The signs are in response to a grand jury report issued in May that criticized the county's evacuation plans, particularly along the coast.

In Encinitas, two blue-and-white signs will be installed at entrances to city-owned beaches. One will warn the public they are entering a tsunami hazard zone and the other will instruct citizens where to go when there is an earthquake, said Tom Gallup, a management analyst for the city.

The city-owned beaches are:

Grandview Beach, 1700 Neptune Ave.

Beacons Beach, 948 Neptune Ave.

Stonesteps Beach, 350 S. El Portal.

Moonlight Beach, 400 B and C streets.

D Street Beach, 450 D St.

Swami's Beach, 1298 S. Coast Highway 101.

Tsunami warning signs also will be placed along major roads close to beaches. They include:

South Coast Highway 101 at Cardiff's restaurant row, which stretches along Cardiff State Beach from the San Elijo Lagoon to the boundary with Solana Beach.

The section of Encinitas Boulevard closest to Moonlight Beach.

Encinitas Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles said tsunami warning signs also will be installed on lifeguard towers at Moonlight Beach and Swami's.

The grand jury report also recommended sirens to warn residents of approaching tsunamis.

Sheriff Bill Kolender, however, responded in a letter in June that sirens are not necessary. He said that warning signs and the department's latest reverse 911 telephone notification system are much more effective. The reverse 911 system calls residents with a recorded warning of an impending disaster and tells them what to do.