LOS ANGELES – Today, Mayor Karen Bass, Councilwoman Traci Park, LA Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell and LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley and local leaders met with President Donald Trump on the wildfire response and recovery at a fire station in the Palisades. During the meeting, President Trump committed to waiving federal red tape, which supports the Mayor’s orders waiving local rules.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that a rain storm will impact Los Angeles from Saturday, January 25 to Monday, January 27. While the amount of rainfall expected in the L.A. area is less than an inch, recent burn areas from the Palisades, Hurst, Kenneth and Sunset fires have a higher risk of debris flows and water runoff that may contain hazardous substances. The National Weather Service has put into place flood watches for the burn areas. Angelenos are encouraged to get ready and take extra precautions, especially those in areas that recently burned.
When preparing for the storm, Angelenos can take the following precautions:
While major debris flows are unlikely during this storm, now is the time to start preparing your property.
Pick-up sandbags from your local fire station. More information on locations is available here: https://emergency.lacity.gov/rain-impacts-and-preparation.
Palisades Fire: Private property owners who remain under evacuation orders and need help preparing their property for the storm can call LA County Public Works to schedule individual engineering support to assess a property. Call 800-675-4357 for 24/7 dispatch assistance and referral.
Please see the Los Angeles County Public Works Homeowner’s Guide here.
Sign up to receive text, email, and phone call LA City emergency alerts for your home, work, and school at notifyla.org. If you have recently relocated to a new area, please sign up for alerts at your new address.
Check in on your neighbors to make sure they know about the storm conditions and are prepared.
During the storm, Angelenos can take the following actions:
Avoid areas where there is water runoff from recent wildfire burn scars including debris basins.
Roads are often slick during the first storm of the season. Give yourself extra time to safely drive to your destination during the storm.
Call 911 with any life-threatening emergencies.
Call 311 for non-emergencies to report downed tree branches, blocked storm drains, or localized flooding.
Read on for key updates and information about emergency response and recovery:
Shoring Up Burn Areas Ahead of Possible Rain, Protecting Water, Beaches and Ocean
Yesterday, Mayor Bass and Councilmember Traci Park met with city engineers who are deployed in the Palisades to address and respond to mudslide-prone areas. Engineers identified and inspected potential mudflow locations to lay down K-Rail, sandbags and other protective equipment. This will be done in coordination with County teams that will work to protect homes that survived the wildfires. LA Mayor Bass issued an Emergency Executive Order earlier this week to shore up burn areas and to mitigate the serious health and environmental impacts of fire-related hazardous pollutants on the stormwater system, beaches and ocean.
Protect Yourself During Re-Entry to a Burned Area: New Zones Announced
Palisades Fire Unified Incident Command announced limited re-entry to some evacuation zones for residents only, including a new zone today. Visit the City of Los Angeles’ website for zones that are allowing re-entry and for guidance about how to stay safe when you return to an area impacted by wildfire.
Protect yourself from health and environmental hazards:
Wear a tight fitting N95 Mask or greater.
Wear household dishwashing gloves, long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Wear safety goggles, not safety glasses.
Do not use leafblowers or other equipment such as vacuum cleaners that may cause dust particles to be airborne.
Unified Command encourages residents who are re-entering the evacuation area to enter at their own risk and not sort through any fire debris – Know the risks. Stay safe.
LA Department of Water and Power Palisades Restoration
If you have been allowed to return to your home and find your power out but your immediate neighbors’ electricity is on, please check your electrical panel. If power remains out on your street or block, LADWP crews are still inspecting the power lines that supply power to your street or block to ensure they are safe to restore. Performing the inspections and repairs enables crews to quickly and safely restore power to affected customers once Palisades Fire Unified Command lifts fire holds that are in place on certain power lines, for safety purposes. Allowing power lines to be turned on before it is safe to do so can create a public safety hazard. LADWP remains in close coordination with Unified Command and will continue working to restore power to customers, as clearance is received.
Do Not Drink Notice
Effective January 10, 2025, LADWP issued a Do Not Drink Notice in the zip code 90272 and the LADWP service area immediately south of the 90272 zip code and north of San Vicente Blvd. Check this interactive map to see if your area is affected and learn how it impacts your tap water.
LADWP is providing bottled drinking water to all impacted customers at these locations:
Veteran’s Barrington Park | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM until further notice.
Palisades Branch Library | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM until further notice.
Deadline to Apply For Federal Assistance is March 10, 2025
FEMA announced that more than $38 million has been distributed to wildfire survivors in L.A. thus far and more than 111,000 applications have been received. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance and SBA loans – including help for homeowners, renters and businesses – is March 10, 2025. Visit lacity.gov to learn more or stop by the City Disaster Recovery Center located at the UCLA Research Park, formerly known as the Westside Pavilion at 10850 Pico Blvd. Current hours of operation are 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM, 7 days a week.
Debris Removal
Hazardous materials from burned properties require special handling and safe disposal by U.S. EPA’s cleanup crews. These materials will be sent to licensed disposal facilities (not municipal landfills). The EPA has been assessing and preparing to remove the first phase of debris - hazardous materials such as lithium batteries, asbestos, paints, cleaners and pesticides. Read more and check out EPA’s interactive map.
Key Updates:
Monitor Air Quality
Continue to monitor air quality and wear a N95 mask when ash, smoke, dust is in the air. Explore the Air Quality Map from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) for more details.
N95 masks are available for free at local LA libraries and recreation centers. Find your local library here and recreation center here.
Know Before You Go – Runyon Canyon and other parks remain closed until further notice. See full list of closed parks at laparks.org. Griffith Park and the LA Zoo will reopen tomorrow.
Help For Pets – For help with a pet in the evacuation area, call 213-270-8155.
Progress Toward Containment (as of Friday, 7:00 PM):
Palisades Fire is 79% contained – urgent work continues.
Eaton Fire, affecting communities outside the City of Los Angeles, is 95% contained.
The City of Los Angeles continues to monitor the Hughes Fire, which is outside of the City and in the County of Los Angeles’ Castaic Area. This fire burned more than 10,425 acres and is 79% contained. The LAFD deployed five strike teams and one dozer with support to assist in the fire fight.