(a) For the purposes of this section, “emergency action plan” means a written document that outlines actions to be undertaken during an emergency in order to minimize or eliminate the potential loss of life and property damage.
(b) An emergency action plan shall do all of the following:
(1) Be based upon an inundation map approved by the Department of Water Resources pursuant to Section 6161 of the Water Code.
(2) Be developed by the dam’s owner in consultation with any local public safety agency that may be impacted by an incident involving the dam, to the extent a local public safety agency wishes to consult.
(3) Adhere to Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines, and include, at a minimum, all of the following:
(A) Notification flowcharts and contact information.
(B) The response process.
(C) The roles and responsibilities of the dam owner and impacted jurisdictions following an incident involving the dam.
(D) Preparedness activities and exercise schedules.
(E) Inundation maps approved by the Department of Water Resources pursuant to Section 6161 of the Water Code.
(F) Any additional information that may impact life or property.
(c) At least once annually, an owner of a dam shall conduct an emergency action plan notification exercise with local public safety agencies, to the extent that a local public safety agency wishes to participate. This annual exercise is to ensure that emergency communications plans and processes are current and implemented effectively.
(d) (1) The appropriate public safety agencies of any city, county, or city and county, the territory of which includes any of those areas identified in an inundation map and the emergency action plan, may adopt emergency procedures for the evacuation and control of the potentially affected areas. The Office of Emergency Services may provide guidance to these agencies on incorporating the emergency action plan into the local all-hazard emergency response plans and local hazard mitigation plans.
(2) Local public safety agencies may adopt emergency procedures that incorporate the information contained in an emergency action plan in a manner that conforms to local needs, and that includes all of the following elements:
(A) Methods and procedures for alerting and warning the public.
(B) Delineation of the area to be evacuated.
(C) Routes to be used.
(D) Traffic control measures.
(E) Shelters to be activated for the care of the evacuees.
(F) Methods for the movement of people without their own transportation.
(G) Identification of particular areas or facilities in the flood zones that will not require evacuation because of their location on high ground or similar circumstances.
(H) Identification and development of procedures for the evacuation and care of people with access and functional needs and for the evacuation of specific facilities, such as schools, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other facilities as deemed necessary.
(I) Procedures for the perimeter and interior security of the evacuated area.
(J) Procedures for the lifting of the evacuation and reentry of the area.
(K) Details as to which organizations are responsible for the functions described in this paragraph and the material and personnel resources required.
(3) Each agency that prepares emergency procedures may review and update these procedures in accordance with its established schedules.
(e) Nothing in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 shall be construed to require disclosure of an emergency action plan.
(f) The Office of Emergency Services may promulgate emergency regulations, as necessary, for the purpose of this section in accordance with the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3). The adoption of these regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 26, Sec. 61. (SB 92) Effective June 27, 2017.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018