L.A.’s Disaster Recovery Effort On Track to be Fastest in Modern California History
Los Angeles – Mayor Karen Bass today announced that nearly 2,000 properties have been cleared of all debris by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and have received final sign off from L.A. County, a required step for rebuilding to begin. The Mayor spoke outside of a home being rebuilt in the Palisades. Photos and B-roll available here.
Nearly 900,000 tons of debris have been removed from the Palisades area. To date, 54 permits for 40 addresses have been issued related to rebuilding efforts and hundreds of applications are in the process of being reviewed. The first permit was issued 57 days after the start of the Palisades Fire, more than twice as fast as permits were issued after the devastating Camp and Woolsey fires.
“Rebuilding is underway — crews are working every day to remove debris in the Palisades and expedite the timeline to get families home,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Thanks to their work, the City is issuing new permits every week, rebuilding is underway across the Palisades, and our recovery effort is on track to be the fastest in modern California history.”
“On behalf of the hundreds of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees and contractors assisting with this operation, we are honored to be coordinating this historically fast and safe debris removal operation,” said Colonel Jeff Palazzini, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "We have removed nearly 900,000 tons of debris and cleared about 75% of our total opt-in properties in the City of L.A. This is only possible with the continued support of our city, county, state and federal partners, and the engaged participation of the affected communities.”
L.A.'s recovery effort is on track to be the fastest in modern California history:
- Fastest Hazardous Materials Clearing in EPA History: Phase 1 of the debris removal finished in 28 days – months ahead of expectations – and removed more than 300 tons of hazardous materials, such as exploded lithium ion batteries, from the Palisades.
- Debris Removal Moving at Historic Pace: In coordination with the County, Phase 2 of the debris removal process is well underway and began just 35 days after the fires ignited — roughly half the time it took after the devastating 2018 Woolsey Fire.
- Construction Underway across the Palisades: To date, 54 permits for 40 addresses related to rebuilding efforts have been issued for projects in the Palisades. Hundreds of permit applications are in the process of being reviewed.
- Utilities Restored at Record Rate: In just two months, water and power were safely restored for standing homes in the Palisades. In comparison, safe drinking water wasn’t restored until 18 months after the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
- Emergency Executive Orders to Return and Rebuild: Mayor Bass used her executive power to cut through red tape, provide tax relief for small businesses, expedite the rebuilding of homes and businesses in ways that better protect against future wildfires, establish Self-Certification and AI Pilot programs to expedite the permitting process, suspend the collection of rebuilding fees, and more.
- Reinforced Burn Areas Prone To Slides: The City shored up burn areas ahead of wet weather this season by urgently installing more than 13,500 feet of concrete barriers and laying down more than 7,500 sandbags.
- Provided Relief and Protections to Fire Survivors:
- Opened a Disaster Recovery Center to centralize critical resources from 70 city, county, state, and federal agencies. More than 9,600 households and counting have been helped so far.
- Opened the One-Stop Rebuilding Center to help streamline the rebuilding of homes and businesses.
- Opened four Impacted Worker and Family Recovery Centers to help residents with job placement, financial assistance, youth opportunities, and more.
- Signed new City ordinances to:
- Deliver tax relief for local businesses that were destroyed or severely economically impacted by the wildfires.
- Prohibit residential evictions for tenants housing people or pets displaced by the wildfires for the next year.
- Prohibit price gouging for essential housing, lodging, and consumer goods and services, including contractor services for debris removal and rebuilding, during a declared state of emergency.