Best Practices: Emergency Water & Preparedness for Single Family, Multifamily, and Business (Published in SBRPA newsletter April, 2025)

Our hearts and prayers go out to all our California neighbors who have been affected, lost loved ones, pets, living quarters, personal possessions and employment in the Pasadena and Palisades.  As a Santa Barbara native and resident of Mission Canyon, Lori, Kuda our cat, and I live the reality of evacuation and the bewilderment that comes with it. (Our precious Kuda passed on March 2, 2025 at 18 years old.)

Over the last 20 years we have been on evacuation warning or mandatory evacuation four times: The Gap Fire 2008, Tea Fire 2008, Jesusita fire 2009, and Thomas Fire 2017.  Every time we were very fortunate, we came home to OUR home.

Every time we have learned a valuable lesson that has changed our level of preparedness and expanded our overview, not only for ourselves but for our tenants, our employees, and our customers.  The first time we evacuated we arrived at the hotel with lots of stuff.  We realized that “in the moment”, with no written plan, most of what we grabbed was easily replaced and many of our irreplaceable items were left behind.  An example: we arrived to the hotel with: 20 pairs of flip-flops, 4 beaded gowns, 2 cases of wine, a computer.  We did not have: the enamel vases from my grandfather, passports, and left behind the spare keys to everything.

You have likely seen our water donated to community events, our trucks in the community, sampled our water at one of the businesses we service, or you may already be a customer.  Our community is why we are here, and we give back as much as we can.  We offer the service “Emergency Water” because of our personal experiences dealing with emergencies and recognizing that in an earthquake the City water lines may break or become contaminated.  Hope Ranch just experienced a main break and week-long Boil Water Notice on March 1, 2025, and there was no earthquake.  It could be days, weeks or months before basic water service is restored; followed with a boil water notice like in Montecito after the mud slides, Boil Water Check List.  The day after the Montecito debris flow was the hardest day on the phone for me.  Fielding calls from trapped people wanting me to deliver emergency water, “I can’t get water to you, the roads are closed.”  “Emergency Water Service is arranged in advance, not after.”

I address most of the “unusual” calls from the public, I hear the spectrum of perceived threats and concerns.  Often the calls are basic – a supply of emergency water to have on hand to sustain a few days with no public water.  At the other end of the spectrum, I received calls requesting solutions for a bio terrorism attack to the water supply.  Depending on the level of treatment, the space to work in, and the realistic budget, there are several options for the clients to consider.

For Lori, Kuda and me, we have broken our preparedness into 6 categories “Procedures” with our priority list we consider for each:

1. In the car, trying to get home, office, or being stranded
2. Each car has a basic “1-day go-bag” at all times.
3. Evacuation from the house, FIRE, FLOOD or OTHER
4. Get the evacuation list taped to wall next to bedroom door (My Evacuation List)
5. Assess, how much time do we think we have?
6. What road do we think we can evacuate on, what is the safest path given this emergency?
7. Is our travel limited to foot, bike or car/s?
8. Start at top of list get each item into the transportation, move to next item. Think about the placement of each item, will the next item crush a fragile item that was loaded earlier?
9. The “timer” will end, you may have completed the list you may not have. By getting each item into “the car” when the Sheriff says, “GO NOW”, or the fire is a few doors away, you can drive off.  You may have completed the first 1 item; you may have loaded the entire list.  If you moved everything to the entryway of the house none of it will be in the car.  Each situation is different and may require adjustments along the way.
10. 7-day go bag.
11. Shelter at home, Earthquake, Debris Flow, Tsunami, Grid Down.
12. We should have cars at home with 1-day go-bag/s in them.
13. We have the evacuation list from above.
14. We have solar with Tesla batteries. Our system is sized so that we can keep food cold, lighting, and security going indefinitely without the grid.  We took our propane sign-wave generator to the office (sign-wave generator = safer for electronics, modern refrigerators have electronic controllers).  Unlike California compliant gasoline or diesel that goes bad after 6 months, the shelf life of propane is virtually indefinite.
15. Quarterly, pantry is rotated and not expired. A couple of Emergency Food 25-year buckets
16. 5-gallon emergency water would be a 21 days water supply (1 gallon per person, each pet, per day is recommended). Do I have another source of drinking water?
17. Extra medication prescriptions (30-60 days), antibiotics and first aid
18. Family emergency contact list and passwords to email accounts (printed.)
19. 5-gallon bucket toilet seat conversion kit with sanitation solution.
20. And several more
21. Extended Family/ Friends/ Neighbors
22. Our most vulnerable is Lori’s mom. At an undisclosed age, she lives in an apartment in South Bay, Redondo Beach, alone.  She has many friends that we know would check in on her and other family within 20 miles.  As with many seniors, we are her technology support.  We have written instructions for her on how to check her email if she is at a shelter, evacuation center, or library.  She would not know her passwords or how to do this without the instruction and someone helping her.  If the cell towers are down and the freeways are blocked, this would be the only way to communicate.  We thought about 2-way radios, we will need a boat to get in range of her.
23. Although it would be a long walk, my father lives about 4 miles away. If driving is not possible, he is not in good enough health to walk to our house.
24. Our closest friends are about 10 miles, we can reach each other on our 2-way radios. (we currently use BaoFeng BF-F8HP.)
25. Getting to know, or understand, your neighbors is important. You may have differences of opinion; the question is do you trust them? How can you help them, how can they help you. They may be the only alternative.
26. Business Preparedness, grid down.
27. We have propane generators with propane on hand to run for a week. We can open and run computers, phones, and water vending machines for purified water if the City’s water is not down.
28. Starlink internet as backup.
29. Extension cords for power distribution.
30. Employee contact list with home address, personal phone number and personal email addresses.
31. 2-way radios as backup to cell phones, 2 satellite phones.
32. Limited extra fuel for trucks and deliveries.
33. Employees attending Stop the Bleed Classes
34. Responding to Customer and Community Emergency needs
35. In addition to above, Sol Wave Water is registered as a county and state emergency water supplier. Existing customers would come first.  We will be ready for dispatch to customers emergencies to the degree we have fuel, the roads are open, and customers have the ability to contact us.
36. Property Managers and Tenants.
37. Lori and I self-manage our rental. We have tenant phone numbers and email addresses in our contact lists.  We can fix most emergencies: water lines, gas lines, tarps etc.  For you, how do you contact your tenants, check on your buildings, and address potential issues.  If you have a property manager how do you contact them if the grid is down?  Are they prepared to respond?

There is significant overlap in the categories, they each get easier to prepare for.  We have found, by writing our procedures out, it is easier to start with one, then add the second, then the third.  As time passes and technology changes, we amend the lists usually making them easier.  As an example, 10 years ago the third item on our evacuation list was “the computer” and “the monitor”.  They were both heavy, cumbersome, and needed to be taken apart.  Now our documents are in the cloud and we have a laptop.  Sure, I want the laptop, but now at #10 on the list, there are more important or irreplaceable items, I can get a new laptop, and all of my documents and files are cloud based (yes, some printed copies are important).

Doing our best- One goal is never having less than ½ tank of gas in the car.  Lori has trained me in this (always have a FULL tank of gas!).  In the past, I would wait for the light to come on then fill the tank.  My truck was like this when we evacuated for Tea Fire and power had already been cut by Edison.  The car was packed and when we could see the flames on the next ridgeline I pulled out of the driveway; the low fuel light came on and it took half an hour and almost the entire reserve tank to find a gas station with power that I could fill at.  We could not have made it to Ventura or Buellton.  Lori Was not pleased!  Improving fitness- Again at undisclosed ages, when the day permits, we walk to the bank rather than drive.  We ride bikes and take short hikes.

Lori and I hope you find this informative and helpful.  Please feel free to call us at the office or email if you have suggestions, questions, or feedback.  This is our work in progress to assist our community.  805-845-5443,  CONTACT FORM.

Helpful Links:

1-Day Go Bag – (Steve & Lori’s – Coming Soon)

7-Day Go Bag – (Steve & Lori’s – Coming Soon)

My Evacuation List – (Steve & Lori’s – Coming Soon)

Stop the Bleed

First aid Training – Red Cross

Paratus Training –  All Levels, personal and group firearms trainin

S.B. S.E.T. Foundation, Firearms training all levels

Ready.gov Go Bag –  7-day Go Bag

Recoil & Off Grid – Preparation Magazines