Villa Park seminar outlines steps residents can take before earthquakes, wildfires, floods and power shutoffs

Villa Park city officials hosted a public disaster-preparedness seminar featuring Orange County Fire Authority educators, Serrano Water District directors and the county's water emergency coordinator to review what residents can do to prepare for earthquakes, wildfires, floods and planned power shutoffs.

Speakers said the goals were practical: reduce harm to people and property, maintain water service for firefighting and households, and ensure residents receive timely alerts. Orange County Fire Authority educator Dean Belch described steps homeowners can take to harden houses against embers and trim vegetation; Serrano Water District board member Robbie Pitts and General Manager Jerry Vielander outlined how the water system maintains service during outages; and Gabby Landeiro of the Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County (WE ROC) explained the countywide information-sharing and notification systems.

Belch told attendees that many people do not feel ready: he cited survey results showing roughly 41% of people say they are unprepared for a major disaster. He described OCFA as a regional service that covers Villa Park and 22 other cities, serving roughly 2,000,000…