Chuck Smith recalls with frustration how some of his La Conchita neighbors detected cracks and small slides in the unstable cliff that looms over their tiny hamlet hours before it eventually crumbled, killing 10 and destroying 13 homes.

"There were warning signs," said Smith, whose Vista del Rincon home was spared and who intends to return with his wife and five cats. "But they didn't know what to do with the warning signs."

Smith is leading the charge to form a distinctive neighborhood safety team in the wake of the Jan. 10 disaster.

The team would feature five volunteers from the 160-home community, trained by firefighters and supported by police. But at its core, the Good Neighborhood Network would protect by linking residents to a private communications system that requires Internet access.

Once running, the network would grant residents free access to what Smith describes as a "private, authenticated system without porn or spam where important messages could be shared instantly."

Neighbors could communicate with neighbors and interact with law enforcement agencies. Each person's icon on the system would be a digital headshot so faces could be put with names.

To Smith, had the safety team and network been in place before the landslide, residents could have been encouraged to retreat to established "safe houses" rather than remain in their homes or in the street where many were buried.

"There was no leadership," he said. "People saw signs of a problem, but there was no way to get the word out."

The safety team model was created by software developer Brett Oliver, a Thousand Oaks resident who participated in that city's Disaster Assistance Response Training program for three years.

What he found was that while the emergency training was beneficial, he would be relatively useless during a major natural disaster such as last week's flooding or an earthquake.

"In truth, if a real disaster struck, we would be stuck on the freeway," said Oliver, founder of Neighborhood Safety Net, a nonproft 501(c)3.

The most effective emergency response begins at the neighborhood level, Oliver said. The La Conchita disaster is his greatest proof, with vast mudslides on Highway 101 essentially isolating the coastal community.

"First thing we do is a safety survey of each residence so we know who may need help getting out of their home, who has small kids, or to see if there is a doctor who lives in the community," Oliver said. "That's invaluable information that neighbors can share that can be given to emergency personnel before they even arrive on the scene."

And if the power goes out? Evacuated residents can log on remotely, from virtually any Internet connection. Said Smith: "You could be on vacation in Europe, connect and have instant, up-to-date information." The La Conchita network would cost $1,500 to $2,000 to implement.

Steve Bennett, the Ventura County supervisor for the area that includes La Conchita, said the collapse was so sudden and cataclysmic that no warning system could have alerted residents in time to evacuate. Residents have vowed to return.

Since the landslide, Smith said a willingness to learn more of the system has emerged, including interest from Bennett, Sheriff Bob Brooks and Ventura Mayor Brian Brennan. Oliver and Smith are not content with limiting the plan to the remote seaside hamlet. They hope to connect the entire county, with dreams of going nationwide.

"This system," Smith said, "is something that can help everyone."