At a pivotal milestone on the long road to recovery from a deadly wildfire in Los Angeles County in early January, the US Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday revealed wreckage from burned facilities in Altadena and the Pacific Palisade. I’ve started to remove it.
The cleanup marks the beginning of a long-standing reconstruction process for thousands of Californians who lost their homes and businesses in the Eton and Palisades fires. Over 9,400 structures have been destroyed in Altadena, and over 6,800 have been destroyed in Pallisad in the Pacific Ocean.
Cleanup is a massive logistics operation, with thousands of contractors from the Army and private companies working to dispose of more than 10 times more fire debris from the 2023 fire that destroyed Maui.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said federal, state and local officials have worked on hacking through “bureaucratic bushes” to speed up the process of cleaning and recovery in LA. Debris clearance, which began 35 days after the wildfire, was twice as fast as the timeline after the 2018 Woolsey Fire.
Gov. Gavin Newsom will speak at a press conference at Odyssey Charter School as he begins to remove Eaton Fire Debris from Altadena.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
“This is unprecedented in California history,” Newsom said at a press conference in Altadena on Tuesday morning, Major General Jason Kelly of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other state and local authorities. He spoke with.
Surrounded by blocks of wreckage, the group stood in the school’s parking lot, which appeared to be miraculously touched by flames. But the fire destruction behind them stretches as far as you can see, reducing the once vibrant neighborhood into a moonscape of a burnt home separated by yellow bulldozers and bright California and US flags. did.
Margot Stever, Altadena, where the house first lined up for debris clearance, said he had been crying every day since losing his home at Jane’s Village, a collection of historic cottages in the 1920s at Eaton Fire. Ta.
“This is my first happy day,” the stever told the reporter’s gag lined up in front of her. She spoke and then leaned down to hold Newsom.
Within minutes, workers in vests and hard hats piloted bargain bulldozers and began collecting debris, losing twisted metal, burnt concrete, ash and other remaining remains of unrecognizable family members to the fire. Prepare to drive it away.
But before the Army clears the property, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contractors complete what is called “Phase 1” debris removal, sifting through the tiles, and then painting, propane tanks, lithium-ion batteries, and more. Collect potentially dangerous household items. It cannot be trucked into a normal landfill.
The EPA is working on a February 28 deadline, Robert Fenton, manager of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Region 9, said Newsom on Tuesday that almost two-thirds of EPA cleanup ended this week He said that. That cleanup is mandatory and the property owner will not be billed, officials said.
Workers prepare to clean up the burnt pieces near the Odyssey Charter School after the Eton fire in Altadena.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Dangerous household items from the burn areas are the Altadena Golf Course in Lario Park in Ilbinder and Debris at Etonfire, as well as former Topanga Ranch Motel and Rogers state beaches due to the Parisades fire. Debris will remain at those sites until they are shipped to special facilities for disposal or recycling.
Before beginning to remove the fire department, known as “Phase 2,” the Army Corps requires opt-in paperwork from homeowners who want the Corps to clean up the land. More than 7,300 LA County property owners had filled out the forms with “unprecedented” numbers by Monday, Fenton said. The documents, known as the right to immigration form, are on March 31st.
Property owners can also choose to clean up themselves by paying from pocket for a professionally licensed contractor or by passing through an insurance company. So far, 315 property owners have picked the government to remove the wreckage, Newsom said.
“The majority of people have decided to do this, and it’s done for free,” says Newsom.
Newsom emphasizes that various stages of cleanup are happening simultaneously, and waste removal is beginning from the properties where dangerous waste has already been cleared. And ultimately, a rebuild could begin despite continuing debris removal at nearby properties, Newsom said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom embraces District 5 manager Kathryn Burger at a press conference at Altadena’s Odyssey Charter School.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday that residents could further speed up the debris clearance process by sorting out with their neighbors and submitting opt-in forms throughout the block. That way, the legion “can clean up the entire area rather than go home,” she said.
Bass joined Los Angeles County supervisor Lindsey Horvath and other officials from Pacific Palisades Tuesday afternoon as debris clearance began in these devastated neighborhoods. On Livorno Drive, a Palisade street overlooking the ocean, dozens of people wearing neon construction vests and hard hats stood by the wreckage of the burning house with twists.
On Monday, Army Colonel Eric Swenson said property owners will receive a call three to five days before the corps enters the property, and again a day before. He said he would walk around the property when the crew arrive. He invited property owners to attend the site evaluation and to tell the crew about all areas of their property, saying, “I am interested in what they are paying extra attention to us.”
Swenson said that the common fire ash and debris are transported to lined trucks and driven to approved landfills. These facilities include Simi Valley Reclamation Site, Azusa Land Reclamation Site, Badlands Physiological Reclamation Site in Moreno Valley, Calabasas Reclamation Site in Agoura, Elsobrante Reclamation Site in Corona, Lamb Canyon Reclamation Site in Beaumont, and Sunshine Canyon Reclamation Site in Sylmer Included.
Other types of waste, including metals and concrete, are sent to the staging area for repackaging and sorting before going to a specialized landfill. Swenson said the corps will scrape the top six inches of contaminated soil from the burned area.
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