By LAUREL BUSBY
Contributing Writer
Hundreds of suffering residents of Pacific Palisades and other communities affected by the Palisades Fire convened on Thursday with officials from the LAPD, city, county, and state fire departments, FEMA, and state and federal government.
The Palisades Fire Community Town Hall meeting was designed as a forum to share news and resources with the public, while also providing a space to ask questions.
Unfortunately, the effort did not always go smoothly as anger bubbled over from some members of the public who wanted to know how the fire started, when they could visit their homes, why evacuation orders hadn’t been lifted from areas unaffected by the fires, and what firefighters were doing to stop future flare-ups.
Arguments broke out between people calling out questions from the audience and others who had filled out index cards to be read by experts on stage. Because the meeting was broadcast online simultaneously, organizers requested that the questions not be called out because the online listeners would not be able to hear them. However, many attendees didn’t seem to understand the system and expressed frustration that all questions yelled from the audience couldn’t be addressed.
Nonetheless, speakers did their best to respond to verbal questions and also the indexcard questions. For example, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representative Michael Hart fielded a question about how long it would take to receive a FEMA payment and shared that funds would be issued 48-96 hours after an application had been completed.
Other officials struggled to provide satisfactory answers when there were still so many unknowns. For example, many burned areas have downed power lines, unsecured gas lines, broken water pipes, and continued hotspots that must be addressed before residents can safely visit their damaged homes.
Unfortunately, no timeline was yet available on when that might occur, in part because the 23,713-acre fire was only 27 percent contained.
“We do expect the containment to grow in the coming days,” said CalFire incident commander Jim Hudson, noting that secondary risks stemmed from potential flooding and debris flows if rain falls.
Unfortunately, more Santa Ana winds are expected on Sunday with the intensity expected to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to meteorologist Rich Thompson, but until then the weather should have cooler temperatures that better for firefighting and more typical of January.
Currently, the 5,276 firefighters include personnel from Canada, Mexico, and most recently, Israel, which is also paying their firefighters as a donation to the cause, according to officials. In addition, 40 helicopters are dropping water and retardant, while aircraft with infrared technology are searching for hotspots overnight.
Representatives also said that the Department of Water and Power has been tackling the power lines and water pipes, while the Environmental Protection Agency is assessing the dangers of toxic ash.
Some residents wondered why they couldn’t at least visit unaffected homes under evacuation orders to pull out needed items, but the problem is that some people then enter their residence, lock the door, and refuse to come out, according to U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman.
Since many neighborhoods will continue to be dangerous for days, weeks, or many months, this creates a further safety hazard.
LAPD Incident Commander Randy Goddard said, “Our objective is to try to get people back to their homes as soon as possible…. We’re still working with the gas company, power, and roads to make sure the actual locations are safe to return to.”
In addition, he said both the police and the California National Guard, which has deployed about 600 members, are securing access to the Palisades and arresting anyone who should not be there to prevent looting.
Malibu City Councilman Doug Stewart discussed the particular problems of his constituency, including the impossibility of driving on Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga and Carbon Mesa
While the road is in relatively good repair, he said the power lines and buildings along the road will remain a menace potentially for weeks, particularly if any winter rains occur.
He also noted that he was advocating to the Coastal Commission that people be allowed to rebuild homes at their previous size plus up to 10 percent without the typical strenuous oversight.
The 881 Building burned to the ground. The parking meters survived.
LA City Councilmember Traci Park urged people to have patience as repairs are made and the cleanup is undertaken.
“I am pushing as hard as I can to get the ground conditions under control so that it’s safe, because I want everybody to be able to come home,” said Park, who noted that their Westchester field office would be open this weekend.
In the Palisades though, “we have a lot of toxic debris on the ground…. The ash and the rubble is a toxic mess that is full of lead and arsenic and other poisonous toxins…. We may be looking at many months before we can even begin rebuilding.”
Park said that on Tuesday she introduced two dozen motions to the L.A. City Council to “lay the framework for recovery in Los Angeles,” and the motions include a request for an independent inquiry into how the fire started and “what went right and what went wrong.”
In addition, her policy team has been in contact with other fire-impacted areas in California and Hawaii to learn “best practices and lessons learned.” She said said that she was fighting to streamline the permitting and building process “to get folks home.”
Multiple officials lauded the Disaster Recovery Center in the former Westside Pavillion that opened on Tuesday. More than 780 families had already visited it, according to Brandon Silverman from the LA Emergency Operations Center.
Its purpose is to house a one-stop shopping experience, where residents can apply for FEMA assistance, get new driver’s licenses, replace other records, including death and marriage certificates, and garner assistance with needed medication. More than 60 agencies have representatives available to provide aid.
The sheer number of fire and police officials who gave short speeches about how hard first responders were working to quench the fire and protect property meant that the meatiest part of the resource information for residents did not come until after many attendees hadalready left and frustrations had boiled over for some.
An array of representatives, including Sherman, Park, Cal. Sen. Ben Allen, Cal. Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath then spoke.
Allen noted that the Santa Monica College Broad campus at 11th and Santa Monica Boulevard would be hosting representatives of the California Department of Insurance from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. People can make an appointment at (800) 927-4357. Walk-ins are also welcome.
If people had insurance canceled at some point, they can assist with that situation in addition to assisting people who are insured. For the uninsured and underinsured, FEMA is the entity to contact.
U.S. Rep. Sherman said households had 50 days left to begin their FEMA applications, and 18 months to complete them. If a household has some insurance, they may get an initial denial, but it only means that the insurance has to be assessed before FEMA can provide an accurate payment.
The standard package of benefits includes $43,600 in housing aid that can be spent on anything from rental expenses to rebuilding and an additional $10,000 from the Calif. State Supplemental Grant Program.
According to Sherman, a second $43,600 is available for other needs, such as replacing a car or paying for medical care. In addition, Special Needs Assistance Grants of $770 are available for immediate needs, including food and transportation.
These grants are tax-exempt, but, if someone has insurance, then they would only cover uninsured losses.
A second resource is a Small Business Administration loan, which can cover up to $100,000 in personal property loss (furniture, clothing, cars) or up to $500,000 in home repair with a maximum interest rate of 4 percent, according to Sherman.
Loan repayments extend up to 30 years, and the first payment and interest accrual is deferred for 12 months. For businesses and nonprofits with uninsured damages or lost sales, the loans can rise to $2 million.
Sherman also detailed tax implications. All of L.A. County can wait until October 15 to file their taxes, and casualty losses can be claimed for either 2024 or 2025 tax years.
In addition, he noted that President Joe Biden had prioritized assistance to the area, which Sherman thinks will remain in place for the next administration. Fire-fighting costs will paid by the federal government as will the rebuilding of Palisades Charter High School.
In addition, he said he was striving for a larger FEMA aid package for households, which was attained for the 2023 Hawaii fire. He has spoken with the senior House Republican and is trying to get representatives to fly to California to see the devastation themselves.
In addition, he is working to enhance the federal Community Development Block Grants to the area. “I don’t know what the outcome will be,” he said. “Those of you who follow national politics know that it’s a messy, messy process.”
The homes on Castellammare burned.
Resources:
Disaster Recovery Center:
10800 W. Pico Blvd. Open 9 a.m until 8 p.m.
Pets:
If you weren’t able to evacuate a pet, call Animal Services at (213) 270-8
155 to get them a key to check on your animal.
FEMA: (800) 621-3362 or FEMA.gov
Price Gouging:
Report price gouging on rentals, etc. to oag.ca.gov/report or (800) 593-8222.
Passports: (818) 501-9200 U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman’s office (ask for John Alford)
Evacuation Status: protect.genasys.com (type any address to find its evacuation status)
Recovery Resources/Fire Maps: Recovery.lacounty.gov
The once vibrant, well kept homes and greenery that was the Alphabet Streets in Pacific Palisades looks as if it was hit by a bomb after the Palisades Fire.
Representatives:
U.S. Rep Brad Sherman – Bradsherman.house.gov
Councilwoman Traci Park – cd11.lacity.gov or @councilwomantracipark
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath – lindseyhorvath.lacounty.gov
CA Sen. Ben Allen – sd24.senate.ca.gov
CA Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin – asmdc.org/irwin