Disaster

FOR THE RECORD: A story about disaster economist Randall Bell, ?Looking for the silver linings,? in the March 20 issue of the Coastline Pilot should have stated that the Heaven?s Gate mass suicide took place in Rancho Santa Fe.. When the economy is a disaster zone, who do you call? A disaster economist, of course. And one need look no further than downtown. This disaster-prone city has a disaster specialist right in its own front yard. Randall Bell has been called upon to facilitate reconstruction at the World Trade Center, and to assess the damage from 50-year-old atomic testing at the Bikini Atoll.

The 500-page "Basic Emergency Plan" is the city's bible in disasters. "Disaster preparedness guidelines are for the residents, but the emergency plan is for the staff," City Manager Ken Frank said. The plan spells out what is expected of each city department in the event of a man-made or natural disaster, right down to who will handle public information and the press. Police Capt. Danell Adams was the face and voice of emergency operations for displaced families and the media after the June 1 landslide.

A disaster volunteer meeting announced on Tuesday by Mayor Toni Iseman has been postponed. "People who want to volunteer and have a particular skill set should contact clean-up volunteer coordinator Ann Richards at (949) 683-6242," Iseman said. "Skill sets could range from sweat to putting up drywall. " Volunteers should come equipped with work gloves for protection against poison oak, which is rampant in Laguna Canyon and has been squished into the muck that cascaded down the hills.

Once again, Laguna Beach has much to be thankful for. Despite a horrific natural disaster and tens of millions in property damages, no lives were lost on Wednesday morning when the earth collapsed at Bluebird Canyon. Despite claiming homes, vehicles and property, Bluebird Canyon once again spared human lives, just as it did in 1978 when another part of the canyon slid. Residents acted quickly to escape a chaotic nightmare that could have buried many.

Now that the nation's attention is gripped by a disaster of epic proportions in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast -- devastated by a monster hurricane that may have killed hundreds -- Laguna's June 1 landslide may look like small potatoes. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency's decision last week to reject disaster assistance based on the 100-year rains of last winter is still a colossal mistake. State and federal geologists made their findings clear shortly after the slide: Rainfall that soaked the area in the first part of the year -- for which two official disaster declarations were made -- had seeped far down into the ground, collected there, and caused a 100-foot-deep earth movement that made the hillside collapse some four months later.

The City Council and Measure A Oversight Committee should think carefully before allocating $125,000 from the special half-cent sales tax in place since July 1 toward stabilizing a section of Bluebird Canyon that was not part of the June 1, 2005 landslide. Landslide recovery coordinator Bob Burnham and others working to shore up the slide zone say this is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to avert a potential future landslide in an area that has had two major slides in 26 years.

Randall Bell Working in the field of real estate damage economics, I typically have to take long flights to inspect the disaster sites that we study. Little did I know that the next disaster I would see would be in my own backyard. As I drove to my office in Laguna Beach on June 1, fire, police and rescue emergency vehicles continuously passed me. I thought that something had happened on the beach, only to learn minutes later about the major Laguna Beach landslide.

Eighteen families were known by Tuesday to have been displaced and 31 structures damaged by the flood and debris flows that terrorized Laguna residents on Dec. 22. For those families and the others less dramatically affected, the aftermath may be almost as daunting as the disaster. But the community, city government and the Laguna Relief and Resource Coalition are responding with compassion and the skills learned the hard way in past disasters. "The community, as always, has come forward," Ann Quilter said Tuesday at the City Council meeting.

The Disaster Preparedness Committee is adding a new tool to its readiness kit for quick and effective response to emergencies in Laguna. "Nextdoor" is a free social network website that allows users to connect with people who live in their neighborhood. The committee is piloting the use of the network, according to a committee report presented by Chairwoman Sue Kempf to the City Council at the April 23 meeting. "We have implemented or joined four specific neighborhoods: Laguna Terrace Park - what we call Wesley Protection Zone - part of North Laguna, a portion of Laguna Canyon and Bluebird Canyon," Kempf said.

Laguna is CERT-ainly better prepared for emergencies since the graduation of 31 members from Laguna's first Community Emergency Response Team training program. The City Council honored at the June 5 meeting the graduates of the program, which helps train volunteers to respond to emergency situations in their communities. "When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site," said Sue Kempf, one of the graduates and co-chair of the city's Disaster Preparedness Committee.

A disaster is not an "if" in Laguna but a "when," city officials said, and they want to be prepared. Gary Beverage, Sandi Cain, David Horne, Sue Kempf, John C. Kountz, Matt Lawson, Richard Picheny and David Sanford were appointed at the June 21 City Council meeting to a new committee to monitor and prepare for future emergencies and disasters. "The timing is right. We need to do this now, before the next disaster," said Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson, who proposed the committee and will served as council liaison.

Tuesday is the deadline to for applications for a seat on the city's new Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee. The committee will advise the City Council on how the city can be ready to cope in a crisis. Applicants will be interviewed at the June 21 council meeting, after which appointments will be made. Four members will be appointed for two-year terms and three members to one-year terms to establish future staggered appointments. Unlike other city committees, Emerald Bay residents are eligible.

Laguna Beach has long considered itself the poster child for disaster recovery, but it's past time to prepare for them, city officials said Tuesday. The City Council voted May 3 to create a committee to monitor and prepare for future disasters and emergencies. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. June 10. Applicants will be interviewed and selected at the June 21 council meeting. "This is a follow up to the Disaster Preparedness Workshop on April 9, which was very well attended," said Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson, co-chairwoman of the workshop.

City officials and staff listened to recommendations from survivors of fires, floods and landslides at a workshop Saturday. "We wanted to hear how people survived and what they learned from the experience," said Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson, who led the meeting with Councilman Kelly Boyd. Diane and Cort Kloke lost their home in the 1993, and again in 2008, to fires. Her advice: meticulously examine insurance policies. Most people have no idea what it will cost to replace their home and are underinsured, she said.

Laguna Beach residents who suffered damage in the December floods have until Friday — longer if they make a phone call — to apply for a low-interest government loan. The Small Business Administration's temporary office in Laguna Beach closed a couple of weeks ago, but applications can still be obtained by downloading them from http://www.SBA.gov or by calling customer service. "We will be giving applicants an added 14 days, if they call, to take mail service into account," said SBA customer service representative Jodie Cohn.

This week was a little different for Chuck Robinson. For the first time in 45 years, he didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn and head to his job at the lumberyard in Laguna Beach. After nearly half a century on the job, at age 68, the Ganahl Lumber store manager retired last Friday. On March 3, the night before his last day, Robinson expected to see a few of his buddies when he showed up to the Laguna Canyon Road shop to celebrate his retirement. "I thought that there would be a few of us after the store closed, maybe 10 or 12 people, to sit around and reminisce, smoke a cigar and that would be it," he said.

Loan advisors with the Small Business Administration will be at the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce for three more days a week than previously announced, according to City Manager John Pietig. Loans are available for homeowners, renters and small business owners or nonprofit agencies that sustained damages from the severe winter storms and mud flows from Dec. 17 through Jan. 4. The loan consultants will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays until further notice.

The cast of Laguna's No Square Theatre was rehearsing for Jerry Herman's 1966 Broadway musical, "Mame," when the town was suddenly engulfed in water and mud in the torrential December storms. "We decided that the town doesn't need 'Mame' right now," said No Square founder Bree Burgess Rosen. "What we need is a rebuttal to wet, cold and alone. " And so "Mame" became "Maimed: A Benefit for the Wet and Muddy," a brilliant and hilarious musical variety show that will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Artists' Theatre, to entertain the community in exchange for donations for Laguna's flood victims.