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City staff pursue grant, emergency communications upgrades and possible full‑time preparedness role
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Summary
City staff and committee members discussed emergency-preparedness upgrades, adopting materials from Laguna Beach, building an improved EOC and applying for an $8.5 million grant; staff could move a planner to full-time emergency preparedness if funding is secured.
City staff and committee members discussed strengthening San Clemente’s emergency-preparedness capacity at the April 28 meeting, including outreach materials for homeowners, improvements to the emergency operations center (EOC) and a possible large federal grant.
Adam from community development described reviewing other cities’ preparedness web materials and said he wants to create a San Clemente-specific emergency communications packet modeled on Laguna Beach’s approach. "I committed to Adam that I want to look at doing this, putting this together for us," a committee member said, noting Laguna Beach’s documents include evacuation maps, staging locations and homeowner hardening advice.
Staff also said they had applied for about an $8.5 million grant that, if received, could fund a move to a full-time emergency-preparedness position. "If either of those happen, I've already committed to him that we would move him to full time emergency preparedness," one member said.
Committee members urged outreach to high-risk neighborhoods, use of CERT volunteers and coordination with OCFA for home-hardening inspections. The committee asked staff to continue developing a tailored preparedness document and to explore FEMA and congressional office support for EOC improvements.
No final staffing or funding decisions were made at the meeting; staff will report back as grant outcomes and funding sources become clear.
