County Brings Noted Crisis Communications Expert to Alert and Warning Seminar

Redwood City - San Mateo County Emergency Management today hosted a comprehensive Alert and Warning seminar bringing together nearly 100 emergency management professionals from 37 organizations across eight Bay Area counties to address critical gaps in emergency communication systems that have contributed to preventable deaths in recent disasters.

The seminar, featuring internationally recognized crisis communication expert Dr. Jeannette Sutton, comes as this week's devastating Texas Hill Country floods - where floodwaters rose 22 feet in just two hours - serve as a stark reminder of how communication failures during emergencies can cost lives. With California facing increasing wildfire and flood risks, the timing underscores the urgent need for Bay Area communities to strengthen their emergency alert systems before disaster strikes.

"Alerts and warnings are literally life-saving infrastructure-as critical to public safety as our roads, bridges, and hospitals," said Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, director of San Mateo County Emergency Management. "We didn't wait for a crisis to expose our gaps. We proactively sought expert evaluation of our communications to become a model for how alert systems should work-and we're fortunate to have operational partners across cities and neighboring counties committed to getting this right together. That collective coordination is rare in emergency management, yet it's a necessity for effective alerting in the moments that matter most."

Research Reveals Opportunities for Enhanced Emergency Communications

Sutton's analysis of emergency messaging systems has identified significant opportunities for improvement in how communities communicate during crises. Her research reveals widespread patterns across the nation where alert systems fail to reach their full life-saving potential.

"When we rely on technical jargon in moments that demand clear, actionable language, we're not maximizing our potential to save lives," said Sutton, founder of The Warn Roomand associate professor at the University at Albany. "Every second counts when floodwaters can rise 22 feet in two hours - our communications must be immediately clear and actionable."

Evidence-Based Solutions for Life-Saving Communications

The seminar introduced Sutton's Five Elements Content Framework and Warning Lexicon-research-based tools covering 48 hazards and 112 protective action statements that eliminate guesswork during critical incidents. San Mateo County is one of the first county in the United States to implement this evidence-based framework.

Participants received 45 tested message templates for the most frequent hazards emergency managers face, developed through rigorous research.

"Her research into wildfire alerts reveals that counties use five different terms to trigger evacuation - creating dangerous confusion when lives depend on immediate action," noted Ryan Reynolds, assistant director of Emergency Management.

Leadership Commitment and Regional Collaboration

County Executive Mike Callagy gave welcoming remarks, kicking off the event and emphasizing the County's proactive approach to emergency preparedness: "We're not here to be reactive; we're here to be proactive and forward-thinking so we can serve our residents when they need us most. This initiative embodies the County of San Mateo's commitment to serving our public before, during, and after disasters. We are here with all our operational area partners and neighboring counties because when it comes to emergency management, we are one unified team, one fight. We must be at our best when disasters are at their worst."

Callagy stressed the urgency of the work, noting recent disasters.

"The devastating events we've witnessed in Texas this week serve as a stark reminder of why this work cannot wait. Natural disasters don't follow our timelines-they demand that we act with urgency and purpose now," he said.

The seminar emphasized that effective emergency communication requires regional coordination.

"We succeed or fail together," Dhapodkar said. "When any one of our alerts work better, that benefits all of us. When our communications are clear, that strengthens the entire Bay Area."

Lalo Rubio, San Mateo County's Alert & Warning Coordinator, presented a detailed case study of January 2025 Los Angeles wildfire alert failures and identified national patterns where similar challenges persist across four disaster regions. Rubio, who brings experience in emergency messaging at national, state, and local levels, will host "Learn with Lalo" office hour sessions this summer and fall to provide ongoing support for participating organizations.

Building Trust Through Better Communication

The initiative addresses a critical challenge: rebuilding public trust in government communications. "Decades of inconsistent messaging and communication failures during critical moments have left many residents skeptical of official warnings precisely when they need to trust us most," Dr. Dhapodkar[MD1] noted.

When people lack trust in emergency communications, they delay taking protective action, seek confirmation from unofficial sources, or disregard warnings altogether. The seminar's evidence-based approach aims to restore confidence through consistent, clear, and actionable messaging.

About Dr. Jeannette Sutton

Sutton began her career as a trauma chaplain and victim advocate, including serving at Columbine High School, before becoming the world's leading expert on disaster warning communications. Her real-world experience witnessing how critical communication can be in life-or-death moments transformed her into a researcher whose work is revolutionizing emergency communications nationwide.

Moving Forward

Dr. Dhapodkar emphasized that this seminar represents just the beginning of a comprehensive effort to strengthen Bay Area emergency communications. The County's proactive approach to improving alert systems before a crisis occurs sets a new standard for emergency preparedness.

"Our goal isn't just to avoid the failures we've seen elsewhere," Dhapodkar said. "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."

Cari Guittard

415-608-0806

cguittard@smcgov.org