Disaster preparedness is vital

The countdown has begun!

There are only two weeks until Newport Beach begins to celebrate

its 100th birthday with the “Let’s Do Launch” beach party featuring

the Beach Boys. The celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on

Oct. 2 at the Newport Dunes. Don’t be left out. Call the city at

(949) 718-1856 or go online today at

o7www.newportbeach100.com/beachboysticketsf7. Just $15 a ticket

will guarantee you a day of friends, fun and celebration.

Another happening in Newport Beach will be a special meeting of

the Santa Ana Heights PAC at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Muth

Interpretative Center. The meeting has been orchestrated by Barbara

Venezia, the PAC’s chairwoman, to discuss the long awaited annexation

of the west side of Santa Ana Heights. The east side was annexed by

Newport Beach in 2003, and two years later there is still no

resolution regarding the other half of their neighborhood.

Santa Ana Heights is rich in redevelopment money and in projects

that need to get done, such as the new fire station, the community

center, and putting utilities underground, to name a few. However,

none of that will happen if they don’t resolve the annexation of the

west side, since the county is not likely to transfer the “pot of

gold” until the deal is done.

Graciously accepting the invitation to participate in the panel

discussion from Costa Mesa will be City Manager Allan Roeder,

Councilwoman Katrina Foley and principal planner Kim Brandt.

Representing Newport Beach will be Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff,

who has been an active participant and attending the PAC meetings for

almost forever. The goal is to get Costa Mesa and Newport Beach

talking so they can move forward and get the annexation completed in

2006.

What appears not to be happening in Newport Beach is the Emergency

Preparedness and Emergency Warning System. Some of you probably

remember the June 14 City Council meeting that was interrupted by our

police chief, reporting that at 7:50 p.m. a 7.0 earthquake occurred

about 90 miles off the coast of Crescent City, Calif., that triggered

an tsunami warning.

Although Police Chief Bob McDonell said that there were no

indications that the tsunami would hit the area, the chaos began:

Half of the Peninsula evacuated, while the other half was jammed in

traffic.

When I ran for City Council, one of my top three issues was

emergency preparedness, and yet 11 months later, we are still trying

to talk about it. Since then, the world has seen the devastation of

Hurricane Katrina and still nothing from our city. It has been

scheduled twice as an item on the study session agenda.

Our fire chief was at the July 26 meeting but never got the

opportunity to speak, because most of the meeting was spent

discussing the Newport Coast Community Center and the loss of

parkland. It is time we learn how to turn off the gas outside our

homes and get a plan on paper -- maybe even one from our city.

Remember, without electricity, you will not be using Google to search

for information.

Conceivably, the city could schedule this Emergency Disaster and

Emergency Warning Program during the evening council meeting so that

people will be home from work and can watch or even come. Have we

become so obsessed with building the City Hall at all cost that we

have lost sight of what is important to the residents? Stay tuned and

learn where the command center will be. Our lives and the lives of

your children may depend upon it.

* DOLORES OTTING is a regular contributor to Sunday Forum and is a

community activist.