From: Tor Allen
To: Mary Gourley
Cc: City Council; Kari Svanstrom
Subject: comments on Sebastopol Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for 6/7 council meeting Date: Tuesday, June 07, 2022 2:57:47 PM
Greetings,
a few comments on the Sebastopol Local Hazard Mitigation Plan that is to be presented and adopted this evening.
1. There are several high priority action items (HW-1 pg 267, MH-1, MH-2, page 272, and MH-4, page 274) that list the fire department as the lead organization. With Chief Braga upcoming retirement, how will this impact the city's ability to implement these high priority items?
2. MH-4 - updating the Emergency Operations Plan (pg 274) would seem to be a high (highest) priority for implementing. There doesn't seem to be any detail on the EOP included in the LHMP. Is the current EOP available to the public? What is the status of updating the EOP? This process and results should be more transparent. This task is to be led by the fire department. How will the chief's retirement and potential consolidation with Gold Ridge impact updating and operating the EOP?
3. HW-1 (pg 267) PSPS (power outage) readiness. During an extended Power Outage, there is high risk that access to internet based information and cellular phone connections will not be available. Most residents will ask the question "what is going on?". A locally situated am or fm radio station would reach 99% of all area residents and provide updates on a routine basis. Portable AM/FM radios are inexpensive and most have them already. 2-way long distance walkie-talkies can help transmit information to a central location, if needed, but the radio broadcast function will address what most residents will need - information. Residents are already equipped and trained to use AM/FM radios. A local broadcast station would have a solar+battery power supply ensuring reliable operation. Any repeater towers needed would also be solar+battery powered to ensure 100% reliability. Having a locally based station, rather than rely on a Sonoma County or Santa Rosa based station, would permit focusing on local information. The station would include access to satellite based internet and cellular network to receive more detailed news found online - and can then pass relevant information forward to local residents via radio.
Cellular data networks are currently NOT 100% reliable. Power outages can disrupt service at several points of connection in the network. A radio station would provide this communication service.
Depending on a 2 way walkie-talkie system to broadcast information during power outage (and cell/data outage) would be like hosting a zoom meeting with 5000 people who all were trying to talk at the same time. 2-way walkie-talkie communication should be reserved for more limited purposes. eg. seeking help.
Thanks for your consideration.
best regards,
Tor