San Diego Certified as 'Tsunami Prepared'

Mayor Jerry Sanders announced Thursday that the city of San Diego has been certified as “tsunami prepared.”

Sanders accepted a letter of recognition on behalf of the city from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which certified San Diego’s tsunami and storm preparedness.

“We're the largest city in the nation to receive the certification,” Sanders said.

Lifeguard Chief Rick Wurts explained that the three-year certification states that the city has effective communications tools to coordinate with other agencies and inform the public, has developed plans to respond to a tsunami warning and is able to interact with the National Weather Service.

The city’s tsunami plans have been implemented three times since the beginning of 2010. They were implemented twice for tsunamis that formed from the undersea earthquakes off Chile and Japan, and once for the rainstorms last winter, Wurts added.

The tsunamis caused minor damage to San Diego and Mission bays. The rainstorms resulted in flooding in Mission Valley that required evacuations and rescues.

While natural disasters cannot be prevented, Wurts said city officials can plan to limit damage and loss of life.

City News Service contributed to this report.