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Malibu surfside news | January 17, 2019 | 7
malibu city council
Siren warning system among measures being explored
City shares ideas to
improve emergency
response, policies
michele willer-allred,
Freelance Reporter
The Malibu City Council
continued post-Woolsey
Fire discussions at its Monday,
Jan. 14 meeting, while
mandatory evacuation orders
also were announced
for residents who could be
impacted by possible mud
and debris flows.
An update on Malibu’s
emergency operations plan
and how it could be improved
on since the Woolsey
Fire was a main point
of discussion.
The City has been criticized
for its response—or
lack thereof—to the Woolsey
Fire, which ignited in
Ventura County Nov. 8 and
destroyed over 460 structures
in Malibu.
Public Safety Manager
Susan Duenas said the City
plans to hire a traffic consultant
to improve future
evacuation plans, reevaluate
repopulation policies,
and look at a more comprehensive
City communications
plan.
Further, Duenas said the
City has started researching
siren warning systems, and
will be presenting options to
the council. She also noted
that the City will be applying
for grant funding to offset
the cost of those sirens.
“Just to give you a heads
up, it probably runs about
a million dollars, so that’s
why we’re going to apply for
those funds,” Duenas said.
Other plans include replacing
and updating contents of
citywide emergency storage
bins; organizing annual
disaster notification tests,
preparedness workshops and
public safety expos; and expansion
of the Community
Emergency Response Team
program.
The City’s mid-year budget
also is to include a new
staff position to develop
neighborhood fire preparedness
and response plans, develop
a volunteer firefighter
program, and conduct neighborhood
evacuation drills.
City Manager Reva Feldman
said she is meeting with
county officials regarding
whether residents looking
for a “like for like” rebuild
will have to update their fire
code if it was not previously
done.
“I’m really pushing [the
LA County Fire Department]
to make a decision for our
community,” Feldman said.
“I know it’s leaving a lot of
people in limbo, unable to
decide what they should or
could do.”
Feldman also encouraged
residents to contact her if
they are having problems
with phone or internet service
through Frontier Communications.
The council also unanimously
approved a recommendation
by Mayor Pro
Tem Karen Farrer to direct
staff to research and bring
back an item regarding potential
restrictions of certain
flammable plants, trees, and
landscape material in landscaping
plans.
Storms prompt mandatory evacuation orders for hundreds of Malibuites
Lauren coughlin, Editor
Evacuation notices were issued
for several hundred homes
in Malibu Monday, Jan. 14, with
mandatory evacuations beginning
at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15.
According to a press release
from the City of Malibu, property
owners were to be notified of
evacuations by sheriff’s personnel
in the following areas: Corral
Canyon/El Nido, Escondido/Old
Chimney, Escondido Drive/Latigo
Canyon, Malibu West/Trancas
Canyon, Malibou Lake, all of
Ramirez Canyon Road and adjacent
streets, and Paradise Cove
mobile home park and restaurant.
The areas reportedly are at high
risk for mud and debris flow, as
they are adjacent to steep slopes
or are located at the base of drainage
areas, the City’s alert notes.
At the City Council meeting on
Monday evening, City Manager
Reva Feldman said the City’s
emergency operations center was
to open at 6 a.m. Jan. 15 and remain
open 24 hours a day until
conditions improve, Feldman
added. Evacuation centers were
opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday at the
Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community
Center, 27040 Malibu Hills
Road, and Santa Monica High
School-South Gym, 601 Pico
Boulevard.
Malibu was expecting two to
four inches of rain beginning at
11 a.m. Tuesday. Storms also
were expected Wednesday and
Thursday, adding more water to
hills left bare from the fire and
already saturated from heavy rain
just a few days prior, Feldman
said.
Feldman urged residents to assess
their situations and evacuate.
“You cannot escape mud flow.
You cannot fight it,” she said.
“You need to be very careful and
think this through.”
Sen. Henry Stern, too, urged
residents to honor evacuation orders.
“Many stayed behind during
the fire, but, unlike fires, mudslides
and floods can’t be fought,”
he said. “So I urge all residents
ordered to evacuate to do just
that. We cannot afford another
Montecito.”
Susan Duenas, the city’s public
safety manager, said Monday that
work crews and response teams
were prepared to respond to any
emergencies as a result of mud
and debris flows in areas of the
city affected by the Woolsey Fire.
Malibu’s Public Works department
had four crews working 24
Round it up
A brief recap of action from the
Monday, Jan. 14 meeting of the Malibu
City Council
• The council agreed to establish a
Disaster Response and Recovery Ad
Hoc Committee, with Mayor Pro Tem
Karen Farrer and Councilmember
Mikke Pierson serving on the
committee. They recommended that
Councilman Rick Mullen, a local fire
captain, serve on a group organized
by LA County Supervisor Sheila
Kuehl to review the response to and
recovery from the Woolsey Fire.
• Members unanimously denied an
hours a day in the city to respond
to rain-related incidences. Three
of those crews have blade trucks
to clear roads, with heavy equipment
also strategically placed to
help in emergencies.
Duenas said the county fire department
and other agencies also
had augmented staffing to assist
with mud and debris flows.
For more information and
resources, visit lacounty.gov/
LARain and follow #LARain and
#WoolseyFire on social media.
Schools follow suit
Soon after the evacuation news
broke, the Santa Monica-Malibu
Unified School District announced
that its Malibu schools
— Malibu Middle/High School,
Point Dume Elementary, Juan
Cabrillo Elementary and Webster
Elementary — were to be
appeal of a Planning Commission
decision to approve a Coastal
Development Permit for coastal
access improvements at Point Dume
State Park. Those improvements,
to be made by the California
Department of Parks and Recreation,
include the construction of a new
staircase to the beach and elevated
boardwalk viewing areas, and
rehabilitation of existing trails.
• Pierson selected Kraig Hill to serve
on the Planning Commission, while
Farrer selected Commissioner Jeff
Jennings to continue serving on the
Planning Commission.
closed Jan. 15 “in an abundance
of caution.” As of press time, SM-
MUSD had not decided if school
would be in session Wednesday
or Thursday.
“We are fully aware of the educational
needs of our students and
the number of missed instructional
days so far this school year, but
at the same time the safety of our
students and staff is our top priority,”
SMMUSD’s statement said.
“We continue to monitor the situation
and we are in touch with the
City of Malibu, along with other
local agencies.”
A special meeting scheduled
for Jan. 15 in Malibu, regarding
the district’s sustainability plan,
also was canceled and is to be rescheduled
to a later date.
Freelance Reporter Michele Willer-
Allred contributed to this report.