Disaster Preparedness Drill and Summit in Encino Tuesday

The Encino Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to host its annual disaster preparedness drill and roundtable summit on Tuesday.

The April 23 event, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, will be held at the Encino Community Center, located on 4935 Balboa Blvd. Both the drill and the summit are primarily aimed at the Encino business community as well as community leaders, according to Chamber CEO Diana Donovan.

“We invite community and business leaders to work through a disaster scenario and to talk through what holes we have in our plan—things we don’t necessarily think of,” Donovan said, adding that the chamber is working on a community plan for major disasters. “It’s something that we’re constantly looking at and tweaking to fit the community’s needs,” she explained.

Representatives from the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Providence Tarzana Medical Center Tarzana will present attendees with a disaster scenario during the summit.

“We don’t know what the scenario is—it could be that the hillsides are on fire,” Donovan said. “What do you do?”

The scenario could also revolve around an earthquake, a flooding, perhaps even an active shooter.

“I don’t think three of four years ago any of us thought that an active shooter would be a reality,” Donovan said. “But yet here we are—its something we have to think about and prepare for.”

Members of the public are welcome to attend Tuesday’s disaster preparedness drill and summit.

Disaster Preparedness Drill and Roundtable Summit, Tuesday, April 23, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd, (818) 789-4711