By Ashley Obrey and Luke Simpson
Staff Writers
Blankets of rain imprisoned Malibu residents in their otherwise safe-havens of their homes and offices. Small rivers of dirty rainwater overflowed residential streets, leaving elements of trash, dead leaves, and mud graffiti on helpless sidewalks and streets. Unlucky commuters forced to drive their cars through the Noah-esque flood rains and the oceans of puddles on Pacific Coast Highway drove around in a permanent carwash. For weeks on end, Malibuites did not have to worry about a speck of dirt surviving on the sedans for more than a few minutes when the next gush of water would fall from the ever-gray skies. Sections of the hillsides toppled towards the ocean, blocking traffic, leveling homes, and creating an eerie concern that the worst was still to come.
Torrential rains hit Malibu in long spurts since January, making this the second-wettest rainy season on record since 1890, yet somehow or another, Malibu and its residents survived. Was this simply the luck of the Irish – er, the green dollar – or was the city truly prepared for the worst?
According to Brad Davis, the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator of Malibu, it’s almost impossible to be completely prepared to deal with the consequences of the forces of nature.
“I don’t think there’s a community in the world that is prepared for a disaster,” he said. “Malibu is no different.”
Nevertheless, Davis and his team have set up various projects under the Emergency Preparedness program within the 37-mile stretch of city to combat the various shapes and forms of disasters affecting Malibu, including wildfires, floods, earthquakes, as well as mud and land slides.
“The city’s program has successfully managed seven federally declared disasters since the city’s incorporation in 1991,” City Manager Katie Lichtig told the Malibu Times in 2004.
With a unique location on the coast, Malibu remains a vulnerable city in Southern California. Critical infrastructures like P.C.H. are always under repair so that it stays in use, yet power lines and waterlines are still of great importance in the preservation of Malibu.
Its status as a contract city with a population of over 13,000 residents and never more than 20 firefighters on any given day requires for Malibu to call on other cities’ sheriff and fire department as “first responders.” The city created the Emergency Preparedness program in order to better serve its community and to avoid being helpless in a disaster. This program offers residents Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) free of charge in order to teach Malibuites how to be better prepared for disasters. These sessions, which are offered four times per year in Malibu and also in other cities throughout California, teaches residents what to do when an earthquake hits and how to use a fire extinguisher, to medical operations and life-saving techniques including how to open a person’s airway to get them breathing. Davis explains how volunteers from the CERT program often create teams to help when disaster strikes.
School systems like the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are prepared for disasters as well. In preparation for earthquakes, schools require the certification of the schools’ facilities, the training of teachers, the implementing of earthquake drills, and the sharing of schools’ emergency plans with parents.
Also under this plan is the Dolphin Decal Program, designed to facilitate community access in the event of major disaster. If such a disaster does occurs that requires a road block for days or even weeks, all access will be discriminately regulated, except for residents and business owners with Dolphin Decals. The process at these spots will be expedited because officials working on the road will be able to wave those with decals through a “Dolphin Lane.” Decals are available for purchase for $5. Other free community emergency services include pamphlets explaining what to do in case of an emergency, access to a telephone line (320-456-9982) with recorded information on weather and other emergency conditions updated as new information is received, as well as the connection to the City of Malibu web site and the Emergency Radio station 1620 AM which gives similar information.
The wisest path, however, to disaster preparation and prevention comes down to the individual.
“It really is up to individuals to be prepared themselves,” Davis said. “It’s up to them how big of a victim they become.”
Davis hopes to get information out to the public by educating self preservation and that the community can be truly prepared when disaster strikes this quaint beach town. His best advice? Make a plan.
“You’d be amazed at how many families have not thought through an emergency plan,” Davis said. He asks residents to consider what to do, where to meet, as well as how to let other family members know that there has been an emergency. The biggest questions to ask one’s self to prepare for a disaster is, “In such an emergency, what am I going to do, and what am I going to need?” It is in this way that one may best create a stash of emergency supplies like a first aid kit and medications. Another piece of advice: don’t forget water.
When disaster strikes, the water supply is often affected, so that aspect of the emergency must be remembered. The rule of thumb according to Davis is one gallon of water per person per day, and a minimum of three days should be accounted for. Overall, he urges residents to ask themselves, “What can I do as an individual to reduce the impact on me and the people I love?”
In order to teach people how to deal with the disaster, Davis serves as Malibu’s liaison with the media in regards to disasters, as it is his responsibility to get the word out about the importance of preparation.
“The media is an important tool,” he said. Davis writes monthly articles in local Malibu newspapers on emergency preparedness to maintain this connection with the community.
“The most important thing? The community gets it,” Davis said. “[It is important that they are reminded that it’s about] their house, their children, and their lives.”
It’s Spring now. The sun will soon be a Malibu constant instead of a pleasant surprise, and already the rain-soaked hills are tanning brown. Green-banished, ominous, and not so fire-resistant. Still, the question remains, are you prepared?
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