Sun is out, but `disaster isn't over,' as L.A. continues to grapple with rain's impact
The City Council on Friday approved Mayor Karen Bass' declaration of emergency in response to the powerful storm that soaked much of the Los Angeles area earlier this week.
In a 14-0 vote, council members adopted the mayor's declaration, which she issued Monday morning and which required action from the council within seven days. Bass had said the declaration is intended to help the city respond to the storm and ensure the resources for the recovery period.
Bass' action came on the heels of similar emergency declarations by Los Angeles County and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared an emergency for all of Southern California.
Carol Parks, general manager of the city's Emergency Management Department, told council members prior to their vote that the Emergency Operations Center activated on Sunday and will remain in operation until further notice.
“We continue to be activated because the disaster is not over,” Parks said. “The sun is out, but there are a log of different issues that we're continuing to monitor.”
Parks noted that the city is responding to about 20 impacted areas, and there could be more. In response, the EOC is tracking this risk-response, continuing its response and recovery efforts. The EOC will also be pushing out updates when available.
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky thanked Parks and other city departments for their work, including Public Works and the L.A. Fire Department.
“It was quite an incredible storm,” Yaroslavsky said. “Some parts of my (5th) district got 12 inches of rain, and, 24 hours later, the response has been nothing short of exemplary. The fact that we didn't lose any lives is really incredible.”
She also inquired about what authority the city has in handling damage on private properties or future damage threats to homes or another publicrights-of-way, such as a sidewalk.
Parks said homeowners are encouraged to seek out assistance from their insurance companies, but that every property is different.
“So the impacts are different and there have to be assessments to determine what the city's portion will be in the response and what is the requirement of the individual homeowner to take care of,” Parks said.
Aura Garcia, president of the Board of Public Works, said that at this time Public Works will not be able to go onto private property, more focusing on obstructions in the public right of way.
She suggested that the city's Building and Safety Department could help private properties.
“I will note that the fact that you have the EOC still activated post-storm has been really helpful for our constituents and our team because you're all in one place, and you can talk to each other,” Yaroslavsky said. “That's a really helpful model, and I'm sure we can learn from it in the non-emergency context, too.”