Major quake, flood could spell disaster for Saltworks project
I am a resident of Redwood City with a professional background in mitigating and managing disasters. As a retired senior program officer with FEMA— part of the Department of Homeland Security — I served as chief deputy federal coordinating officer after the devastating Northridge earthquake and worked dozens of other U.S. disasters including the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. I am currently a team leader for Redwood City’s Community Emergency Response Team.
Cargill’s plan to put 30,000 new Redwood City residents in our Bayfront salt ponds has me very worried. As I’ve listened to Cargill’s developer, DMB Associates, what troubles me most is the lack of response to critical safetyrelated issues that make these salt ponds a dangerous location for a new community. The two issues of greatest concern to me are the threat posed by a major earthquake, and the fact that placing any housing on this sea-level floodplain will require a massive new levee to hold back the rising Bay waters. The safety of families and schoolchildren that Cargill proposes to place there should be the primary issue and concern.
Karen Keefer is a retired senior program officer with FEMA and currently a team leader for Redwood City’s Community Emergency Response Team.