Mayor Bass gives update on recovery, rebuilding efforts in Pacific Palisades 1 month after wildfire erupted
It has been a month since the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires devastated communities in the Los Angeles area. At a news conference Friday morning, Mayor Karen Bass provided an update on the recovery and rebuilding process taking place in the Pacific Palisades.
Los Angeles County officials have been working to help residents recover and begin the rebuilding process after thousands have lost their homes and businesses.
"It's been 31 days since we launched the largest disaster relief recovery operation in the history of the city, focused on the Palisades," Bass said.
Over the past several weeks, the mayor has issued emergency executive orders aimed at expediting the recovery process, providing tax relief for affected people and protecting the watershed.
On Thursday, Bass along with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and other federal and state officials visited the Palisades Fire burn area to assess the progress on debris removal and recovery.
After the fires were fully contained, Bass said city inspectors assessed more than 15,000 structures in the Palisades. Now the focus has shifted to ensuring hazardous debris is safely removed. This process is currently underway with the help of the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers.
She said the EPA has inspected more than 3,100 properties and has removed hazardous waste from more than 800 properties from both burn areas. The completion of Phase 1 was originally projected to take 30 days but has been expedited and should be done by the end of the month.
The mayor's office has deployed the online LA Disaster Relief Navigator which has helped more than 1,000 individuals download recovery action plans. Next week, the city will be opening a rebuilding office where residents can access resources related to rebuilding and permitting.
Bass shared that Hagerty, a world-class disaster recovery firm, will be working with the city.
"It will focus on community resilience, infrastructure restoration, and environmental mitigation," Bass said.
Even though steps have been taken to help residents affected by the fires, Bass said, there is still more work to do.
"I will work in collaboration with the governor's office to conduct a comprehensive independent review of the state and local response. In the meantime, the Los Angeles Fire Commission will do an independent investigation on the response," Bass said.
