By Gina Dostler
September is National Preparedness Month and throughout the country over 3,000 organizations are encouraging Americans to take action. Get a kit, make a plan, be informed and get involved are the four steps for disaster readiness. A Bel Air community has gone so far as to create a disaster readiness shed for its 1,500 residents that includes supplies and its own generator. Jordan Villwock, a police dispatcher and emergency management coordinator for Laguna Beach, describes what steps are in place to prepare the city in case disaster strikes.
Q: Is Laguna Beach prepared for a disaster?
A: Yes, we are. Since the 2010 flood, a disaster preparedness committee has been making recommendations to the council. We have a Community Emergency Response Team and an emergency operation plan in place. A training course for CERT once a year in March is for residents and businesses to become trained on disaster preparedness techniques as well as search and rescue. Since 2012 we have over 100 trained CERT members. The program consists of classroom and hands-on training completed in eight sessions every Wednesday night. It ends with an exercise drill to test the skills and knowledge learned in those sessions. We encourage people to sign up.
Q: What role does a CERT play in a disaster?
A: It certainly increases the preparedness of our community. Besides learning about fire safety, disaster medical operations and other disaster preparedness, if a disaster strikes, these volunteers take action by checking on neighbors, suppressing small fires, conducting light urban search and rescue, and providing emergency first aid and comfort. They also help to organize and direct spontaneous volunteers. But always, their first priority is family and their neighborhood.
Q: Is it a goal for every neighborhood to have a CERT resident?
A: That would be ideal. The City Council is focusing on how to better organize the neighborhoods. We have broken up the city into strategic locations in neighborhoods where CERT members are equipped with GMRS radios funded through a grant. It’s a land-mobile FM UHF radio service designed for short-distance two-way communication. We are in the final testing stages of verifying the signals work throughout the community due to the challenging topography. And the finalization of a communication plan is almost complete. This will allow CERT members to communicate needs and problems in their area so our emergency response team can better help.
Q: Anything similar to the Bel Air community in the works for Laguna?
A: In that circumstance, it was a home-owners association that put everything together. But there is a citizen committee that has been meeting for two years for the purpose of increasing the preparedness of Laguna for disaster. Their goal: for residents to be prepared to “shelter in place” for three days. They ask residents to fill in a survey located on our website (http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/fire/disaster/survey.asp) that includes their address and number of people living at the residence. Since we definitely promote bringing communities together, we also recommend getting to know your neighborhood. One way is through Nextdoor.com. It’s a private social networking site that once you gain access through their approval process opens up a dialogue with only your neighbors and community. It’s a great tool to add for disaster preparedness by learning about your neighbors and neighborhood.
Q: How has the city prepared for such emergency situations as power outages or helping the injured?
A: Our city hall and fire station both are equipped with a generator so in case of a disaster, we would be up and functional, allowing us to utilize more of our efforts in directing people. Our emergency operation plan includes, depending on the type of disaster, to work closely with the Red Cross and their whole shelter management group to offer shelter and medical aid. These plans also provide the required space for a shelter to set up. Potential shelter sites are:
- City Hall Recreation Building, 505 Forest Ave.
- El Morro Elementary School, 8681 North Coast Highway.
- Laguna Beach High School, 625 Park Ave.
- Thurston Middle School, 2100 Park Ave.
- Top Of the World Elementary School, 21601 Tree Top Lane.
- Veterans Legion Hall, 450 Legion St.
- Frederick Lang Park Community Center, 21540 Wesley Dr.
Q: Your website is very thorough with what to do.
A: Everyone needs to visit that site as well as readyoc.org to get prepared. Also check out alertoc.com, the mass notification system for Orange County. You can be communicated by text, email or cell of any emergency notifications. On Sept. 23 there will be a regional test, so basically 2 million OC residents will receive a phone call to remind them that it does exist. For our own city, we can send out messages that reach over 17,000 phone numbers, 2,700 emails and over 1,400 text messages due to people signing up.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Jordan Villwock
Emergency Management Coordinator
Laguna Beach Police Department
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-497-0356
jvillwock@lagunabeachcity.net
