Local Officials Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best

By Ann K. Williams
Lookout Staff

July 12, 2011 – Carmageddon – that's what people are calling the this weekend's closure of the 405 freeway, but Santa Monica officials are doing their best to make sure things aren't as catastrophic as the expression implies.

The City is keeping its Emergency Operations Center open this weekend and will deploy additional public safety personnel and critical city staff – at the Center and in the field – to "ensure the safety and continuity of city services."

“We're hoping everything goes smoothly,” Emergency Manager Ken Semko told The Lookout Monday. “I've had my fingers crossed for the last two weeks,” he said, adding that he's confident the City can handle anything that comes its way.

The Center is staffed with managers and personnel given the authority to make “instantaneous” decisions should the need arise, said Semko.

This kind of autonomy is “a different process for getting things done,” and is the same system used throughout the region, so that the actions of safety personnel are streamlined in case emergency strikes, he said.

Public works personnel will be out on the streets, making sure traffic flows as smoothly as possible, streetlights work and any emergency street repairs are tended to right away, said Semko.

The city's hospitals have agreed to take responsibility for housing extra doctors and other health personnel, he said.

Contingency plans have been made to house large numbers of people on the off chance that's needed, said Semko.

The local Red Cross is ready, too, although it's not viewing the closure as a calamity in itself.

“We respond to disasters. A big traffic jam is not something we would normally call a disaster,” Bill Bauer of the Santa Monica Chapter of the American Red Cross told The Lookout Monday.

Still, more Red Cross personnel are on call for the weekend, and the West Los Angeles branch is making sure that Emergency Response Vehicles are strategically placed throughout the region in case disaster does strike, Bauer said.

That way, they be less likely to be stuck in traffic when they need to get somewhere in a hurry, he said.

And the Red Cross will have a representative in the Emergency Operations Center, said Bauer.

Those who stay off the streets might still worry that their weekend routine will be affected, especially if that includes a trip to the farmers market, as it does for many residents.

Although the Santa Monica Farmers Market has said it's willing to provide a lot in town for farmers to park overnight, none of them have taken the offer up, Farmers Market Director Laura Avery told The Lookout Monday.

Her department also floated an idea for residents to put up farmers in their homes overnight, but so far no one has offered shelter and no farmer has asked for it.

“The farmers are convinced everything's going to be fine,” Avery said. “We will not know until Saturday morning.”

They are planning on leaving “extra early,” though, and Avery said they asked that the markets' lots be opened at 4 a.m. instead of the usual 6 a.m.

Locals are being encourage to walk, take the bus or bike to the markets, she said. Bike valets will be provided.

The best bet for everyone in the southland is to leave their cars in the driveway.

“We want the July 16-17 weekend to be an enjoyable summer weekend in Santa Monica and we need everyone to do their part to plan ahead, stay away from the 405 freeway, and to consider staying home and off the roads,” said Semko.