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is not responsible for losses caused by "an act of God", each claim would be reviewed on a case by case basis. In response to Council questions, Mr. McCarthy said this was the worst storm in anyone's memory, PG&E was still in a "repair mode", and the 1989 earthquake pales in comparison to the damage PG&E suffered to its equipment. Mayor Hartnett described the Redwood City Disaster Advisory Committee established by Ordinance No. 1524, February 14, 1972 and amended thereafter: The Mayor is the Chairperson, a designated Council Member is liaison to the County Emergency Services Council and Vice Chairperson; the City Manager is Director of Emergency Services and the Fire Chief is Emergency Operations Manager. The Committee not only develops and recommends emergency and mutual aid plans, rules and regulations as are necessary, but determines conditions which would constitute a local emergency. The Committee can take action (if the Council is unable to convene) and if the majority of the Committee cannot convene the Chair can take action on his own. Mayor Hartnett advised that on December 13, 1995 he convened the Disaster Advisory Committee and requested the Redwood City Police Chief and Public Works Services Director to attend as well. The expanded Committee reviewed conditions in Redwood City and the responses of all the departments. Each department said that existing authority and resources would be sufficient to respond to all emergencies, and the Committee determined it was not necessary to declare a local emergency. Mayor Hartnett reported that the Committee discovered the main problem to be one of communication between the Committee and the management staff at PG&E. The City crews and PG&E crews worked extremely well together identifying and fixing "hot spots." Mayor Hartnett stated there was no mechanism for PG&E to provide the City with updates. The City should have been a conduit from PG&E management staff to Redwood City residents and businesses to relieve the burden on PG&E phones and provide updated and reliable information to those who called the City. Mayor Hartnett advised that if an emergency situation arose in the future he would convene the Committee and would include the Police Chief as a member, as well as a designee from Public Works Services. The police officers and street crews are our first contact with people in need and their input is invaluable. Mayor Hartnett stated Redwood City had a lot to be thankful for including the work of our City crews who worked above and beyond the call of duty and non-stop to fill in the gaps until PG&E could respond. Some time prior to the storm Mayor Hartnett had scheduled a meeting of the Disaster Council for December 18, 1995 to review its role in an emergency. The meeting was held and everyone with statutory responsibility in the Committee now has a clear understanding of the role of the Committee and the chain of command in the event of another emergency. Mayor Hartnett advised that the entire Council would soon visit the Emergency Operations Center at the Police Facility and receive a full briefing on Redwood City's emergency preparedness plan. MINUTE BOOK NO. 53 Special Council Meeting Minutes December 19, 1995 Page No. 490 Page 9 -_..