On September 12, Ellia Thompson spoke with the Commercial Observer on the LA fire cleanup. The following is an excerpt:
It took nearly four weeks - plus 1,400 fire engines, 84 aircraft and thousands of firefighters hailing from nine states, Canada and Mexico - to fully contain both fires, spurred on by 70 mph Santa Ana winds. By the time that the flames were finally beaten back, they had together killed 31 people (though estimates of indirect deaths range far higher), destroyed more than 16,000 structures and caused upward of $160 billion in property and capital damages. The fires were among the most destructive, and costly, extreme weather events in American history.
Trauma caused by the events still lingers for many, and likely will for the foreseeable future. But the collective response from the L.A. community, particularly in the early months of the region's recovery, was electric. A massive cleanup effort, led by the Army Corps of Engineers and local, state and federal agencies, kicked off almost immediately; a deluge of nonprofit organizations formed to coordinate the flood of financial, material and time donations; certain construction regulations were, at least ostensibly, eased to cut red tape; and everyday Angelenos fed and housed neighbors, fostered displaced animals, and spent their free time mobilizing supplies.
Despite Surprisingly Brisk Fire Cleanup, L.A.'s Recovery Risks Hitting a Wall
Eight months have passed since the fires began, and, for most, life goes on in Southern California. Yet the recovery effort for Altadena, Malibu and the Palisades is far from over - if anything, it's only just begun. And the challenges posed by the recovery's later phases are likely to only intensify in complexity, financial burden and time spent, rather than the opposite.
"We're at an inflection point, which is, ok, for the most part, the debris has been cleared, save for some of the commercial areas in both regions," said Nick Geller, managing director of nonprofit Steadfast LA. "And now what?"
"There needs to be more common sense and leadership from our cities and our counties, because we're getting it at the state level, but we need it at the local level too," said Ellia Thompson, a land use and zoning attorney at law firm Venable. "I think the L.A. City Planning Department is working hard, I think they are definitely trying. I just think some of the officials could be guiding us more than they are."
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