Malibu agencies outline storm preparations

By Hayley Mattson · Fri Nov 06 2026

At Oct. 27 El Niño workshop, officials discuss evacuations, utility protection and debris-flow risks, while Big Rock neighbors seek guidance for homes and vacant lots

For Malibu residents still recovering from wildfire and confronting erosion along the coast, preparing for winter means more than cleaning gutters and stacking sandbags. It means knowing whether a hillside above a burned property could send mud downhill, whether a neighborhood’s only access road will remain open, and whether the utilities that power a backup generator will keep working. Those concerns shaped the City of Malibu’s Oct. 27 El Niño panel discussion, where representatives of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department, and Public Works Department joined Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to explain their preparations and answer residents’ questions.

City Manager Joe Irvin said the community meetings were intended to give residents a clearer understanding of both the city’s preparations and the work underway at its partner agencies.

“We really felt it’s important to do this series of community meetings, so we can educate our community on the things that we are doing to prepare, as well as the things that our agency partners are doing to prepare,” Irvin said.

Throughout the discussion, officials emphasized that their preparations must be matched by decisions made at home before dangerous weather arrives: identifying drainage problems, gathering supplies, arranging assistance and being ready to leave when evacuation notices are issued.

Assistant Fire Chief Drew Smith said the central concern is how much rain falls and how quickly it arrives.

“It comes down to rainfall, what the precipitation amount is, and how fast it comes down,” Smith said.

The Fire Department coordinates with the National Weather Service and other agencies through forecast briefings, using that information to determine when additional personnel and equipment should be available. Smith said staffing can be increased across fire stations, lifeguard operations, heavy equipment units and hand crews.

But residents also need to examine their own properties ahead of a storm, he said. Sandbags are one tool; understanding where runoff may travel is another.

“We need to do that ahead of a storm, not during a storm,” Smith explained.

He cautioned that storm damage can complicate emergency response itself. Eroded roads may be unsafe for heavy fire engines, and weather can limit aircraft operations. Drones and aircraft, when conditions allow, can help crews assess damaged or inaccessible areas.

Smith urged residents to consider whether travel is necessary during severe weather and warned that clearing skies do not necessarily mean the danger has passed.

“Just because the rain does stop, does not mean the emergency’s over,” he said, noting that landslides and earth movement can occur days after significant rainfall.

Sheriff’s representatives described preparations that include incident command training, staging road closure and evacuation equipment throughout Malibu, and the ability to bring additional deputies into the area before or during an emergency.

Sgt. Chris Soderlund, the city’s sheriff’s liaison, said deputies are trained to work within a unified command structure with firefighters and other responding agencies. Drones can provide real-time information, while county resources include rescue helicopters and the volunteer Malibu Search and Rescue team.

For residents, he said, the most important step is taking evacuation warnings and orders seriously. He also explained that patrol vehicles’ distinctive high-low siren is an evacuation signal.

Households should have go-bags ready with important documents, medications, and other essentials, along with plans for pets. Vehicles should be fueled, electric vehicles charged, and food and water available before conditions deteriorate.

“We’re here to do our jobs, but we also need your participation too,” Soderlund said.

The consequences of wildfire were particularly evident in questions from Big Rock, where residents asked how to protect both surviving homes and properties left vacant by the Palisades Fire.

Terry Davis, the president of the Big Rock Mesa Property Owners Association, said residents needed specific guidance for different conditions: homes below mountain slopes, empty lots, ravines, and blufftop properties. She also raised concerns about the neighborhood’s limited access.

“Well, we also have a lot of properties that we need to know how to protect,” Davis said.

She asked for an engineer’s visit and practical examples showing where protective materials should be placed.

“This is what to do for a home. This is what to do for an empty lot,” Davis said, describing the kind of guidance neighbors were seeking.

County Public Works senior civil engineer Ken Zimmer said a crew was scheduled to visit Big Rock the following day and offered to coordinate with Davis. He also said the county had general guidelines for vacant lots.

Zimmer explained that county engineers can assess properties and provide written advice on protective measures, including sandbag placement. The objective, he said, is to guide runoff away from a home rather than try to hold back an accumulating flow, while avoiding redirecting it onto neighboring properties.

“You want to divert the flow away from the house,” Zimmer said.

Residents concerned about post-fire mud and debris flows can request engineering assistance through the county’s hotline at 1 (800) 933-0930. Zimmer said requests are passed to the engineering team for follow-up and an appointment.

He also described the county’s debris-flow forecasts and interactive mapping resources. Forecasts are generally issued about two days before an anticipated storm, he said, using National Weather Service predictions to assess potential conditions. Residents can subscribe to those forecasts separately from broader emergency alerts.

Another Big Rock resident raised a practical concern for seniors and others unable to haul or place heavy sandbags: How would people without trucks, physical strength, or help get their properties ready?

Zimmer said the county has worked with Team Rubicon and other volunteer organizations to help place sandbags according to engineering recommendations. Residents needing assistance should contact the hotline so their needs can be evaluated and help coordinated.

City staff also said they were discussing additional sandbag-filling events with the Fire Department, particularly for eastern Malibu. Zimmer identified the Malibu Equestrian Park as an additional sandbag resource and said staffing could be added ahead of a significant forecast storm.

Water service preparations were outlined by Bill Johnson, a county Public Works senior civil engineer and area engineer for Waterworks District 29, which serves Malibu and unincorporated Topanga Canyon.

Johnson said the district’s system includes approximately 44 water tanks, 1,600 hydrants and 93 pumping and regulating stations. Summer inspections were followed by dozens of improvements, including clearing drains, trimming trees and installing protective barriers at some tanks.

Equipment has been distributed among multiple locations so crews can reach supplies even if access to a main office or yard is blocked. The district maintains a standby crew year-round and can move to full 24-hour staffing during a major storm, he said. Extra materials have been stockpiled and emergency contractors placed on standby.

When a Big Rock resident asked whether identified improvements had been completed, Johnson said they had.

“We’ve already implemented the improvements that we felt necessary,” he said.

Johnson recommended storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for a minimum of three days, withadditional water for pets. He also urged residents to locate their water meter and customer shutoff valve before an emergency.

Southern California Edison government relations manager Stephanie Molen said the utility’s preparations include field inspections, post-fire assessments, staging materials and coordinating with local emergency managers.

She identified flooding, debris flows and ground movement as threats both to electrical equipment and to the roads and ground crews need to reach it. Saturated soil can prevent heavy repair vehicles from safely accessing damaged poles, complicating restoration even after a problem has been identified.

Edison also coordinates with cities and community organizations to identify local needs, maintain emergency contacts andarrange resources such as water and places to charge phones during outages, she said.

SoCalGas Senior Public Affairs Manager Mike Harriel said the gas company is monitoring infrastructure near landslide-prone slopes, creek crossings, flood channels, burn scars, and areas of coastal erosion.

Preparations include inspections of pipeline cover, baseline assessments of conditions, staging pumps and generators, and planning for road closures or locations where crews could become isolated. The company can use aerial monitoring, drones, and ground movement assessments to evaluate threats.

In Malibu, Harriel said employees were checking critical locations along Pacific Coast Highway daily for erosion changes that could affect pipelines, while coordinating with Caltrans, city engineers, and first responders.

A Big Rock resident asked what households with natural gas-powered backup generators should expect after experiencing an extended gas outage following the Palisades Fire. Harriel said maintaining service was the goal and that crews were actively monitoring vulnerable locations.

“But our goal is so that you do not go without gas,” he said.

He said the utility has ways to notify residents if service is interrupted, including door-to-door communication when needed. His response did not provide a guarantee of uninterrupted service or a restoration timeline for a future emergency.

Coastal engineer Reg Brown also addressed the panel, identifying areas he said have historically been vulnerable to coastal flooding and wave action, including the eastern Malibu Colony near the lagoon, the area between Carbon and La Costa beaches, and portions of the shoreline toward Escondido Beach and Paradise Cove.

Brown urged agencies to consider the role of sediment reaching the shoreline, arguing that sand provides an important buffer for coastal properties. His remarks underscored another concern running through the meeting: how inland runoff, coastal erosion, and public infrastructure are connected across Malibu.

As the discussion closed, Soderlund returned to the importance of residents’ preparations and their response to official warnings.

“Your preparation is vital to a successful outcome for yourself,” he said.

Residents can view the workshop recording and find storm preparedness information at MalibuCity.org/ElNino.

Those needing property-specific advice about post-fire mud and debris-flow risks can contact Los Angeles County Public Works at 1 (800) 933-0930.