.
Upper Levee Slope Protection
Through the area between Cal Expo to Rio Americano High School (the narrowest portion of the American River Parkway), flood events can create extremely high scour velocities on the upper face of the levee. As a result, high levee slope protection was needed for portions of the parkway.
In order to reduce visual impacts of using rock to protect against scour, all the rock that was placed was buried under 6 to 12 inches of soil. In other areas with lower velocities, creeping wild rye was utilized to hold the soil together.
City of Sacramento 5.10
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Slurry Wall Construction
After the 1997 flood, USACE recognized that levee underseepage could destabilize the levee foundation due to sand layers under the levee. As a result of this finding, slurry walls were constructed from 60 to 80 feet deep in order to prevent underseepage from affecting the levee foundation. Approximately 24 miles of slurry wall along the American River was constructed by 2016.
Bank Protection
Portions of the American River are subject to extremely high velocities during a major flood event.
These velocities can quickly erode banks and levee toes, leading to levee failure. Five major bank erosion sites along the American River have been fixed to date by USACE (constructed between 1996 and 2000). The lower end of this work is just downstream of Highway 160, while the upstream portion is downstream of Watt Ave. This work prevents additional erosion from occurring at these sites, thus preserving levee integrity. In addition to the flood protection provided by these sites, they were also designed to provide habitat values. These sites now provide refuge to fish, and the tree plantings are reaching maturity.
SAFCA has improved other erosion protection sites outside of USACE program along the American River including locations downstream of the Highway 160 bridge on the left bank, and upstream of Watt Avenue on the left bank.
Regional Sanitation Perimeter Levee
In order to protect the regional sanitation plant from flooding, a perimeter levee was required. The project was completed in 1996 for over $7 million.
5.2 Current Implementation Status
There are currently six federally authorized projects that are being implemented to reduce flood risk to the Sacramento area:
• Natomas Levee Improvement Project
• American River Common Features WRDA 96/99 (Completed) • American River Common Features WRDA 2014 (Natomas)
• American River Common Features WRDA 2016
• Folsom Dam Modifications/Joint Federal Project (Recently Completed) • Folsom Dam Raise Project
• South Sacramento Streams Group Project (Recently Completed) • Sacramento River Bank Protection Program
Other ongoing efforts:
• SAFCA levee accreditation for FEMA level of protection City of Sacramento 5.11
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Regional planning as part of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan • SAFCA and City plan development for 200-year flood protection to meet state requirements for Urban Level of Protection and Urban Levee Design Criteria The flood control system features that protect the City are shown in Figure 5.3.
Figure 5.3. Flood Control System Features that Protect the City of Sacramento Source: SAFCA and MBK Engineers
City of Sacramento 5.12
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Natomas Levee Improvement Project (NLIP)
In December 2008, Natomas was mapped into the FEMA 100-year floodplain. SAFCA’s efforts have been to restore, at a minimum, a 100-year level of protection while working toward a 200- year level of protection. SAFCA, in partnership with DWR and the CVFPB, began constructing levee improvements in 2007 in advance of the full authorization of the federal project, with the expectation of receiving credit for such work towards the non-federal share of the authorized project. SAFCA’s work included levee improvements along the Natomas Cross Canal and the upper reaches of the Sacramento River levees in Natomas. By 2013, SAFCA and the state completed 18.3 miles of the 42-mile levee improvements to meet current flood control standards.
See Figure 5.4 below.
Figure 5.4. Natomas Levee Slurry Wall Construction
Source: Kleinfelder
With passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, USACE is taking the lead on completion of the remaining components of the NLIP. USACE will commence construction of levee improvements along the southern and eastern portions of the Natomas Basin leading to 100-year and 200-year levels of flood protection over time. The estimated authorized project cost is approximately $1.1 billion. In 2019, the USACE initiated levee improvements on the remaining 24 miles and divided the project into several sections, namely Reaches A - I. As of 2023, construction on each Reach is ongoing.
City of Sacramento 5.13
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
American River Common Features
In 2015, SAFCA and its partners identified needed improvements to meet a 200-year standard of protection for Sacramento’s levee system. These improvements were identified in the American River Watershed Common Features General Re-evaluation Report (GRR). The GRR identified improvements to the levee system to meet the goal of 200-year level flood protection and address erosion protection, vegetation, seepage, and access requirements. The American River levees, the Sacramento River levees downstream of the American River, and the north area streams (Natomas East Main Drain Canal, Magpie Creek Diversion Channel, and Arcade Creek) were reviewed as part of the GRR. Projects identified in the GRR included 24 miles of slurry walls in the American River levees, 12 miles of levee improvements along the Sacramento River east levee in Natomas, as well as other significant levee improvements and levee widening along reaches of the American River and Sacramento River. Most of these improvements were completed by the end of 2016.
Additional levee improvements would be presented by SAFCA in the 2017 Comprehensive Flood Risk Reduction Program with the goal of achieving a 500-year level of protection.
This project evolved into WRDA 2014 and WRDA 2016. Additional improvements include the NAS stream improvements, erosion control on Sacramento and American Rivers, levee stability improvements on the Sacramento River, and the Sacramento River weir/bypass widening.
Folsom Dam Modifications/Joint Federal Project (JFP)
This joint federal project (JFP) shown in Figure 5.5 consists of a six-gated control structure, a 2,100-foot auxiliary spillway with a stilling basin, and an approach channel in the reservoir leading to the control structure. The auxiliary spillway design can be used for flood control as well as ensuring dam safety. As a result of its joint purpose, portions of these improvements were being constructed by the Bureau, which has completed Phase 1 and Phase 2. The two phases of work almost finished the spillway. USACE in 2010 awarded Phase 3 (construction of the control structure itself) with approximate cost of $220 million. Work on Phase 3 was completed in 2015.
Phase 4 (the last part needed for flood control) was awarded in 2013 with a completion of all flood control features achieved in 2017. Total project cost was estimated at $810 million.
City of Sacramento 5.14
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 5.5. JFP Work on Folsom Dam
Source: SAFCA
City of Sacramento 5.15
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Folsom Dam Raise Project
The Folsom Dam Raise project will raise the height of the dikes, left and right wing dams, Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam, and the main dam around Folsom Lake by about 3.5 feet. The implementation of the JFP and the Dam Raise, along with downstream levee improvements, will give the City greater than a 200-year level of flood protection along the American River, and thus reducing overall flood risk for the Sacramento area. Improvements on Dike 8 were completed in 2020. Construction on Dikes 1 to 6 began in September 2023, and are scheduled for completion by summer 2025. The remainder of project components are set to be raised 3.5 feet by 2027.
South Sacramento Streams Group
This project was completed in 2017 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State of California and SAFCA. The Union Pacific Railroad embankment was completed at the end 2012, and the Florin Creek Channel Project and Florin Creek Multi-Use Basin Project channel improvements and detention basin were completed in 2017. These projects allow the 100-year flood event to be nondamaging to surrounding properties. As a result, FEMA re-mapped the Florin Creek floodplain area, effective March 25, 2019. The new floodplain designation removed most of the Special Flood Hazard Area. See Figure 5.6.
Figure 5.6. Areas benefit from the Florin Creek Channel Project and the Florin Creek Multiuse Basin Project Source: Wood Rogers
City of Sacramento 5.16
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
SAFCA Levee Accreditation for FEMA Level of Protection
USACE expired the City’s levee certifications in 2012 and 2013 because the certifications no longer met USACE’s risk & uncertainty criteria or were older than 10 years. This is shown in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1. USACE Levee Certification Expiration Dates
Stream Reach Expiration Date
Dry Creek North levee March 19, 2012
Robla Creek South levee from approximately Sully Street to City border on the east August 31, 2013
Robla Creek South levee from junction with Natomas East Main Drainage Canal to approximately Sully Street March 19, 2012
Arcade Creek North and south levees March 19, 2012
Natomas East Main
Drainage Canal
East levee from junction with American River north levee to the pump station north of Dry Creek March 19, 2012
American River North and south levee (not including Natomas) August 31, 2013 Sacramento River Left bank levee from the junction with the American River to the southern City limits August 31, 2013
Morrison Creek Junction with Sacramento River to Unionhouse Creek Right bank from Unionhouse Creek to Brookfield Drive August 31, 2013 The status of the City’s levees is shown in Figure 5.7.
City of Sacramento 5.17
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 5.7. City of Sacramento Levee Status
Source: DOU
In 2012, SAFCA, local communities, and maintaining agencies began developing a levee accreditation program to determine whether the levees protecting Sacramento along the lower American and Sacramento rivers and their tributaries (outside the Natomas Basin) adequately met the minimum requirements of the NFIP. The Urban Level of Flood Protection (ULOP) must be achieved by the year 2025 in order for land use agencies, in approving new development, to make a finding that adequate progress is being made on the construction of a flood protection system.
The following projects constitute the project scope, to help attain the ULOP in SAFCA protected areas.
• Folsom Dam JFP (complete)
• WRDA 2014 Natomas Basin Project (in progress, substantially complete by 2026) • NLIP Local Project (complete)
• WRDA 2016 (in progress, complete by 2025)
• LAP (in progress, complete by 2023)
• SSSG (complete)
City of Sacramento 5.18
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
• Florin Creek Multi-Use Basin (complete)
• Additional South Sacramento SPFC Projects at Beach Lake Levee (in progress, complete by 2025)
The levees must also meet the State of California’s Urban Levee Design Criteria (ULDC), which requires the City to address additional criteria including encroachments, vegetation, and levee access. It was decided that the levee deficiencies would be addressed in two phases – accreditation and modernization.
Figure 5.8 shows areas that need to be addressed in the short-term to meet the NFIP accreditation and immediate ULDC requirements. At the time of this writing, these projects are currently in progress. The second phase is the modernization phase, which will be accomplished over 10-30 years. This will address encroachments, access, and vegetation that are categorized as low risk at the sites shown in Figure 5.9.
SAFCA issued a Notice of Preparation in May of 2014 indicating its intent to issue a programlevel environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed levee accreditation activities. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation was finalized in 2016, as part of the Updated Local Funding Mechanisms for Sacramento Area Flood Control Improvements Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR).
To support ongoing levee accreditation efforts and to comply with the Central Valley Flood Protection Act of 2008, SAFCA prepares annual adequate-progress reports. The purpose of the report is to demonstrate that the local flood management agency has made adequate-progress on construction of a flood protection system that will result in flood protection equal or greater than:
• The urban level of flood protection (ULOP); OR
• The national Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standard of flood protection in non-urbanized areas intended to be protected by the system. Consistent with regulatory requirements, SAFCA prepared a baseline document to support future findings of adequate progress in 2016. An ULOP Adequate Progress Annual Report is now prepared in Q4 every year and presented to the City Council for adoption by resolution.
City of Sacramento 5.19
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 5.8. Areas That Need to be Addressed in the Short Term to Meet the NFIP Accreditation and Immediate ULDC Requirements
City of Sacramento 5.20
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 5.9. Sites Involved in the Long-Term Modernization Phase Regional Planning
DWR launched the Regional Flood Management Plan (RFMP) effort to assist local agencies in developing long-term regional flood management plans that address local needs, articulate local and regional flood management priorities, and establish the common vision of regional partners.
DWR is currently providing funding and resource support to help develop regional plans consistent with the CVFPP. There are six regions; the City is part of the Lower Sacramento River/Delta North City of Sacramento 5.21
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
region. When the regional plans are completed, DWR will incorporate feasible components of the regional plans in the next CVFPP update.
5.3 Implementation Strategies and Action Items
Implementation actions described above are summarized in Table 5.2 and explained in the text that follows.
Table 5.2. Levee and Structural Improvement Action Items Action Responsible Department Schedule
1. Support Local Efforts to Improve
Flood Facilities
DOU, Engineering Services,
Community Development, elected
officials
Short term and ongoing
2. Plan and Implement
Modernization Phase of Levee
Accreditation and ULDC
DOU, Engineering Services Long term
3. Participate in Regional Flood
Management Plan
DOU, Engineering Services Short term and ongoing
1. Support Local Efforts to Improve Flood Facilities.
Issue/Background Statement: The major flood projects that protect the City are joint USACE/CVFPB/SAFCA projects. As a parent agency of SAFCA, the City plays an important role in supporting local efforts to achieve timely improvements in flood protection.
Implementation Strategy: City staff and elected officials will continue to advocate for local flood improvements to achieve a minimum of 200-year level of flood protection.
Responsible Office: DOU, Engineering Services, Community Development, elected officials Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short term and ongoing
2. Plan and Implement Modernization Phase of Levee Accreditation and ULDC.
Issue/Background Statement: Along with RD 1000, the ARFCD, and MA 9, the City maintains a portion of the levees protecting it. The modernization phase of this program will occur in 10-30 years, and will address encroachments, access, and vegetation on the levees.
Implementation Strategy: City staff responsible for levee maintenance will carry out a program to bring encroachments and vegetation into compliance with federal and state requirements.
Maintenance access issues will also be addressed at that time.
City of Sacramento 5.22
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Responsible Office: DOU, Engineering Services
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Long term
3. Participate in Regional Flood Management Plan.
Issue/Background Statement: The City has been an active participant in DWR’s RFMP for the lower Sacramento River region.
Implementation Strategy: City staff will continue to participate in the RFMP to develop regional flood actions in order to improve operations and maintenance of existing facilities, along with formulating new flood projects that increase the level of flood protection.
Responsible Office: DOU, Engineering Services
Potential Funding: Staff time
Schedule: Short term and ongoing
6 INTERNAL DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS
City of Sacramento 6.1
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
6.1 Introduction and Background
In addition to the risk of flooding from levee failure, a considerable flood risk exists due to inadequate internal drainage infrastructure. This chapter discusses the flood risk reduction that can be realized from improvements to the City’s internal storm drainage system. The chapter includes background material on the system, a review of the current system’s status as a flood risk reduction tool, and a discussion of goals to improve the system.
6.1.1 Internal Drainage System
In Sacramento, as in most areas, runoff from rainwater enters storm drain inlets (DIs), which lead to an extensive underground storm drainpipe system. Because of the flat nature of the terrain in Sacramento, runoff is pumped through levees to a creek or river. If this system fails to operate properly (e.g., DIs are clogged, or pump stations are down), there is considerable risk of property damage from flooding during intense storms, see Figures 6.1 and 6.2.
Figure 6.1. Flooding Caused by Internal Drainage Issues, Anita Avenue and 23rd Street Source: DOU
City of Sacramento 6.2
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 6.2. Flooding Caused by Internal Drainage Issues, Springman Street and 65th Avenue.
Source: DOU
Although levee failure may result in much more catastrophic damage than flooding from internal drainage, most of the City’s flood damage since 1955 has resulted from drainage deficiencies. In 1995, for instance, approximately 100 homes in four south area drainage basins incurred flood damage due to internal drainage system failure during a particularly intense storm. The City has a total of 869 miles of storm drain pipelines, 71 miles of creeks/ditches/canals, 219 miles of DI leads, 31,639 drain inlets and 106 pump stations. The City’s drainage basins are shown in Figure 6.3.
Much of this infrastructure was constructed before current storm drainage design guidelines were in place. In many areas, the system is sized based on outdated hydrology and does not have capacity to drain a 100-year storm event.
City of Sacramento 6.3
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
Figure 6.3. City of Sacramento Drainage Basins
Source: City of Sacramento DOU 2024
City of Sacramento 6.4
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
6.2 Current Implementation Status
Drainage Fund Shortfall
The combined sewer system (CSS), located primarily in the central part of the City, is unique in that, within its 7,500 acres, the drainage system and sewer systems are combined into a common network of pipes (see Figure 6.4). Because utility customers pay both sewer and drainage rates, in the past, DOU has apportioned the cost for the state-mandated CSS Improvement Program between the Sewer Fund and Drainage Fund. However, due to a steady decline of the Drainage Fund, the CSS had received minimal financial support from this source, greatly impacting the program.
Figure 6.4. City of Sacramento Combined Sewer System
Source: City of Sacramento DOU 2004
The DOU is responsible for operating, maintaining, and making improvements to the storm drainage system. Upgrades to the system are achieved through drainage capital improvement projects (CIPs). These projects are identified through a master planning process and prioritized based on criticality, including the amount of flood risk reduced by the project. Approximately $70 million of the highest priority projects have been completed over the last 11 years, but a backlog of over $178 million identified by CIP prioritization for flooding issues remains, leaving many City of Sacramento 6.5
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
areas in the City with inadequate protection from a 100-year storm event (see Error! Reference source not found.).
Table 6.1. 5-Year Drainage Capital Improvement Program
Project Cost
Base CIP Contingency Drainage Program $4,334,955
Ditch Repair Program $6,239,227
Drain Inlet Replacement Program $416,026
Drainage Unplanned Repairs Program $1,763,159
Drainage Channel Improvements Program $1,108,215
Drainage Sump Replacement And Rehabilitation Program $9,155,276 Drainage Improvement Program $5,145,477
Drainage Collection System Repair And Rehabilitation Program $3,750,390 Drainage Trash Capture Program $6,300,000
Drainage Facility Electrical Rehabilitation Program $16,600,000 Assessment District Basin 141 Improvements $1,650,000
Total $50,225,725
Source: 2023 – 2027 Approved Capital Improvement Program Repairs and upgrades to the system as well as its operation and maintenance (O&M) are funded from storm drainage user fees and sewer fees in the CSS. From the mid-1990s to 2004, the City spent around $8 million per year on CIPs. However, due to increased operational, maintenance, regulatory costs, and zero rate increases since 1996, the money available for storm drainage CIPs was greatly diminished. At the time of the previous CFMP preparation during 2015 – 2016, limited funding was available for storm drainage CIPs.
Tackling this drainage project backlog will require significant investment from the City over the next 50 years. If the City wants to continue to design and construct the backlogged CIPs, it will have to address the health of the Storm Drainage Fund. Storm drainage user fees, like other City utility fees, are set (or approved) by the City Council with consideration of recommendations from the DOU’s newly appointed Rate Advisory Commission (RAC). An effort to increase the funds available for CIPs should include the strategies outlined below.
Storm Drain Utility Fee Increase
The viability of the Storm Drainage Fund has been consistently eroding in the recent past due to increasing O&M costs and an ever increasing state and federal regulatory burden. In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 218 requiring that any storm drain rate increase must be put to a vote of the rate payers and approved by at least 50 percent of those who vote. In the past 17 years, there was no rate increase which created a backlog of needed storm drain improvements.
Any strategy to address the backlog of storm drain system improvement projects must include a strategy to raise the storm drain fee.
City of Sacramento 6.6
Comprehensive Flood Management Plan
May 2024
In 2022, the City of Sacramento rate payers voted to pass a new storm drainage fee to fund CIPs.
This rate increase was subject to regulations established in Proposition 218, and about 52 percent of property owners approved the measure to increase the storm drain fee. The fee increase for most single-family homeowners is about $70 per year (representing an annual increase from about $135 to $205), though the ultimate fee is assessed based on the size of impervious surface at the property.
This fee increase would raise approximately $15 million to address the storm drain CIP background and continue improvements on the stormwater system. Due to ongoing litigation, collected funds are frozen until such litigation is resolved.