From nature’s wrath to human error, hazards exist throughout the world and Palo Alto is no exception. While we can't prevent all hazards from occurring, we can be aware and prepare for them to minimize their impacts on our lives.
No matter what happens, we want everyone to be prepared. Stay informed, make a plan, build a kit and get involved.
1. Natural hazards are naturally occurring physical phenomena caused either by rapid or slow onset incidents which can be geophysical (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic activity), hydrological (avalanches and floods), climatological (extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires), meteorological (cyclones and storms/wave surges) or biological (disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues).
2. Technological hazards (complex emergencies/conflicts, infrastructure failures, industrial accidents and transportation accidents) are the negative consequences of human innovation that can result in the harm or destruction of life, property, or the environment.
3. Human-Caused, also called Intentional, hazards exist not due to accident or nature, but as a result of the conscious decision of man to act in an antisocial or anti-establishment manner.
We have identified the following as the primary threats and hazards of most concern to our city and our citizens.
2017 Palo Alto Threat and Hazards Identification and Risk Assessment(PDF, 914KB)
Threats and Hazards Brochure(PDF, 9MB)
CAL OES MyHazards Tool
Earthquake
An earthquake is a phenomenon resulting from the sudden release of stored energy in the crust of the Earth in the form of seismic waves. They can destroy nearly any type of asset, trigger landslides and flooding, spark fires, release toxic chemicals, and cause injuries or death from falling debris and glass.
Earthquake Preparedness Information
What You Can Do
1. Secure your space by identifying hazards and securing movable items.
2. Plan to be safe: Create a disaster plan and how to best communicate in an emergency.
3. Build a kit and prepare disaster supplies as an individual, family, business, and more.
4. Minimize financial hardship by organizing documents, strengthening your property, and considering insurance.
5. Drop, Cover, and Hold On when the earth shakes.
6. Improve safety after an earthquake by evacuating, helping others, and preventing further injuries or damage.
7. Read about the USGS earthquake outlook in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Floods & Severe Storms
A flood is any high flow, overflow, or water inundation of normally dry land areas. Most floods fall into three categories: riverine flooding, coastal flooding, or shallow flooding. Palo Alto's flood risk ranking is high and is most commonly caused by severe winter storms.
Flood and Winter Storm Preparedness
What You Can Do
- Know if you are in a Palo Alto flood zone by typing in your address to get a digital parcel report. Double-check by typing your address into FEMA's flood hazard map.
- Mitigate storm damage by elevating your foundation and considering flood insurance.
- View our flood and winter storm preparedness resources.
- Clear rain gutters, storm drains, elevate or move furniture, and store important documents.
- Been in a flood? Learn how to document damage, start clean up, and more.
Airplane Accident
The Palo Alto Airport and the City are in the flight path of two international airports: San Jose and San Francisco. Aviation accidents can originate from mechanical difficulties, pilot error, or acts of terrorism. They can occur mid-air, on land, or over water.
What You Can Do
In the event of an accident, stay informed and follow instructions from public safety officials.
Hazardous Waste/Materials Spill
Hazardous incidents can occur during use, production, storage, transportation, or disposal. These materials can cause death, serious injury, long-lasting health effects, and damage to both the environment and property. Hazardous materials include explosives, gases, flammable liquids, poisons, and radioactive and corrosive materials.
What You Can Do
1. Limit the quantities of hazardous materials/toxic products in your home and yard. Always follow instructions to use them safely.
2. Isolate these products to areas of your home where they are away from flames and out of reach of children.
3. Eliminate unnecessary or unused material safely via Palo Alto's Household Hazardous Waste Program.
4. Separate products so they can not accidentally mix with one another - use separate bins for each product.
5. Report hazardous conditions by calling our non-emergency line: (650) 329-2413.
Urban & Wildland Fire
Fires in densely populated residential, business, and Wildland Urban Interface areas are at risk of an uncontrolled fire event. In a major urban or wildland fire, auto-aid and mutual-aid agreements with CALFIRE will be utilized. Palo Alto strives to reduce risk through rapid response, fire code enforcement, public education, and preparation.
Prepare for Wildfires
What You Can Do
- Prepare for wildfire with our READY, SET, GO resources.
- Report hazardous and high-risk conditions to our non-emergency line: (650) 329-2413.
- Read the Foothills Fire Management Plan (2016)(PDF, 2MB).
- Be aware of and be ready for possible utility disruption.
- Stay Informed of local details at our regional fire status page.
Pandemic
A pandemic is a worldwide outbreak of disease that occurs when a new virus appears in the human population, causes serious illness, and then spreads easily from person to person worldwide. Pandemics could continue for up to 24 months, infecting millions of people, cause high death rates and major disruptions in supply chains for essential goods and services, and have significant financial impacts.
What You Can Do
- Get the annual flu vaccine.
- Prevent getting sick by following these practices from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
- During a pandemic, use the social distancing guidelines from the County Public Health Department.
Major Crime
A major crime is criminal incident (shooting, homicide, kidnapping) that can include multiple suspects or multiple victims with an ongoing threat to the community. Palo Alto participates in mutual-aid and regional organizations to share information, capabilities, and resources to prevent major crimes.
What You Can Do
- Reduce temptation for theft or burglary by putting valuables out of sight and keeping doors and windows locked.
- Be aware of your surroundings. Report suspicious activity.
- Read the Palo Alto Police personal safety brochure.
- Learn about Crime Prevention Safety tips.
Cyber Attack
Cyber terrorists/criminals can infiltrate institutions such as banking, medical, educational, governmental, military, communication, and infrastructure systems. Recently, trends in malicious cyber activity have been focused on stealing personal information.
What You Can Do
1. Keep your firewall turned on, or install a firewall on your computer. A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers accessing your computer to crash it, delete information, or steal passwords or sensitive information.
2. Install and regularly update antivirus software: This software is designed to prevent malicious programs from embedding on your computer that can run without your knowledge.
3. Keep your operating system up to date to fix security holes and get the latest protections.
4. Use strong passwords, and consider a password manager to generate and store unique passwords. Implement Multi-Factor authentication on your accounts.
5.Think before your click. Don't carelessly download email attachments from people you don't know, download files from untrusted sources, or click on questionable links.
6. Stay Cyber Safe - visit the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website for step by step instructions including fact sheets in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.
Workplace Violence
Violence or the threat of violence in a workplace situation can include physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening behavior. It can occur at or outside the workplace, including locations such as churches, malls, office buildings, and may be one person acting alone.
What You Can Do
1. Be aware. Report suspicious activity or threatening comments, including those you encounter in social media. Call the Palo Alto Police at 650-329-2413.
2. Park in well-lit areas and do not expose cash or other valuables.
3. Prepare by watching the Run, Hide, Fight: Surviving an Active Shooter Event video.
Civil Disorder
Civil disorder is unrest caused by a group of people and sometimes start from legal peaceful protests. There are many causes including animal rights, labor disputes, civil rights, campus issues, political issues, or special events. Civil disorder can disrupt city services, close roads, cause property damage, or result in injuries to citizens, police officers, or bystanders.
What You Can Do
1. Be aware. Follow and subscribe to Palo Alto Police to be alerted to planned events.
2. Exercise your first amendment rights, but before supporting a protest, understand who is organizing it, what is their agenda, and what is the likelihood of disorder? If unsure, avoid active protests including the areas surrounding event activity.
3. If a protest turns into a civil disturbance, leave the areas surrounding the event activity.
4. Report suspicious activity and disruptive behaviors by calling 9-1-1 or our non-emergency number at (650) 329-2413.
Nuclear Blast
A nuclear blast can cause significant damage and casualties from the explosion, heat, and radiation. A nuclear device can range from a small portable device carried by an individual to a weapon on a missile.
What You Can Do
1. Learn how to build a kit and make a plan.
2. Read more about Nuclear Explosion Preparation at Ready.gov.
Note: No public buildings in Palo Alto have been designated as fallout shelters. However, there are other means to protect yourself: time, distance, shielding.