Palisades fire victims vent frustration as town hall on debris removal becomes a free-for-all
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The town hall was billed as a way for Pacific Palisades residents to learn about clearing debris from their charred lots.
But Sunday’s event in Santa Monica quickly turned into a free-for-all as frustrated residents pressed officials on an array of issues.
Over 2½ hours, locals sought timelines and answers on the government’s plans for helping them recover from the Jan. 7 firestorm, which has burned more than 23,400 acres and destroyed thousands of homes.
Others in the crowd simply lobbed questions at the panel.
“I have a standing house in the middle of a burn zone, how do I protect that house?” one man said.
Displaced Pacific Palisades residents are navigating a new reality, including facing a potentially lengthy time to rebuild. They must deal with a layer of government agencies as they seek to return to their fire-ravaged properties.
We’re tracking damage assessments from the Eaton and Palisades fires, which destroyed 12,000 structures in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
At Sunday’s event, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and other elected officials responded to dozens of audience questions from the audience. Federal and county representatives described the blaze’s effects on house foundations, soil and trees as well as the rebuilding process.
Sherman said that the average cost of debris removal for homes from another recent fire was $170,000 — a potential factor for residents who are looking to hire a private contractor to clear their lots.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering to clear away the debris at no charge. Residents can opt in or out of the government service.
Residents who lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires can now sign up for toxic debris removal on the county’s website.
Mark Pestrella, the director of Los Angeles County Public Works, encouraged neighbors to work together to sign up for the public debris removal process, explaining that it would be faster if there are clusters of homes. At a meeting last week hosted by the Pacific Palisades Community Council, officials said the debris removal process would take up to 18 months.
The Environmental Protection Agency is doing its own removal of hazardous items, which will start this week. Tara Fitzgerald, the agency’s coordinator, told the crowd Sunday night that the process would take “months.”
That answer drew some complaints from audience members.
“That’s too long.”
“Speed it up.”
“Hire more people.”
Federal and county officials have warned residents to use caution when returning to burn areas. Residents who do return must pass checkpoints and are given protective gear because of health concerns after the wind-driven inferno.
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who also appeared on the panel, said that it was dangerous for people to go to their property and haul away debris.
After an epic dry streak, the first real rain of winter fell in Southern California, bringing elevated risk of floods and landslides to areas recently burned by wildfires.
At one point, the panelists began to ask each other questions. L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, asked why the two phases — the EPA work and the debris clearing — couldn’t be done at the same time. That suggestion drew cheers.
“There’s a whole neighborhood burned to the ground; just clear the whole thing out,” a woman shouted.
Fitzgerald, from the EPA, explained there are two phases to allow the agency to remove explosive material.
Another audience member, who lost a car key that was in a house, asked officials how to get a tow truck into the closed-off burn site so she could retrieve her car.
The last two mandatory evacuation zones are expected to open this week to only Pacific Palisades residents, and that’s when they will be able to retrieve items, if the weather holds up, officials said.
Mayor Karen Bass, another panelist, acknowledged the anger and grief felt by the community at the beginning of Sunday’s event.
“My North Star is my commitment to get you back home,” Bass said.
Still, some residents want more details about the recovery.
Pacific Palisades resident Sue Pascoe, who runs the newsletter and website Circling the News, wrote this weekend that “there doesn’t seem to be a central place that Palisadians can go to get information, and it is all frustrating and time-consuming.”
Sue Kohl, president of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, said she spends four hours a day answering emails from locals and others.
She wasn’t surprised by the outbursts from the crowd, but said the officials did a good job at Sunday’s forum answering questions.
“People get frustrated,” she said. “It’s not a normal time.”
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