Santa Monica Approves Updated Plan To Manage Disasters

SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, November 25th, the Santa Monica City Council approved an update to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan with a 6-0 vote. The approval makes the city of Santa Monica eligible for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund infrastructure projects and recovery from natural disasters. Following the January 2025 Palisades Fire, the city revised the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan after residents of northern Santa Monica were forced to evacuate, and the fire led the state legislature to designate parts of Santa Monica as wildfire risk zones. The new Local Hazard Mitigation Plan includes 13 mitigation action items that the Santa Monica City Council plans to implement over the next 5 years.  Some of these items include developing a comprehensive citywide evacuation plan and expanding tsunami warning systems, and recommend that, in case of a tsunami hitting the city, residents flee on foot instead of in cars to prevent traffic gridlock that would, in turn, prevent an evacuation. This plan will now be submitted to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for review and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency so it can also review the plan.   By Daniel Diquinzio