Seeking solutions, solving issues and working to protect the Canyon before, during and after disasters, the Topanga Emergency Management Task Force met via Zoom on January 25. Topanga literally had a wake-up call at 2 a.m. on January 25 when it was rattled by a 4.2 point earthquake. That, along with fire and flood, is one of the major disasters Topangans are encouraged to prepare for. Topanga has an abundance of County resources, one of which is quarterly meetings of the Topanga Emergency Management Task Force (TEMTF) whose members reported on the recent mudslides and flooding. They also introduced the “Topanga Survival Guide� Glovebox Edition to keep in the car when evacuating, and announced the upcoming Emergency/Safety Week April 24-28 . Co-chaired by Jeanne O’Donnell, CEO-Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and James Grasso of the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (TCEP), the meeting included members of the community; representatives of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors; Los Angeles County Fire; the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department; Department of Public Works; and Southern California Edison. Topanga’s Mudslides and Road Closures There was much discussion about the road closures due to mudslides and boulders on Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Old Topanga Canyon Rd. during the January storms. Roger Pugliese, chair of the Topanga Association for a Scenic Community (TASC) and co-founder with Joseph Rosendo of the Topanga Canyon Trash Warriors, checked out storm conditions by walking the muddy roads in real time. Grasso emphasized the importance of updated communications and protocols for road closures so residents don’t have to check out the roads by themselves in dangerous conditions. “The challenge is when the roads are closed due to mudslides and rock falls,� Grasso said. “Where can we get accurate and timely information about road closures and when can residents get in and get out. How does that work, how can we improve communications?� Steve Frasher of the Department of Public Works (DPW) said they update information in real time on social media regarding road closures and at dpw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures. “Folks in Topanga can subscribe and get bulletins reporting road closures and re-openings,� Frasher said. Edward Francis from Caltrans said they are working on improving real-time coordination between road crews and operations. “For Caltrans, sometimes what’s happening on the ground happens so fast that the offiicial updates on social media sites are the most accurate because they are managed 24/7,� he said. For more information on road conditions from Caltrans, go to dot.ca.gov or quickmap.dot.ca.gov. Grasso advised that the public should never get their road condition information from citizen apps or from Nextdoor, as it may not be accurate; it depends on who is reporting. “After thirty years of reporting for TCEP, we must be careful about who reports what,� Grasso said. “Some emergencies are no big deal or they could be a catastrophe.� Survival Guide Pocket Edition & Safety Week James Grasso updated the meeting with ongoing efforts to finalize the Topanga “Survival Guide Glovebox Edition� for the upcoming Emergency/Safety Week starting April 24. “The original guide has a lot of information,� he said. “During a disaster, this guide will be a go-to compact version with the time-sensitive reports.� At the Oct. 20, 2022 meeting, O’Donnell said that the “Supervisors (present and past) have provided annual funding to support TEMTF activities. They have more funding left over from COVID-19 funds, and will use that for printing, maps, calendar webinars, and other small projects for 2023. If the funds are not used, they will be lost.� Firewise Community and Home Hardening Carrie Carrier, president of the Topanga Town Council, reported that Topanga has been re-instated as a Firewise Community for 2023. She urges everyone to report their fire safety efforts online at onetopanga.com. Ryan Ulyate of the Topanga Canyon Firesafe Council offered to help residents with efforts on hardening their homes to prevent fire damage. He recommends an informational video on YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=zgV6t6yWjXk. It’s about an hour long and residents are strongly advised to invest the time to learn how to protect their homes. The organization provides free home evaluations by trained volunteers to get you started. By taking this step, homeowners contribute to maintaining Topanga as a Firewise community if they report it to onetopanga.com. Evacuation Terminology According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the official evacuation terminology has changed. What used to be “Voluntary Evacuation� is now “Evacuation Warning� and “Mandatory Evacuation,� is “Evacuation Order. As always, representatives of the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Departments emphasize that “if you see smoke, evacuate.� For more information, go to https://fire.lacounty.gov. PSPS Update: Many Topangans are concerned about potentially dangerous weather conditions in fire-prone areas. During a “Red Flag� alert, Southern California Edison (SCE) may need to call a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). “During these events, we will proactively turn off power in high-fire risk areas to reduce the threat of wildfires,� said David Ford, Senior Government Relations Manager at SCE. “Turning off our customers’ power is not something we take lightly, but PSPS events are one of the ways we can better ensure the safety of the public, our customers, and our employees,� he said. “Edison is required to notify its customers days ahead of time for a pending PSPS event but since the PSPS activation program started, there have been no events in Topanga. Most will get notifications for the unincorporated L.A. County area,� Ford said. There are many valuable online resources at sce.com including the role the weather plays in the PSPS decision-making factors. TEMTF Mission Statement: The mission of the TEMTF, a partnership of designated public agencies, non-governmental organizations, and community organizations, is to ensure the sustainability of emergency management efforts and strategies for the Los Angeles County unincorporated area of Topanga.  The Task Force oversees the coordination and communication among governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the community to improve preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery. It develops, reviews, and monitors community-based emergency plans, facilitates emergency planning exercises, ensures community involvement and educational outreach, evaluates and updates emergency plans after a disaster.