The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this week that it had completed phase one of its work in the fire areas of Pallisard and Eton, clearing about 9,200 properties.
However, despite removing more than 300 million tons of dangerous materials, the EPA deemed thousands of assets up to Phase 2 as “too toxic.” This is done by the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We do not have heavy equipment for this mission to help remove these physical safety hazards,” explained Ashley Nilsen, branch director of EPA Palisades. “Therefore, we need to appoint those assets to the Army. The Army has the right equipment and expertise to deal with the physical dangers of the property, as part of their mission.”
Residents cannot begin reconstruction until the property is cleared, but authorities said postponing the property to the Army should not change the time frame regarding the reconstruction process.
“The Legion is already here, they’re just behind us,” Nilsen told KTLA’s Erin Myers. “On the issues discussed, as soon as you postpone the property to Phase 2, you will quickly enter the legion’s bucket to deal with that property.”
The fire department also began to expand into the sea, reaching a seawater consultation from the beach in Las Flores to Santa Monica State Beach.
Sediment testing is being done, with the Beach and Port departments in LA County removing the debris daily.
At this time, staff are encouraging beach fans to stay away from the water.
Additionally, there are concerns among those working in toxic waste areas due to heavy rain on their way to SOCAL, but the EPA said the team was still able to work during the previous storm.
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