As families in Lytle Creek settled in on Christmas Eve last year, floodwater, mud and debris came rushing down the mountain toward their homes. As the danger became clear, residents turned to a familiar source of information: one another.
Members of Lytle Creek Community Center’s ham radio (or amateur radio) program switched on their handheld radios and began sharing what they could see, from rising water and damaged roads to neighbors who might need help.
“When a disaster like that happens, we turn on our ham radios to find out what’s going on,” said Mary Mills, a resident of more than 20 years who recently earned her ham radio operator license. “What are the roads like? How much damage is there? Are our friends and neighbors OK?”
Cheryl Anaya (left) and Mary Mills (right) practice using their ham radios so they can be prepared to use them in the case of emergencies.
Funding from Edison International Foundation is helping the community get answers to those questions — quickly. Since 2013, the foundation has provided more than $60,000 in support to the radio program for equipment, certification materials, training and upgrades and repairs to the community’s repeater system, which carries radio signals through the winding canyon.
“Preparedness starts long before an emergency. By helping residents build skills, stay informed and stay connected, programs like this strengthen a community's ability to respond when it matters most,” said Aja Clarke, Edison International director of Corporate Relations and Philanthropy.
Ham radios do not depend on the same systems as cellphones, making them an important backup when power outages, damaged equipment or the canyon’s steep terrain interrupt regular cell service.
In fire-prone Lytle Creek, a burn scar from a recent brush fire reinforces the importance of neighbors staying prepared, informed and connected.
That access to communication matters in a mountain community repeatedly tested by disaster.
“If there’s a fire or something else wrong, I used to go up and down my street and knock on everybody’s door,” said Bob Luetzow, who trains the radio operators at the community center. “With the radios, we can reach pretty much everybody in 10 minutes and take action.”
For resident Chris Cornell, the Christmas flood showed how valuable that connection can be. The rushing water left about two feet of mud in his backyard and carved a massive ditch in front of his home, preventing him from leaving for two weeks. He had previously lost a home in the 2003 Grand Prix Fire, before the ham radio program began in 2012.
“It made a big difference to have a radio this time,” said Cornell, who always keeps his radio in his living room. “There was awareness of what was going on, and I could talk to my friends and neighbors throughout it all.”
Licensed ham radio operator Tim Arner talks into an Edison-funded radio that he and other Lytle Creek residents use to share information when emergencies disrupt regular communications.
While now they are more prepared, threats have not gone away. The 2024 Vista Fire burned nearly 3,000 acres near Lytle Creek, where steep terrain, wind and heavy vegetation complicated firefighting efforts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also reported that El Niño will strengthen heading into fall and winter — real-world reminders as to why preparation is important.
“We keep preparedness top of mind, not just during National Preparedness Month, but all the time,” said Tim Arner, a former president of the community center and a licensed ham radio operator. “The more people who tap into the resources in their community and come together, the better equipped we all are to withstand whatever comes our way.”
For more information on Edison International’s commitment to giving back, visit edison.com/community.
