OJAI : City Ready to Adopt a New Disaster Plan

Ojai officials are considering adopting a disaster safety plan that no longer includes a detailed section on tsunamis, or tidal waves.

Ojai adopted Ventura County’s version of a disaster plan in 1974, to comply with a state law that requires cities to have disaster preparations in their general plans.

Now the inland city has created its own set of policies tailored to its unique conditions, Ojai Planning Director Bill Prince said. Ojai has limited access by road and is located at a higher elevation and farther from the sea than other parts of the county.

The plan outlines programs designed to meet risks from earthquake, fire, flooding, mudslides and dam failure.

According to the document, the majority of the city is subject to liquefaction, a type of ground movement during an earthquake that causes buildings to sink or collapse.

Another section says the city should plan ways to provide residents with water after a major earthquake. A big shake could cut off all evacuation routes out of the city and cause extensive damage to water wells, pipes and Casitas Dam, the plan says.

The draft document is available at City Hall and will be reviewed at several public hearings before it is adopted by the City Council. The Ojai Planning Commission will hold the first public workshop on the plan on June 19.