GLORIA SHELLER
Assistant Perspectives Editor
As I look out my window, it is hard to believe that the beautiful blue ocean could devastate the 27- mile stretch that is Malibu. It is true however, that Malibu could be ravaged by a tsunami similar to those experienced in Thailand just one year ago. So Malibu dwellers beware of earthquakes, fires, mudslides and now tsunamis.
No matter how ridiculous it may seem, a tsunami is possible in Malibu and residents need to be aware of the dangers and ways to save themselves. Thankfully, Malibu’s city council is doing something to protect residents.
It seems unlikely, but a major landslide on the Palos Verdes Peninsula can lead to waves ranging anywhere from 15 to 65 feet high, constituting a local tsunami. According to Palos Verdes city officials, there are efforts to slow the three major landslides that have been plaguing the peninsula.
The city has gone so far as to discontinue construction on and continue de-watering programs in areas such as Portuguese Bend, Albone Canyon and Klondike Canyon.
According to the Malibu Surfside News, the beloved city, home to Pamela Anderson and singer Sting, would be gone due to its desirable but treacherous beachside locations. The wave would then cross the Pacific Coast Highway and everything from the super trendy Planet Blue to the classic Reel Inn could be crushed.
Along with the stores and restaurants that would parish in wake of a tsunami, the Malibu Police Department, the City Hall, the Fire Department and probably the public library would all be damaged or taken out.
Malibu is not sitting back and waiting for the tsunami to sweep it away. The city council is cooking up a plan to help protect the city and its residents from such devastation.
While efforts to protect the city may be costly, residents have to remember that the money used is completely worth it. Every dollar used is a dollar toward protecting lives.
First, a tsunami plan has been formed and is being presented to the city council at their next meeting, later this month. The 38-page proposal is stocked with the best escape routes and a warning system. While most places would have a siren system alerting residents of danger, Malibu might have a phone alert system instead. The problem is that most people are not in their houses in Malibu. They are at the beach, the park or doing some other outside activity. Thus a phone call would not reach half as many people as a siren. But, whatever they want to do is better than nothing, I guess.
Second, the city has published pamphlets encouraging surfers to stay out of the water during a tsunami. Good job, Malibu. Surfers have been enjoying the larger waves as a result of the storms over the holidays and while it seems trivial, it’s better to be safe than sorry. In the October edition of the online news publication, Guerrilla News Network, Malibu’s emergency preparedness director Brad Davis said the city cannot overestimate people’s intelligence when it comes to something like this.
Obviously it is important for surfers to steer clear of these seemingly epic waves because a tsunami is not your typical wave. It is bigger, stronger, faster and less predictable than the waves one would find down at Zuma.
The threat of a tsunami in Malibu is small but ever-present. It is imperative that we don’t take our sun-soaked city for granted because true to typical Malibu fashion, the tides will turn. Watch the news, read the local newspapers, and stay up on what is happening around the world. Such awareness could save your life.
As for Pepperdine residents on the hill, should a tsunami hit the coast, chances are you’re fine. You can watch all the chaos from the comfort of your window.
01-19-2006