Next week is Tsunami Preparedness Week! The big water is gonna hit us sooner or later, so it’s as well that we should be prepared.

The first event of the week comes tomorrow at 9:30 a.m., when the Office of Emergency Services will lead a drill in one of the most tsunami-prone communities in the county: Manila. The “hi-lo” sirens should start sounding right about then, and if you’re a Manila resident maybe you want to practice getting yourself to higher ground. See the map below.

Also: Consider signing up for the emergency alert system, as detailed in the following communique from HumOES.

Have a fun, safe, successful drill, Manila friends! Shelter Cove, your turn is coming on Thursday. And the big, county- and region-wide drill happens Wednesday, 

From the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services:

Do you know what to do in the event of a tsunami? Tsunami Preparedness Week is set for March 21-25, 2022, and the community is invited to take part in any of the several events happening this month to bolster your personal preparedness for a local tsunami.

Kicking off tsunami week, on Saturday, March 19, the community of Manila will undergo a walking evacuation drill beginning at 9:30 a.m. As part of this drill, Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies will patrol several neighborhood streets sounding the Hi-Lo Evacuation Siren and Office of Emergency Services staff will conduct a test of Zonehaven AWARE, the county’s new evacuation mapping tool. Residents in Manila are encouraged to walk to higher ground, as designated in the included map, upon hearing the Hi-Lo siren. This drill is being organized by the National Weather Service in coordination with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the Manila Community Services District.

On Wednesday, March 23, a test of the Tsunami Warning Communications System will be conducted for Del Norte, Humboldt, and Mendocino counties. Beginning at about 9 a.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) will conduct a test of Humboldt Alert, the county’s emergency alert system. Residents who are signed up for Humboldt Alert, will receive an alert to their cellphone, landline, or email as part of this test. Later that morning, at 11 a.m., the National Weather Service will then conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). As part of this test, alerts will be sent out via radio and TV broadcasts, weather radio, reverse 911, and tsunami sirens may be activated in some areas. People on the coast may also hear test broadcasts from airplanes.

Finally, on Thursday, March 24, the town of Shelter Cove will undergo a walking evacuation drill. During this drill, the town will also test their tsunami sirens. For more information about this drill, please contact the Shelter Cove Fire Department.

“Humboldt County is prone to a variety of natural and human caused disasters,” said Ryan Derby Humboldt County Sheriff’s OES Manager. “Your best tool to effectively respond to and recover from a disaster is your personal preparedness.”

Humboldt County residents are encouraged to utilize Tsunami Preparedness Week to review your personal preparedness plans for a local disaster.Find out if you live, work, or recreate in a Tsunami Hazard Zoneand create a plan for how you will respond should a tsunami occur. Create and discuss your emergency plan with family, friends and co-workers.

Residents are also encouraged to sign up for Humboldt Alert, the county’s opt-in emergency alert system, and tofind their pre-designated evacuation zone using Zonehaven AWARE, the county’s new evacuation mapping tool. Remember, we can’t alert you if we can’t reach you.

“Recent events like the December 6.0M earthquake and January tsunami advisory really served as a wakeup call to some of our coastal communities regarding the very real threat of a destructive tsunami,” Derby said. “Whether you are on the coast or inland, now is the time to begin getting yourself and your family prepared for whatever disaster the future may have in store.”

Find out more about preparing for earthquakes, tsunamis or any other disasters on the North Coast at https://rctwg.humboldt.edu or Ready.gov.