Los Angeles County aims to recover and rebuild after historic wildfires

Over a week after a series of deadly fires sparked across Los Angeles County, at least 25 people are dead, thousands of structures, including businesses and homes, have been destroyed and roughly 100,000 people across the county have been displaced. 

“The scale of the impact is larger than anything I have seen in my career,” said Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, at a Jan. 11 press conference.

The two largest fires, Palisades and Eaton, have burned more than 37,800 acres, combined, and are still unleashing destruction across the county. As of Jan. 15, the Palisades Fire is 19% contained and the Eaton Fire is 45% contained, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 

The cause of the fires is still unknown, and a task force has been created to investigate the origin of each separate fire, according to Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Dominic Choi. 

“There’s been no definitive determination that it is arson at this point, but we’re looking at every angle,” Choi said at a press conference on Jan. 13.

Santa Ana winds 

As the county eyes rebuilding, the emergency is still not over. Los Angeles County was expecting up to 70 MPH winds in the coming days, but is “absolutely better prepared” for any predicted severe fire weather event, better than it was for the first set of fires, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, at a Jan. 13 press conference. The state has set up a mobilization center in the city of Banning with resources to assist Los Angeles County with any new fires or the expansion of existing fires, and the county has waterbombers and military aircraft ready to extinguish them, Marrone added. More than 7,500 firefighters and emergency personnel have been deployed to fight the fires.

“We’ve not only augmented the ground resources, but also the air resources,” Marrone said. “I think we’re very well prepared for the next event, but we’re never sure that we’re going to be able to catch the next fire and keep it small … It’s going to be very difficult to contain that fire, and that’s why we ask all residents in a brush-prone area to be prepared to evacuate if you get the evacuation order and start those preparations before the evacuation warning comes.”

Emergency notifications

A software glitch in Los Angeles County’s emergency notification system on Jan. 9 and 10 resulted in a faulty emergency alert, causing mass confusion. The alert, which was supposed to be targeted to residents in evacuation areas, was sent out countywide, according to Kevin McGowan, director of Los Angeles County’s Office of Emergency Management. 

In response to the glitch, Los Angeles County shifted its emergency alerts from a county-run platform to a state system, operated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and residents should feel confident that the alerts they get from here on out are accurate to their designated geographic area, said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristen Crowley. Marrone recommended that residents evacuate once they receive a warning, and to not wait for an evacuation order to leave, as waiting for the order can result in congestion. 

“Our professional advice to anybody out there is to make sure you’re ready, to make sure you have a plan,” Crowley said. “We talk about the pets, we talk about the medications. Put your plan together, be ready, and you do not have to wait for the order [to evacuate].”

Air quality

The county’s air quality smoke advisory will continue through the week of Jan. 19, and residents should wear N95 masks outdoors, as fine particulates are airborne, even in areas not impacted by the fires, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is providing masks to community-based organizations and at all evacuation shelters. Horvath represents the third district of Los Angeles County, much of which has been devastated in the fires, including Malibu and Santa Monica. 

“The strength and resilience of Los Angeles County is more than anything we are seeing on the ground,” Horvath said at a Jan. 9 press conference. “I know this because of the relentless fight that our first responders, our firefighters, our law enforcement officials are putting forward, giving it everything they’ve got to take on each of these fires throughout the region. That being said, this is testing even the strongest among us.

“… No one should have to choose which priceless memento they’re going to take with them or leave behind in order to stay safe, for their families to stay safe, for their communities to be safe.”

Rebuilding and recovery 

The firestorm could be the costliest in U.S. history, with damage and economic loss estimates sitting between $250 to $275 billion, according to AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather and its impact.

People in Los Angeles County affected by the fires can receive direct support, including access to lodging, essential items and other large financial needs, through FEMA at its centralized assistance centers, which were initially at county libraries and have since been moved to Pasadena City College and UCLA Research Park, according to Barger. Barger will be advocating for innovative loan and housing solutions, in addition to FEMA assistance, to bring people back to their communities, she said at a Jan. 13 press conference. 

On Jan. 12, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) issued an executive order to streamline the rebuilding process for people who have lost their homes or businesses in the fires, which Barger commended.

“This executive order is going to make rebuilding homes easier by cutting red tape and making it as affordable and efficient as possible for our residents to clear debris,” Barger said. “… I know that our wildfire survivors want nothing more than to begin the rebuilding process, and it is our job in government to get out of the way.”

People and businesses capitalizing on the devastation, including looting and price gouging for shelter and supplies, will be “arrested, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law,” according to Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles County’s District Attorney. 

Hochman said he recently went to his sister’s house — the home where she and her husband had “raised four boys, celebrated birthdays, had barbecues” — only to find that it had been burned to the ground.

“And not just her house, but all her neighbors, up and down each one of the blocks I traveled, those houses no longer exist,” Hochman said. “They are now basically rubble, and I haven’t seen something like that, and I’ve lived here over 60 years, in the entire time I’ve been here. It looked apocalyptic. Not since the 1990s, when Los Angeles was hit with the fires, the flood, the earthquake and the riots, have I seen such disaster occur here in our city. 

“But like back then, Los Angeles has true grit. It has resilience, and it will rebuild, and it will rebuild better than ever.” 

Amid the tragedy and destruction the firestorm has ravaged across Los Angeles County, now is a time for people to come together as a community to rebuild and recover, Horvath said, quoting the recently deceased President Jimmy Carter. 

“‘Our faith calls us to do all that we can, wherever we can, with all we can,’” Horvath said. “And in this spirit, this moment calls us to do the same.”