The only thing worse than getting struck by a major disaster is to get hit by a major disaster and not be prepared.
City of Carlsbad firefighters, police and other city staff showed that the city is prepared for an emergency through their quick action during May's wildfire. Their rapid response saved many homes and businesses, but the city still suffered losses of five single-family homes, 18 apartment units and one commercial building. In addition, four homes and one commercial building sustained major damage, and 18 apartment units sustained minor damage. Hundreds of acres of habitat were also heavily damaged and will take years to restore.
If we learned anything from the fire, it is that we need to be prepared, and we were, through significant training and expertise. By definition an emergency is something that happens when we don't expect it. We can't predict it; we can only be ready to respond when it happens.
When the fire broke out the city activated its Emergency Operations Center where it maintained contact with emergency responders, coordinated support for their efforts and provided important safety information to the public. As the fire advanced, city staff in the city manager's office, Community & Economic Development Department, and the City Council reached out to residents whose homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged to offer assistance.
"While the fire was still burning we put together the resources we knew about and made a web page with all that information," said City of Carlsbad Community & Economic Development Director Glen Van Peski. "We took a phone line that rings at multiple locations and made that an information line for people affected by the fires. We wrote out a script for information and added to it day by day. Over the weekend we monitored the voicemail and called people right back."
The city quickly began preparing documents so the City Council could vote to waive permit fees for uninsured residents rebuilding single-family structures, and staff created a spreadsheet showing where the damage had occurred. Then they began to contact community members who had suffered losses to inform them of the different forms of assistance that were available.
Staff also worked with the California Office of Emergency Services and the federal Small Business Administration to make sure that people affected by the fire were eligible for services.
Carlsbad Development Services Manager Mike Peterson noted that the city had on file the original plans of the homes that were destroyed. "We went into storage and obtained record copies of the affected structures and are making them available to the property owners," Peterson said, noting that people rarely build exact duplicates of what they lost, but having access to the plans will help. Staff contacted local blueprint companies who agreed to make the required prints at no cost to the residents.
"We'll also give them personalized service to help them rebuild," Peterson said.
Before the fire, the City of Carlsbad had developed a relationship with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, which is designed to help businesses prepare for an emergency and to assist businesses and residents to recover after a disaster. When the fire struck, Ready Carlsbad was still in its formative stage, and City of Carlsbad Housing & Neighborhood Services Director Debbie Fountain helped Ready Carlsbad create the necessary tools and processes to assist people who had suffered loss.
"Some people didn't realize until two days after the fire that they had smoke damage or their food spoiled because of a power outage," Fountain noted. "Some people had need for air purifiers to assist family members with health issues." Fountain said Ready Carlsbad took donations and converted them to gift cards and gave them to people who had experienced a loss.
"Ready Carlsbad keeps the effort local," Fountain said.
When events like the Poinsettia Fire strike, they test our level of preparedness. But afterward they test our unfettered level of commitment to our community. Carlsbad has shown its commitment before, after the Harmony Grove Fire in 1996, and is doing so again after the Poinsettia Fire.
City of Carlsbad firefighters, police and other city staff showed that the city is prepared for an emergency through their quick action during May's wildfire. Their rapid response saved many homes and businesses, but the city still suffered losses of five single-family homes, 18 apartment units and one commercial building. In addition, four homes and one commercial building sustained major damage, and 18 apartment units sustained minor damage. Hundreds of acres of habitat were also heavily damaged and will take years to restore.
If we learned anything from the fire, it is that we need to be prepared, and we were, through significant training and expertise. By definition an emergency is something that happens when we don't expect it. We can't predict it; we can only be ready to respond when it happens.
When the fire broke out the city activated its Emergency Operations Center where it maintained contact with emergency responders, coordinated support for their efforts and provided important safety information to the public. As the fire advanced, city staff in the city manager's office, Community & Economic Development Department, and the City Council reached out to residents whose homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged to offer assistance.
"While the fire was still burning we put together the resources we knew about and made a web page with all that information," said City of Carlsbad Community & Economic Development Director Glen Van Peski. "We took a phone line that rings at multiple locations and made that an information line for people affected by the fires. We wrote out a script for information and added to it day by day. Over the weekend we monitored the voicemail and called people right back."
The city quickly began preparing documents so the City Council could vote to waive permit fees for uninsured residents rebuilding single-family structures, and staff created a spreadsheet showing where the damage had occurred. Then they began to contact community members who had suffered losses to inform them of the different forms of assistance that were available.
Staff also worked with the California Office of Emergency Services and the federal Small Business Administration to make sure that people affected by the fire were eligible for services.
Carlsbad Development Services Manager Mike Peterson noted that the city had on file the original plans of the homes that were destroyed. "We went into storage and obtained record copies of the affected structures and are making them available to the property owners," Peterson said, noting that people rarely build exact duplicates of what they lost, but having access to the plans will help. Staff contacted local blueprint companies who agreed to make the required prints at no cost to the residents.
"We'll also give them personalized service to help them rebuild," Peterson said.
Before the fire, the City of Carlsbad had developed a relationship with the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, which is designed to help businesses prepare for an emergency and to assist businesses and residents to recover after a disaster. When the fire struck, Ready Carlsbad was still in its formative stage, and City of Carlsbad Housing & Neighborhood Services Director Debbie Fountain helped Ready Carlsbad create the necessary tools and processes to assist people who had suffered loss.
"Some people didn't realize until two days after the fire that they had smoke damage or their food spoiled because of a power outage," Fountain noted. "Some people had need for air purifiers to assist family members with health issues." Fountain said Ready Carlsbad took donations and converted them to gift cards and gave them to people who had experienced a loss.
"Ready Carlsbad keeps the effort local," Fountain said.
When events like the Poinsettia Fire strike, they test our level of preparedness. But afterward they test our unfettered level of commitment to our community. Carlsbad has shown its commitment before, after the Harmony Grove Fire in 1996, and is doing so again after the Poinsettia Fire.