City of Hermosa Beach Office of Emergency Management 

The purpose of the Office of Emergency Management is to prepare city staff, residents, businesses and visitors in emergency preparedness to decrease the impacts of potential disasters in the community. The Office of Emergency Management is managed by the full-time Emergency Services Coordinator who reports directly to the City Manager. 

Area of Responsibilities:

1. Educate the community regarding emergency preparedness.
2. Create plans and procedures to effectively prepare for, mitigation, respond to and recovery from disasters.
3. Manage the Emergency Preparedness Advisory Board and the Hermosa Beach Community Emergency Preparedness Team (CERT).
4. Coordinate the community-wide emergency notification system.  

While the public’s health and safety is the top priority for City officials, during a large incident, Emergency Medical Services and other response entities may be overwhelmed for seven days or more. City officials will be focused on restoring City services and ensuring the safety of critical infrastructure immediately following a disaster. It is the responsibility of the residents to educate and prepare their families, homes and neighborhoods for a major incident. 

Tsunami Preparedness

What is a tsunami?

A tsunami is a series of large ocean waves generated by either large, subduction zone earthquakes which deform the ocean floor or by landslides within or falling into the ocean. When the waves enter shallow depths near a coastline, they may rise to several feet or, in rare cases, tens of feet. If you are on a beach or in low coastal areas it is imperative you are aware that a tsunami could arrive within minutes after a severe earthquake. A tsunami’s danger period can continue for many hours after a major earthquake. Tsunamis can occur during any season of the year and at any time, day or night. Hermosa Beach is a community that may be impacted by tsunamis. The City's Tsunami map shows potential inundation zone. 

Types of Tsunamis

Distant Source: After an event on the ocean floor (earthquake, landslide) displaces water, a wave is formed which travels out from where the event occurred. Some of the water travels across the ocean basin. Scientists refer to this event as a “distant source tsunami”. Distant source tsunamis usually provide more time than near source tsunamis for warning and preparation.

Near Source: Near source tsunamis are caused when a subduction zone (such as Cascadia) is immediately offshore from your location. They can be more dangerous as they are closer to shore and can reach your shoreline within minutes of the originating earthquake. They may also be larger than a wave coming from across the ocean when they do strike, as their energy has not had time nor distance to dissipate. Near source tsunamis provide little to no time for warning, evacuation, first responder preparation and dangerous circumstances for response.

Official Tsunami Messages

These messages are evaluated and generated by the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC).

• Warning: Dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents. Move to high ground or inland.
• Advisory: Strong currents and waves dangerous to those in or very near water. Stay out of water, away from beaches and waterways.
• Watch: Hazard not yet known. Stay tuned for more information. Be prepared to act.
• Information statement: No threat or very distant event for which hazard has not been determined. No action suggested at this time.

 Be sure to register for Alert South Bay to get emergency notifications from the City of Hermosa Beach

Additional Tsunami Resources

• National Tsunami Warning Center 
• California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) - My Hazards tool to search for hazards by address.  
• The Tsunami Zone

Are you Prepared?

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