What Can Residents Do to Prepare for an Emergency?

MAKE A PLAN: A good place to begin emergency preparedness is by writing a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster.

BUILD A KIT: A Disaster Supply Kit is any pre-assembled group of items that will improve the health and safety of your family during a disaster. Gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home.

BE INFORMED: It is important to Know what disasters and hazards could affect your area, how to get emergency alerts, and where you would go if you and your family need to evacuate. Make sure your family has a plan and practices it often. 

What is the City doing to prepare for an emergency?

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes is vulnerable to a host of hazards, including earthquakes, floods, winter storms, landslides/mudslides, hazardous material spills, droughts, civil unrest, terrorism, transportation disasters, and disease pandemics. The City’s Emergency Preparedness program provides for disaster planning and coordination of a comprehensive emergency action plan in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. 

The City Manager’s Office is responsible for the in-house emergency preparedness programs, including maintaining the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and disaster notification systems, City EOC team training, City staff safety training on emergency protocols, emergency plan development and maintenance, coordinating with outside agencies to develop and improve interagency response procedures, and providing staff support to the Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Emergency Operations Plan (EOP):

This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is the ultimate authority for coordinating response and recovery operations in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Its primary intent is to govern such operations following incidents that require the involvement of multiple City departments, external organizations/jurisdictions, other levels of government, or mutual aid. This EOP identifies the City’s emergency planning, organization, response policies, and procedures. 

The plan also addresses integration and coordination with other governmental levels when required. This plan is flexible enough to use in all emergencies and will facilitate response and short-term recovery activities. This plan is based on the functions and principles of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), which is based on the FIRESCOPE Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and identifies how the City fits into the overall SEMS/NIMS structure.

2020 Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 

On November 17, the City Council adopted the 2020 Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (Plan) for the Cities of Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates. The Plan identifies hazards and ways to minimize damage by natural and human-caused disasters and ensures continuing eligibility for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding. 

The most recent RPV/RHE Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was released in August 2014 and updated in January 2016. The 2020 update incorporates all federal requirements relating to local hazard mitigation plans.

The Plan is designed to have the following benefits:

• Reduce loss of life and property, human suffering, economic disruption, and disaster costs.
• Prioritize hazard mitigation at the local level with increased emphasis on planning and public involvement, assessing risks, implementing loss reduction measures, and ensuring critical facilities/services survive a disaster.
• Promote education and economic incentives to form community-based partnerships and leverage non-federal resources to commit to and implement long-term hazard mitigation activities.