San Mateo County clears up emergency alert language

The framework, titled “Five Elements Content Framework and Warning Lexicon,” covers 48 different hazards and provides 112 protective action statements to “eliminate guesswork” during moments of crisis, according to a county press release. 

“When floodwater can rise 22 feet in two hours — as they did in Texas — our communications must be immediately clear and actionable,” Sutton said at the seminar. “Technical jargon in moments that demand clear language isn’t maximizing our potential to save lives.” 

Improvements to the county’s alert system includes using standardized language across all agencies, strengthened coordination between alert-sending authority agencies and emphasis on protecting the most vulnerable, according to a county press release. 

“The devastating events we’ve witnessed in Texas this week serve as a stark reminder of why this work cannot wait,” County Executive Mike Callagy said at the seminar. “Natural disasters don’t follow our timelines, they demand that we act with urgency and purpose now.” 

Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, director of San Mateo County Emergency Management, said alerts and warnings are “life-saving infrastructure.” 

“We didn’t wait for a crisis to expose our gaps,” Dhapodkar said. “We proactively sought expert evaluation of our communications to become a model for how alert systems should work — and we’re fortunate to have operations partners across cities and neighboring counties committed to get this right together.” 

Coordination across emergency response entities is a necessity for effective communication, Dhapodkar said. Past inconsistent messaging and communication failures have “left many residents skeptical” of official warnings during these vulnerable times, she said. 

Prior to the standardization, counties in the Bay Area have used up to five different terms to trigger evacuation, “creating dangerous confusion when lives depend on immediate action,” the press release read. 

At the seminar, Dhapodkar said effective communication with the various entities operating in the county is a focus of the Emergency Management department. 

“Our goal is to become a model for alert and warning systems that save lives through clear, timely, actionable communication while building public trust and strengthening community resilience,” Dhapodkar said. 

“If we have one voice as all the jurisdictions in San Mateo County, it’s going to be easy for people to verify and take the right steps, so that is what our focus is,” Dhapodkar said. “We want people to spend less time trying to confirm that alert, and to confirm it quickly because all our voices are saying the same thing.” 

For water systems and flooding, OneShoreline — San Mateo County’s flood and sea-level rise resilience district — has the authority and jurisdiction to track early flood warnings. It recently installed an extension of its warning system along State Route 92 to deliver such services on the coastside.