The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Has Cleared Debris From Palisades Charter High School, Palisades Charter Elementary and Marquez Charter Elementary
LOS ANGELES – Today, Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced that the Army Corps of Engineers has cleared debris from the three schools in Los Angeles that were partially destroyed by the Palisades Fire. The recovery and rebuilding of the Palisades continues months ahead of expectations. The leaders were joined by Colonel Brian Sawser of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin and a parent of a student at Palisades Charter Elementary School. B-Roll and photos available here.
“Today’s milestone continues our recovery effort months ahead of expectation,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “I want to thank our partners at LAUSD as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for ensuring that we are doing everything possible for students and families impacted by these fires.”
“The debris removal at our Palisades school campuses is a big step forward,” said Councilwoman Traci Park. “These schools are anchors in our community, and clearing them brings us closer to rebuilding and reopening for our students and families. I’m grateful to the Army Corps for their swift work.”
“Thanks to the cooperation and leadership of Mayor Karen Bass and partnering agencies, we can begin the process of rebuilding and revitalizing our school communities that were impacted by the Palisades Fire,” said Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “This tragedy has demonstrated that together we can achieve great things.”
“Today marks a critical milestone in our recovery—with the debris removal now complete at Marquez Elementary, Palisades Elementary, and Palisades Charter High, we’re turning the page and moving full speed ahead toward rebuilding,” said LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin. “I'm grateful to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our partners in L.A. City leadership, the LAUSD Facilities team, and every crew member and volunteer who worked tirelessly to get us one step closer to welcoming kids safely back onto these campuses.”
“On January 7th, I picked up my kindergartener from school, not knowing it would be the last time he’d see his classroom standing. Watching your child lose their school, their home, their whole world — it breaks you,” said Jon Brown, Parent and Community Member, Palisades Elementary. “But what’s helped put us back together is seeing people show up. Every soldier digging through ash, every official pushing this forward — you’re giving our kids a shot at feeling normal again. You’re not just clearing debris — you’re creating a path back to our home. We’re deeply grateful, and we look forward to continuing this effort together.”
Monday will mark three months since the Palisades Fire began and recovery is months ahead of expectations. In less than two months, water and power were safely restored in the Palisades. In comparison, safe drinking water wasn’t restored until 18 months after the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Phase 1 of the debris removal process finished in 28 days – months ahead of expectations – and removed more than 300 tons of hazardous materials from the Palisades. In comparison, Phase 1 of the debris removal process for the Camp Fire took more than twice as long to complete. Phase 2 of the debris removal process is moving forward and has already been completed at hundreds of properties, speeding up the process to get Angelenos back home.
Last week, Mayor Bass applauded FEMA’s extension to April 15 of the deadline for Angelenos to sign up for the no-cost debris removal program. The more people who participate in the program, the faster all debris can be cleared. Mayor Bass has launched an aggressive campaign urging residents to fill out Right of Entry Forms – hundreds of Angelenos have completed their forms over the past two weeks. Click here to submit.
Learn more at recovery.lacity.gov.