All About Newport Beach

Newport Beach Installs Emergency Notification System

Have you been wondering what those tall sirens located in West Newport and the Balboa Peninsula were? They are the new emergency notification system for the coastal residents of Newport Beach.

The city of Newport Beach has recently installed an outdoor emergency notification system in Newport Beach. These emergency sirens are located in west Newport Beach at 58th Street near the tennis courts. The other locations for the emergency sirens are at the Balboa Peninsula at 15th Street near Veterans Park, and West Jetty View Park near the entrance to the wedge.

The emergency notification system will be tested regularly on the first Friday of each month at 12 pm (noon). The siren will be at a reduced decibel level between 60 and 100. The first test of the emergency sirens will occur on January 11, 2011 at 12 pm. During actual emergencies, the decibel level will be higher level of 130 decibels so residents will be able to hear the siren. Below is the location of one of the three sirens.

The city of Newport Beach considers this important along the coastline, and in the event of an actual emergency, the residents of Newport Beach will be alerted by the use of these emergency sirens.

For more information about the City of Newport Beach emergency preparation, call the City at 949.644.3112.

Also, you can register online at www.alertOC.com. It is a mass notification system which has been designed to keep the residents and businesses of Orange County residents informed of emergencies.

Pet Owners Get 90 More Minutes of Beach Time in Newport Beach

The Newport Beach City Council has amended an ordinance to allow residents to walk their dogs for an additional ninety minutes per day on the beaches in Newport Beach. There is an additional hour in the morning, and an additional thirty minutes more in the afternoons.

With the new ordinance, dogs are banned from the beaches between 10:00 am  and 4:30 pm, in lieu of the previous ordinance of 9 :00 am to 5:00 pm.  The dog walking ordinance has taken place immediately. If however, you are looking for a place to take your dog to the beach, you may want to consider Dog Beach in Huntington Beach - where the dogs are allowed run and play off leash.

The increase in the time was to provide pet owners and dog walkers more day light time to walk their dogs along the beach.

The fines for violating the dog walking ordinance are as follows: $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second violation and $500 for the third violation.

This is great news for the city of Newport Beach residents who want that additional time to walk their dog along the beach.

Powerless Carnival Cruise Line Arrives in San Diego

The Carnival Cruise Line – the Splendor  left Long Beach, California last Sunday for a seven-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. The cruise ship was appropximately 200 miles south of San Diego when there was an engine fire. The fire occured on Monday, and it cut off power to the ship, so there was no air conditioning, or electricity. Passengers with interior cabins had no windows and no electricity for light.

With nearly 4500 people aboard the cruise ship, it was adrift until four tug boats were able to reach it. The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was diverted to assist the ship and provided supplies to the passengers. 

There are four tug boats that are towing it to San Diego Harbor at a fairly slow pace of approximately 6 knots. This is due to the size of the ship as it is approximately 952 feet. The passsengers will be bussed back to Long Beach. After that, the Splendor will be towed back to Long Beach, CA. The passengers are now in the process of getting off the ship for their ride  back to Long Beach, CA.

For more information regarding Carnival Cruise Line -  the Splendor, view this news article.