The Maui fire really makes us mad! To us, Lahaina was like our Hawaiian Laguna Beach, and now it’s ashes: 115 confirmed dead, more than 800 still missing and losses somewhere between $8 to $10 billion. All this death and destruction was most certainly caused by sparking utility lines on wooden poles– much like we have through most of Laguna.
Back in 1970, one area of Laguna was wise. The Portofino and Alta Vista neighbors undergrounded all of their utilities. For us, at our building situated on three lots, it cost about $1000 per lot per year for 30 years, but that worked out to only a $33 rent raise per month on each of our nine residential units. All the tenants agreed that $33 was a bargain. The added safety, view enhancement and loss of service disruption was worth at least ten times that cost.
As reported in the New York Times, the Maui Utility Company was warned five years ago that “above ground power lines that fail, short or are low-hanging, can cause fire ignition (sparks) that could start a fire, particularly in windy and stormy conditions.” That warning should be a call to action for all of us in Laguna! Some of our city councilmembers have warned us for years about the high risk we face, especially in our Canyon Road.
Can’t we all be as smart as those in the Portofino and Alta Vista area? Maui has learned its lesson! Do we have to learn the same devastatingly hard way those on Maui did? We hope not!
Barbara and Greg MacGillivray, Laguna Beach
I couldn’t agree more. As Woods Cove gets set to vote to underground utilities, I hope residents remember your wise words. Safety is far more important than money.
Please support under-grounding Woods Cove.
Yes – Let’s definitely learn from the Lahaina disaster.
Lahaina residents have cited the lack of proper warning as one of the biggest causes for their apocalyptic loss.
When Laguna recently tested its warning system, many neighborhoods weren’t able to hear it because there weren’t enough warning stations around Laguna. Like Lahaina, many of these neighborhoods are on the periphery of Laguna, bordering on brush land where warning systems are most needed.
Public safety is the top priority for any city government. Yet incredibly, 30 years after the 1993 fires, when Laguna lost over 400 homes, we still do not have any adequate fire warning system.
If certain City Council members are so doggedly adamant about putting in multi-million dollar parking structures and bringing in more tourists, maybe they should alter their anything-for-downtown-businesses policies and focus considerably more on protecting the town’s residents by installing warning stations that adequately alert all residents.
Otherwise, we could well wind up like another coastal city that was backed by mountains, subject to high winds, surrounded by brush, and constrained by an extremely limited number of congested exit routes.
Thousands of homes and lives are at stake.
Consider contacting our City Council members and airing a similar point of view. One email will share your thoughts with all Council members:
[email protected]
Our city has made the wise choice to approve Consumer Choice Aggregate (CCA) as another means to mitigate risk from fire. Thanks to the initiative begun by former Councilwoman Iseman our city chose CCA as a supplement to the electric power utility for Laguna Beach. Alternative power such as low voltage CCA microgrids should be investigated before committing to spend $500,000,000 for undergrounding 13,000 Volt power utilities from the 19th-century.
Mr Pudwill, you appear to be ignorant of the years of work by our leaders and public safety staff to mitigate our wildfire risks. Reason enough to attend the Wildland Fire Preparedness Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, September 19 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the City Council Chambers.
Or are you just blowing smoke again? Is it a signal that you’ll be running for Council again in 2024?
Thank you Greg, Barbara and Jerome for addressing public safety concerns.
Jerome, I understand you inquired about our City fire warning systems. Thank you. It’s concerning to hear that they are inadequate. I know the fire warning systems citywide was a hot topic on Nextdoor after the City said it was testing the system following Lahaina’s disaster. Many neighborhoods reported hearing nothing – zero. I was supervised to hear such negative feedback from stakeholders. This recent system test, the results and the system capabilities and notification adequacy citywide should be reviewed carefully by Residents, City Council, Fire Department, Public Safety and the City Administration at the meeting on September 19th.