EARTHQUAKE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY : Moorpark to Study Ways to Improve Preparedness : Disaster: Last month’s temblor exposed lapses in city’s emergency response procedures, including communication and organization of personnel.

Concerned by the city’s lack of preparedness during last month’s earthquake, Moorpark council members say they are evaluating city lapses in responding to the crisis and working to avoid similar missteps in the future.

“I think we’re just very, very lucky that this was not a more severe event here in the city of Moorpark,” Councilman Scott Montgomery said, “because we have a number of holes that we need to plug.”

Among the problems the city experienced was a complete breakdown of emergency cellular phone communications, which forced City Council members and high-ranking municipal employees to drive to each other’s homes for briefings in the early stages of the crisis.

“One of the first things that was obviously apparent was that the (cellular) phones were inoperative and virtually useless,” Montgomery said. “The only system of communication we could rely on was the sheriff’s radio.”

Officials also failed to realize the importance of stationing someone at the Moorpark Community Center so that residents would have a local, central place to ask questions and seek reassurance.

“In retrospect, we should have done that,” Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason said. “People need a place to direct their questions and concerns.”

Former Councilwoman Eloise Brown has repeatedly criticized city officials for their response to the quake, particularly for not posting someone at city offices to aid frazzled residents.

“It was disconcerting to walk up to City Hall on a day when we didn’t know how bad the disaster was and see a sign that said, ‘We are closed for the holiday,’ ” Brown said last week, noting that the quake hit on the day commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. “I talked to some of the other people around town, and I think they felt the way I did, that we were really on our own.”

Montgomery understood the concern.

“We were dead wrong; we need someone at City Hall,” he said. “Whenever something like this happens, we need bodies there to answer phones and help people.”

Part of the problem, said Montgomery and others, is that Moorpark has no policy instructing city employees where to go and what to do in case of an emergency.

“One of the things we have to do is figure out who we need to show up and give them standing orders,” Montgomery said. “We didn’t do that before.”

Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Geoff Dean, who heads up law enforcement in Moorpark, said his department has had success with just such a policy, which instructs all sworn officers to report to work in case of an emergency.

If they cannot get to work and cannot call in, the policy requires them to report to the nearest police facility or government office.

Dean said he would suggest that the city explore a similar initiative.

“Since I’ve been here, this is the first dynamic disaster that has struck, and I think we were very lucky that we weren’t more severely hit,” Dean said. “Any time something like that happens, you learn from it, and I think we’ve learned several things.”

Additional difficulties were caused by the fact that Moorpark officials have for years delayed purchase of an emergency generator that could have powered City Hall and the city’s new electronic phone switchboard in the hours before electricity was restored.

The council in 1989 allocated funds for the generator, but was unable to find a suitable model, and only last week agreed to move ahead on the acquisition.

“I think the buck has to rest with the council for not getting on staff and telling them to go ahead and buy the darned thing,” Montgomery said. “We futzed around and waited four years.”

Moorpark in 1990 submitted to the state an extensive disaster plan detailing city response to a range of emergencies, but has thus far only completed desktop, theoretical simulations of the plan.

Given the shortcomings in the city’s earthquake response, city officials said the plan must be better tailored to Moorpark’s needs and tested through an actual simulation as soon as possible.

“We were damn lucky for a number of reasons,” Councilman Bernardo Perez said. “We recognize more clearly now where our disaster response plan is inadequate and where we can improve.”

Likely improvements, officials say, include greater emphasis on radio communications, instead of relying solely on cellular phones to provide an emergency link between city officials. Montgomery said he also intends to seek a list of private resources around the city such as generators and large quantities of gas that the city could borrow in an emergency.

Montgomery said that shortly after the quake, he and five neighbors borrowed a generator that powered all of their homes before electricity was restored.

Perez said he is generally satisfied with city response to the quake, adding that even the most comprehensive disaster plan would not ensure smooth sailing through a major emergency.

“Even with the best-laid plans, in a crisis situation, you’re going to have your mishaps,” Perez said. “You’re going to find areas that you need to improve upon or just react better to things that are out of your control.”