By Lindsey Besecker and Jemma Eriksen
Staff Writers
The rains have finally ceased in Malibu, but the damage is still evident to anyone who drives on Pacific Coast Highway. There are cement barriers north of Pepperdine University, holding mounds of dirt back from crumbling down on the highway, and near Topanga Canyon Road there are numerous orange cones directing traffic away from the deteriorated hillside.
For some Malibu residents, the most detrimental damage was done to their households. One of the most important things for residents in such a high-risk area as Malibu to do is prepare themselves and their households for the variety of natural disasters that may occur in the city.
Malibu resident Lori Gunasekera has a few different emergency preparations for her family at her home off Las Flores Canyon. During the winter rains, a mudslide covered the roads on Las Flores Canyon, stranding the residents for a few days.
“We have an extra pantry with food and water in the garage in case of emergency,” Gunasekera said. “We also have an emergency kit in the car including an earthquake kit, extra jackets, hats and blankets. I grew up in Minnesota, and we never left the house without emergency kits in the car.”
Gunasekera also plans to pack extra clothing for herself, her husband and her 2-year-old son.
Household preparation should be taken into serious consideration after the plethora of mudslides threatened homes throughout Malibu’s pristine coastline.
“Of course you can’t stop disasters from happening, but if you have emergency preparedness, you can have a strong impact,” said Brad Davis, emergency preparedness coordinator for Malibu. “One of the missions of the city of Malibu and my personal mission is to get the word out on what is going on.”
Davis said there is a lot families can do to prepare for natural disasters in the area, such as fires, earthquakes and mudslides – all common occurrences in the area.
He first encourages anyone who comes to talk to him about disaster preparedness to make a plan. In the case of a wildfire, he said people should have food and clean water, have a way to reach family members to let them know the status of the family, and have a meeting place in case people get separated during an evacuation.
A general rule for keeping extra food and water is to have enough for three days, and keep one gallon of water per person per day.
“One of the things you have to think of when dealing with disasters are your vulnerabilities,” Davis said. “You need to understand and make a plan on how you are going to deal with that.”
Maria Grycan, community services representative for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which has a contract with Malibu, said information on preparedness is available at all the fire stations in Malibu. She wants as many people as possible to have the crucial information, such as escape plan pamphlets, preparing their houses for fires and fire safety checklists for seniors, so she said that if a fire station does not have the appropriate information, she is willing to mail it to the closest station for easier access.
“In this area, especially people who have been here for awhile, they tend to be pretty well-prepared as far as fires go,” Grycan said. “People who are just moving into the region probably need to do some more preparing.”
Although fires are an obvious threat given the dry vegetation and potential for Santa Ana winds in the area, the recent plethora of rains have brought another familiar danger for Malibu residents in mudslides.
“The terrain in Malibu is a continual challenge,” Davis said. “We are faced with the reality that Malibu is built into the side of the Santa Monica Mountains. When the rain comes, the hills fall down. We do everything we can to keep them from moving.”
Food and water are still essentials to have in case of landslides, but Davis also advised that residents have a first-aid kit and an out-of-state contact to call to give a status update on the family situation.
There are also things the local fire departments can do to help with preparing for mudslides.
“With the recent mudslides, we did give out a lot of sandbags,” Grycan said. “If there was one message I would send out to people it would be to not wait until it is raining to get the sandbags. Check the forecast for rain.”
The other common disaster in the area is earthquake, and Davis recommended the city’s CERT program (Community Emergency Response Team). Davis said the free training teaches participants how to be better prepared, operate fire extinguishers, medical operations and other basic survival skills. The program also prepares people for other types of disasters that occur in the area.
However, even with all the pamphlets and programs, Davis said there are still dangers that are difficult to prepare for.
“I don’t think there’s a community in the world that’s as prepared as they could be,” Davis said. “With all the best will in the world, there is no way our fire department and other (help) can be everywhere at once. It’s really up to individuals to help each other.”
For more information, residents should visit the city of Malibu Web site at www.ci.malibu.ca.us. For road closures, tune into 1620 AM or call (310) 456-9982. Davis said concerned residents can come to city hall and speak with him personally or can request that a community service representative come to their house to assess their level of risk.
“There is an amount of emergency preparedness that we all should have,” Davis said. “They need to remember that their personal well-being is something they have a hand in.”
05-25-2005YYY