From "A Disaster Diary" Fire Frontlines to the LA County After-Action Report: What are the lessons learned? Are you ready now?

This week “A Disaster Diary: Learn. Pray. Prepare!” will have it’s world premiere at the Malibu Film Festival on Sunday October 12 at 12:45 p.m. at the Directors Guild of America theatre in Los Angeles. https://www.malibufilmfestival.com/adisasterdiary

When the wind roared and flames leapt over our ridgelines, A Disaster Diary was born. More than a journal or documentation — it’s a live case study in fire and the aftermath of the fire. It’s a record of tragedy which honors the souls lost to the 2025 Los Angeles fires. It’s also a call to prepare, to love, and to stand together when disaster strikes. It’s a living testament to the strength of community and the power of love.

Shot entirely on an iPhone 14 and edited on iMovie, A Disaster Diary is raw but real. Its unpolished and imperfect style underscores the film’s message: in times of crisis, you make do with the tools you have. Its immediacy reflects the urgency of disaster itself — shaky frames, unfiltered moments, and unguarded testimony. What it may lack in technical polish, it carries in truth, honesty, and human connection. It captures the heartbreaking losses of neighbors and loved ones, while also chronicling the acts of courage, care, and unity that carried us forward — from volunteers and faith leaders establishing recovery centers, to medical professionals supporting first responders, to everyday citizens stepping up for their community.

It’s an accidental documentary. I didn’t set out to make a film; I set out to bear witness. The process of creating A Disaster Diary mirrored the resilience it portrays — working with the tools available, adapting constantly, and finding beauty in imperfection. My hope is that audiences will leave with a deeper understanding of how ordinary people, bound by love and faith, rise from ashes stronger together. Ultimately, I hope and pray A Disaster Diary will resonate far beyond the screen and create a dialogue and a desire to prepare for whatever disaster comes next.

Part memorial, part call to action, the film reflects on California’s ongoing fire history and invites viewers to bear witness to what disaster looks like and to be inspired to help, unite, and to find hope even in the ashes. It also asks how the Pacific Ocean might one day be utilized as California’s ultimate reservoir because the super scoopers and ocean water were instrumental in helping put out the Franklin fire in Malibu which happened only a month before the Palisades fire.

We all must do better because our fire season and fire behavior is changing. The diary alone isn’t enough. We must pair lived lessons with systemic analysis. This is why we must consider both common sense and the professionally produced LA County After-Action Report to make sure we learn and prepare for what’s next.

Lessons from the Field: What A Disaster Diary Taught Me

1) PACIFIC OCEAN: The Pacific Ocean is an untapped resource and an asset. How can it be utilized as a reservoir? We border one of the largest water bodies in the world — yet we’ve barely scratched the surface in deploying maritime firefighting resources (super scoopers, barges, marine pump-equipped vessels. How can we utilize salt-water as an asset?

2) HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS: Do you know your neighbors and will you step up to help when and where you can? Our survival depends not on the federal, state or local government, but on each other. During the 2018 Woolsey Fire our 90-year-old neighbor stayed and the fire kept reigniting from embers that were flying in the air near her home. Thank God we had water in our garden hoses and were able to keep putting out the flames. We were also able to get her food and water (although all she really wanted was cigarettes). We were also able to communicate with her daughter in another state that her home was still standing and she was safe – but only from Zuma Beach near the lifeguard towers where cell service worked.

3) HOME HARDENING: Home hardening is life hardening. The difference between a house that burns and one that survives often lies in ember-resistant vents, defensible space, ignition-resistant roofing, and cleared vegetation. What does your home look like? How can you harden your home? Many cities offer free home inspections to help you harden your home. To learn more visit: https://www.malibucity.org/1037/Home-Wildfire-Assessments

4) COMMUNITY HARDENING: Community hardening is the multiplier. Neighborhood drills, pre-positioned water tanks, shared communications, and local emergency hubs help turn communities from passive watchers into active responders. Many communities are becoming “Firewise Communities”. To learn more visit: https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/firewise-communities/

5) EVACUATION: Evacuation is a social process. Training people to read fire behavior, know escape routes, monitor real-time warning systems, and act early can tilt the balance between life and death. We must use not just common sense – but our senses again. If you see or smell fire, then you must consider the path of the fire. If the sky turns grey or dark and the winds are blowing – assume you are in the path of the fire. Know your evacuation zone, routes and have a communication plan to get in touch with family so they know where you will be BEFORE the fire becomes threatening. Remember, communication BEFORE the fire is key because during the fire electricity may be off and the communication towers may be on fire. Visit: https://protect.genasys.com/search

6) WATCH DUTY AND GO BAGS: Download the WATCHDUTY App, make your plan and get go bag ready. I recommend you download the Watch Duty app to ensure you are aware of what’s happening in your neighborhood. Have your go bag ready. I have one in my car too with tennis shoes because we may have to walk many miles to get home in a disaster. Visit: Watch Duty: https://app.watchduty.org/ Go Bags: https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/emergency-supply-kit/

7) MAKE A RECORD NOW: Record everything in your home just in case you lose it later. Use your phone and video tape it is an easy way. Upload the link or store it on a file.

8) GET TRAINING: Do you have adequate training and knowledge? If you have the time, energy, will and the ability to learn and do more consider joining your local Community Emergency Response Team and or community brigade. Visit: Malibu CERT https://www.malibucity.org/226/CERT Visit: LA County Community Brigade https://laepf.org/community-brigade

9) ADVOCATE FOR MORE ASSETS: We are under-positioned for mega-fires. In Southern California, the assets we have (helicopters, air tankers, ground crews) are heroic but stretched thin. Response delays cost lives. Why can’t we get more assets deployed as soon as a red flag warning is issued? Where are the assets stationed? How many assets are in Southern California at this very moment?

10) SCALE MATTERS: Scale matters: more assets, more capacity and when all else fails- Pray? We need not just more equipment, but more of the right kind: rotating air units, modular wildland engines, hardened refueling infrastructure, night-flying capabilities. In the event we don’t have any equipment - many may turn to prayer.

11) AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION: Prevention is the only way to zero deaths. We can’t always outrun fires, but we can out-plan them. Our north star must be: “no more lives lost.”

What the After-Action Reports Reveal

The LA County Board of Supervisors has commissioned multiple independent reviews of recent disasters. Their findings mirror and reinforce these lessons.

Analysis of the January 2025 Windstorm & Fires: Palisades & Eaton Fires killed 29, destroyed over 16,000 structures, and displaced thousands. Read the report: Link to Report https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/207915.pdf

What are the lessons? We know what to do. We just have to do it.

The Call to Action

Firefighting & Resource Strategy

1) Stage maritime firefighting assets offshore.

2) Pre-position helicopters, modular engines, night-flying units. Consider how to supplement assets.

3) Strengthen mutual aid grids and logistics infrastructure.

4) Consider how the Pacific Ocean can be used as a reservoir.

5) Provide training opportunities for all who are able.

6) Consider zero tolerance for camp fires and other fires - especially during red flag events.

Home & Community Hardening Strategy

1) Help with and/or subsidize ember-resistant upgrades.

2) Create and help fund neighborhood resilience hubs.

3) Mandate annual evacuation drills.

Alerts & Evacuation Strategy

1) Modernize alert systems with geofencing and unique IDs.

2) Offer free community evacuation training at fire stations, schools, libraries.

3) Normalize “go-bag culture” — grab-and-go kits in every household.

4) Prioritize seniors, renters, people with disabilities in planning.

5) Build trust through public accountability reports.

The Disaster Diary is not just a story — ultimately, it’s a call to action. If we learn, prepare, and unite, we can transform disasters from inevitable tragedies into survivable events.

We can’t stop the wind from blowing or all fires from starting, but with planning and action we may be able to prevent people from dying.

Let this be the generation that says:

We are ready for whatever disaster comes next.