Mayor Shevlin and city staff described Monrovia’s emergency response after the January windstorm and related regional wildfires, reporting on field operations, damaged structures, and cleanup costs.

City Manager Dylan Feek gave a situational recap and summary of immediate operations, saying Monrovia activated the emergency operations center, staged generators at water pumping stations and called in contract partners and extra staff to collect storm and fire debris. “The city will continue to go around town and pick up the debris,” Feek said during the council meeting.

The nut graf: the city described a multi-department emergency response that limited structure loss within Monrovia, began a large-scale debris-removal operation and submitted an initial damage estimate to regional authorities to seek state and federal reimbursement.

Most important facts: staff reported five Monrovia structures suffered damage during the events, including a fire at 450 Sedmond Place that was contained to one house, another structure fire at 813 Naples Avenue, tree- and limb-related damage at 1211 Encino and 1024 Royal Oaks, and a multifamily building near Monrovia High School whose building was red-tagged after a large tree fell on it. Community Development Director Sherry Bermejo said the city deployed on-call building officials to perform expedited inspections and to begin work needed to lift red tags and return people to safe occupancy.

Feek briefed the council on debris collection progress: municipal crews and contracts have removed more than 1,000 cubic yards of large debris — “the equivalent of about 25 full roll off dumpsters” — and staff said they are roughly halfway through current removal demands. Feek and staff asked residents to consolidate yard debris into green bins or smaller bags where possible, rather than leaving large unbundled piles that slow collection.

The city reported it had used a new, non-subscription emergency-notification tool (RAVE) as part of its plans to improve geographically targeted messaging; Feek said RAVE can send alerts to cell phones inside defined zones. Staff noted they were still implementing the system and working to coordinate with county and utility notifications used during the event.

Feek said the city submitted an initial damage estimate for debris removal and emergency protective measures in the amount of $1,000,051,629 (reported at the meeting), and that staff expects “a significant, if not a 100%” reimbursement of eligible costs but cannot yet guarantee federal coverage. He told the council the city will accelerate documentation and filing so reimbursement decisions can proceed.

The Hillside Wilderness Preserve sustained significant ground-disturbing work: dozer lines and fuel breaks cut inside switchback trails and other trail corridors. Staff said restoring trails and erosion control could be substantial; preliminary estimates described at the meeting suggested the preserve repair work “could meet or even exceed $1,000,000,” and the city will coordinate with federal, state and regional partners to seek funding and technical help.

Council discussion emphasized notification, backlog and resilience. Multiple council members and residents urged clearer public communication about evacuation zones, more robust non‑subscription alerting and outreach to vulnerable residents who may not receive automated messages. Councilmember Belden and others praised the city’s first responders and volunteer groups for on‑the‑ground work and suggested follow-up after-action reviews and a resilience plan. Feek said staff will compile an after‑action report and share findings at upcoming meetings and during the council retreat.

Ending: the city manager said staff will work to document damage and submit reimbursements and will bring recommendations to council on restoring public lands, improving alert systems and addressing lessons learned.