Photos: Disaster preparedness in Bel Air

Bel Air Crest Homeowners Assn. members Marsha Hierbaum, left, Harris Sperling, Rick Cole and Chuck Maginnis stand inside a storage shed containing supplies and necessities that would be used in case of a catastrophic earthquake. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 6, 2014 9:30 AM PT

Residents along the hard-to-access roads in Bel Air have been told by city police and fire not to expect much help in a major emergency or after the “Big One” hits. So the affluent hillside enclaves have taken it upon themselves to become self-sustainable in the event of a disaster.

Bel Air Operations Manager Rick Cole points out some of the $50,000-worth of supplies the community has gathered to protect its residents in the event of a disaster. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Rick Cole, operations manager for Bel Air Crest shows off one of eight portable toilets with privacy tents the community has purchased. “You can’t have 1,500 people not able to go to the bathroom,” said Bel Air HOA President Marsha Hierbaum. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

“We have enough medical supplies to treat about 500 people with pretty serious injuries,” says Rick Cole, seen driving an ATV recently purchased by the Bel Air Crest HOA. The vehicle is currently being use for general maintenance. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Bel Air Crest Operations Manager Rick Cole stands next to the community’s 2,000-gallon water tank, which can hook up to a fire truck and fill it up with four to five full tanks. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Bel Air Crest has fewer than 300 homes, but local residents know that living on winding, narrow roads means they could be on their own when disaster strikes. So they have taken safety into their own hands. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)