The question is not if, but when a disaster will strike

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County Fire Department Battalion Chief Anthony Williams discusses wildfire preparedness and details wildfire action plans Saturday at the Malibu Emergency Preparedness Expo at City Hall. Photo by Meg Boberg / TMT

Representatives from fire, sheriff’s, CHP and other emergency management departments discuss wildfire and tsunami preparedness.

By Meg Boberg / Special to The Malibu Times

While attendance to Malibu’s Emergency Preparedness Expo on Saturday was low (only a handful of people showed up), the message imparted on how to prepare and respond to natural disasters was all-important.

With the upcoming wildfire season fast approaching, a group of experts convened at Malibu City Hall to share their knowledge specific to the city. The Los Angeles County Fire Department, National Weather Service and California Emergency Management Agency were on hand to stress the importance of awareness of the threats of natural disasters. A variety of health and safety products including fire prevention items and emergency items, were on display, as well. The City of Malibu and volunteers from its Certified Emergency Response Training program hosted the event.

Don’t underestimate a wildfire was the key message from LACFD Battalion Chief Anthony Williams. Early action is critical in evacuation warnings, particularly due to the narrow roads in Malibu causing traffic delays, Williams said, citing the Corral Canyon Fire the day after Thanksgiving in 2007 when 51 homes were destroyed, 27 damaged and 4,900 acres burned and six firefighters were injured.

“When you have the chance to go, go,” Williams said. “The [2003] Cedar Fire in San Diego had an unbelievable amount of civilian death… they were caught on roads and tried to evacuate, but got caught in smoke, fire and heat. With the smoke you lose your visibility. With the fire and the heat, you impact the workability of your vehicle. It needs oxygen for the combustion in the engine to work, so guess what; if the fire is consuming the oxygen, your vehicle is going to stall.”

The LACFD Ready, Set, Go personal wildfire action plan was detailed in the presentation with information about how to create a defensible home, prepare the family with a disaster plan such as a kit and evacuation checklist, and evacuate in time. Safeguarding or “hardening” the home from potential hazards was emphasized by areas such as roofs, eaves, vents, walls, windows and doors.

“As a homeowner trying to protect your home without any training or survival equipment used by professionals, you are creating a recipe for disaster,” said LACFD Assistant Battalion Chief Jim Crawford in a video presentation. “Are you willing to risk your life and your loved ones to protect something that can be rebuilt? Please do not place your property before your own life, have a plan and leave early.”

Another major concern is earthquakes and even tsunamis. Although National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Boldt said the threat of tsunamis in Southern California is much lower than Japan or Chile, there have been two in the area in the past 15 months that caused significant damage to marinas and harbors, including $25 million worth of damage in Crescent City.

“Really, these are very significant tsunamis in our lifetime,” Boldt said of the tsunami in Chile in February 2010 and in Japan in March. “Major, major earthquakes that happen [below the sea floor] generate the tsunami and can travel at the speed of a jet airliner across the ocean, so we’re only talking eight to 12 hours before it reaches us here.”

Swimming and surfing should be avoided at all costs and have caused deaths in the past. The waves are not any better during tsunami watches, Boldt said, and more debris, dirt and material make it dangerous.

A multihazard approach to all natural disasters is key, said Jeff Terry, the chairman of the Los Angeles County Operational Area Tsunami Planning Task Force. Emergency prep kits and procedures help protect families against a variety of threats.

The tsunami threat in Japan, Indonesia or even Northern California is “not apples to apples” compared to Southern California, Terry said. The topography of the land, dynamics of the sea and energy generated are all unique.

“Emergency survival programs … have a common theme-have a plan, know the plan and practice the plan,” Terry said. “If you educate yourself, if you know what the signs are and the warnings, you won’t need us, you’ll be prepared yourself, not just with tsunamis but with any kind of threat.”

All California coastal counties have tsunami hazard guidance maps and are in the process of posting tsunami hazard zone signs. Natural warning signs include strong ground shaking, a loud ocean roar, or the water receding unusually far and exposing the sea floor. Once these signs are observed or official warnings are announced, residents are advised to move inland or to high ground.

More information about the Ready, Set, Go program and wildfire preparedness can be obtained online at the L.A. County Fire Department Web site at www.fire.lacounty.gov and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection at www.fire.ca.gov. More information about tsunamis can be obtained online at the California Emergency Management Agency at www.calema.ca.gov