Yesterday, I went with my wife and the boys to check our 4.6-acre land on Mar Vista Ridge Drive—the first time after the Woolsey Fire. It was devastating to drive through Latigo and see so much destruction not only of houses, but also the ecosystem in great degree. This put in perspective the urgent need of developing a disaster management in Malibu and incorporated areas and, at large, the county. I had a call with governor and former EPA administrator Christie Whitman about our topics of interests and I mentioned the reactive-delayed approach of our public sector towards severe weather events and environmental risks (instead of being proactive and implement a comprehensive risk management strategy). This goes way beyond what the fire department and our residents can do fighting the fires on their own. They put their life at risk and we all appreciate their heroic actions, but much more needs to be done.
A risk management framework can minimize and/or deter any risks, including human lives. I’ve been writing and lecturing with world leaders about this and the time is now to act.
I sincerely hope that our leaders and policy-makers/governance begin an assessment of what needs to be done to mitigate and adapt to the “new normal.”
Cesar Marolla