With September declared National Preparedness Month, the City of Malibu—on the heels of its worst disaster ever—has a packed program for residents to participate. Malibu’s Public Safety Office has just released its schedule of events for disaster preparedness workshops and meetings. Topics cover everything from earthquakes to wildfires and planned power outages.
“We’ve got several different activities going on,” explained Stephanie Schellerup, Malibu’s public safety specialist. She, along with the city’s public safety manager, Susan Dueñas, and the city’s new fire safety liaison, Jerry Vandermeulen, have planned a series of events for local residents to attend and learn the latest from emergency experts.
“One of the things that will be happening is testing our disaster notification system,” Schellerup reported. That important alert was the first notification most Malibu residents had in the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2018, declaring a mandatory evacuation was in effect due to the Woolsey Fire. The system is used in emergencies only—a valuable tool in communicating vital emergency information to the public. A separate email web alert notification system is used exclusively for up-to-date traffic accident information and conditions.
“We strongly encourage everyone to sign up if they haven’t already,” urged Schellerup. During the month of September, depending on where you live in Malibu, you should receive a text emergency message. The texts will begin on the east side of Malibu and then work westward.
The city’s popular CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) classes will also restart Sept. 5. The classes are held at City Hall Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. for seven weeks. CERT classes focus on training to assist first responders during local emergencies, particularly in isolated neighborhoods that could be cut off from main roads—definitely a Malibu concern.
“CERT training is good for anybody who wants to learn how to prepare for disasters or how they can better help their community in the wake of a disaster,” the public safety specialist said. “We strongly encourage anyone who’s interested to take that.”
Look for campaigns on social media that the city will send out, loaded with tips on preparing for earthquakes, wildfires and what’s called “public safety power shutoffs.” That highly controversial plan by Southern California Edison to preemptively turn off electricity during high risk fire conditions will be the topic of a Malibu Public Safety Commission presentation Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. at Malibu City Hall. A representative from SCE is scheduled to appear at that meeting as well.
On Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m., a symposium called “Preparing for Fire: Malibu Residents Share Their Experiences” takes place at City Hall.
“A moderated panel of folks from west Malibu that have various experiences to share—the conditions they endured, what they saw that was causing home ignitions and what they’re had to go through after the fire—will be discussed,” Vandermeulen shared. “What we’re hoping is that people who have not experienced a fire, primarily in the east part of Malibu, can learn from their fellow neighbors what to expect and how to prepare. We feel hearing it from other residents probably carries a lot more weight than hearing it from myself or the fire department.”
The city has also scheduled more Preparedness for Seniors and Older Adults classes to be held Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m.
On Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. in the upper parking lot at City Hall, there will be a points of information demonstration. CERT will be presenting their protocol during disasters—disseminating information and supplies to Malibu residents. There are currently five Malibu neighborhood locations that contain bins filled with emergency supplies CERT can facilitate during disasters.
Another important event on the lineup takes place Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon. Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel will attend a red-flag season community fire briefing. They’re expected to explain the outlook for this year’s fire season and take questions from residents.
To sign up for web alerts, disaster notifications or for a list of all the disaster preparedness events, check the City of Malibu’s website at malibucity.org or call the city’s public safety office at 310.456.2489 ext. 368.