MALIBU—The city of Malibu is acknowledging the annual day of preparedness and the 3 year anniversary of the Woolsey Fire that occurred on November 9, 2018. On Tuesday, November 9, 2021, Malibu will commemorate the catastrophe, and offer support to all the individuals who lost homes and possessions, were displaced, and are still recovering. A video marking the Woolsey Fire anniversary will be posted on the website, Malibu City TV broadcast and social media.
“The Woolsey Fire will always be a turning point in our lives, and the scars it left behind will ensure we never forget and constantly strive to be more prepared and more resilient as individuals and as a community,” said Mayor Paul Grisanti. “I want every person in Malibu to know that the City Council and City staff are here for you, we support you, we hear you, and we will do everything possible to help you recover and be ready for the inevitable wildfires that we will face. I hope you will join me in taking at least one step right now to be more prepared.”
According to a news release from the city’s website, in response to the Woolsey Fire, Malibu dedicated to enhance community-wide preparedness for future wildfires and declared November 9 as the city of Malibu’s Annual Day of Preparedness. This year, Malibu is asking every homeowner, resident, business, employee, student, school and organization in Malibu to take at least one step to be more prepared for wildfires.
The City offers 10 steps that can be taken for your household, business, school or organization, any one of which can improve wildfire preparedness.
1) Make a wildfire emergency plan including evacuation routes, reunification locations and emergency contact numbers.
2) Gather emergency supplies, including food, water, first aid kit, prescription medication, cash, clothes, important documents, lights, an emergency radio and pet supplies.
3) Make an emergency plan for pets, horses and large animals, including copies of vaccinations and registration, microchipping, carriers or horse trailers, and locations of out-of-area large animal shelters, and out-of-area hotels that allow pets.
4) Check in on elderly or disabled neighbors, friends and family to ensure that they have emergency plans and supplies, and include checking in on them in your own emergency plan.
5) Sign up for emergency alerts from the City of Malibu (scroll to Alert Center) and from Los Angeles County (which includes alerts from the Sheriff’s and Fire Departments). Visit the City’s Disaster Notifications (Everbridge) portal, create a profile, and add your home or business street address to improve the City’s ability to send out targeted evacuation notifications.
6) Harden your home against flying embers. Make sure all flammable materials such as dry wood, dead or dry vegetation, wood mulch, and wood furniture are not touching the house. Cover attic vents and rain gutters with fine steel mesh. Schedule an appointment with the City’s Fire Safety Liaisons for a free home wildfire hardening assessment on the website or by email at FireSafety@MalibuCity.org.
7) Create defensible space around your home by performing brush clearance, tree trimming, and removing dead leaves from the roof to protect it from burning material and to give firefighters space to do their work safely. Learn more.
8) Get the free emergency survival guides from the City of Malibu or Los Angeles County.
9) Sign up for a crisis first aid, CPR or Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. The American Red Cross offers several kinds of online trainings. The City also offers CERT and first aid trainings several times each year, with online offerings during the pandemic. All upcoming classes will be posted online.
10) Maintain situational awareness by monitoring fire weather conditions, forecasts and hazards on local TV and AM and FM radio news stations and on the National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard website. The Woolsey Fire destroyed over 500 homes in Malibu, and resulted in the deaths of three people , and left the community struggling to recover and rebuild.
Wildfire preparedness efforts in Malibu have expanded since the Woolsey Fire to include offering free home wildfire hardening assessments for residents; ramping up efforts to remove homeless encampments that pose a fire threat; creating a Zero Power Plan for disseminating emergency information to the community during widespread power outages; hiring two Fire Safety Liaisons; increasing the number of CERT, first aid and emergency preparedness trainings for residents; starting a grant-funded hazard tree removal program; holding numerous Emergency Operations Center (EOC) trainings for staff and multi-agency wildfire and evacuation scenarios every year; developing a Citywide Mass Evacuation Plan and Community Wildfire Protection Plan; creating a free Malibu-specific emergency survival guide; conducting disaster notification drills several times per year; holding an annual Public Safety Expo and offering numerous emergency preparedness trainings and community briefings as part of National Preparedness Month every year; and many other actions.
Malibu continues to offer resources and assistance to homeowners working on their Woolsey Fire rebuild projects. Environmental Sustainability Director/Building Official, Yolanda Bundy, who leads the city’s rebuild efforts, reported that, as of November 3, 209 building permits to begin rebuilding single-family homes destroyed in the Woolsey Fire were issued, and a total of 318 have been approved by the Planning Department. Currently, 55 single-family home rebuilds have been completed, and 12 multifamily units have been completed.
Bundy continues to personally follow up with and assist homeowners along every step of their process. Anyone who needs assistance or information with any aspect of their rebuild is asked to make an appointment for one-on-one help with our Rebuild Team, over the phone or in person. To schedule an appointment, visit the Appointments page or call 310-456-2489. Rebuild Consulting Planner Akash Shah is specifically tasked with making sure that rebuild projects get through the process in a timely and efficient manner, and can be reached at ashah@malibucity.org. Resources, handouts and other information is available on the Rebuild website.
