Marin Emergency Center Upgrades Tested By Tsunami Alert

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Recent upgrades to Marin County's Emergency Operations Center, including new 24/7 duty officers, were stress tested last week when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake off the California coast triggered a tsunami warning across the region.

According to the county, the "timely test" illustrated the effectiveness of improved disaster preparedness abilities, including technology upgrades, new personnel, and an expanded operations center.

Officials with the Office of Emergency Management said the new duty officer program was designed to ensure someone is monitoring for incidents around the clock, responding to developing situations and quickly sharing information with the public.

Technology upgrades include advanced monitoring tools with real-time dashboards and live cameras, and the Emergency Operations Center now features a room equipped to host news conferences on short notice.

The newly expanded facility is home to 85 workstations with room for 115 employees, with space for representatives from key partners like PG&E, the National Weather Service and CalOES. In the field, the county added two SUVs to the emergency fleet that are equipped with Starlink systems to ensure internet connectivity on the go during a disaster.

County officials said last week's quake off the Humboldt County coast proved how vital having a multifaceted emergency hub can be when time is of the essence.

"We've worked hard to create a space that meets the evolving needs of our community," said Steven Torrence, the Marin OEM Director. "These upgrades include standardizing all emergency alerts in English and Spanish and finalizing a framework to alert the public in their preferred language. This allows us to provide a robust and equitable response during disasters and ensure the safety of Marin residents, workers and visitors."

A partnership finalized last month between the county and local jurisdictions allows the EOC to act as a "shared resource" among all cities and towns, providing operational and emergency support as needed. The Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative recently provided $300,000 to the Marin County Board of Supervisors to help cover disaster logistics trucks and field equipment.

County officials urge all residents to ensure they are signed up for AlertMarin to receive real-time, local updates during critical emergencies.