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City staff proposes $160,000 emergency preparedness work plan; council presses for water, retrofit and outreach details
Summary
City staff presented a FY25–26 emergency preparedness work plan and a proposed $160,000 first‑year investment covering an updated Emergency Operations Plan, staff training, CERT expansion, EOC readiness, community outreach and shelter planning; council asked staff to add a seismic‑vulnerable buildings survey and review water storage/well tradeoffs.
Denise Garcia, assistant to the city manager, presented a proposed emergency preparedness work plan and asked the council for guidance on priorities. The staff plan prioritized an updated Emergency Operations Plan (last revised in 2011), a crisis communications plan, mandatory basic disaster training for city staff, increased CERT participation, shelter planning and emergency supplies and EOC restocking.
"We are proposing a $160,000 investment in the foundational areas that will help strengthen our program," Garcia told the council, noting the number reflects an initial package to be refined in the upcoming city budget process. The proposal identified two currently approved shelters (the YMCA of East Palo Alto and Faith Missionary Baptist Church) with combined capacity of about 200 people, and staff recommended formalizing agreements and clarifying usage rules with Red Cross assistance.
Nut graf: Council discussion focused on three additions staff should examine: (1) a current, prioritized inventory of seismically vulnerable buildings and targeted retrofit options; (2) the city’s water‑resilience strategy (new wells versus additional storage and interties) and MOUs with local water companies; and (3) accelerating community outreach and multilingual CERT recruitment to raise household preparedness for the ‘‘first 72 hours on you.’’
Council members did not take a binding vote on the proposed budget; they generally supported the work plan concept while requesting staff return with more detailed cost estimates, an updated building‑vulnerability list and follow up on sheltering and water‑supply options.
Ending: Staff said it would incorporate council feedback and bring a revised budget and timeline back during the FY25–26 budget process.
