Los Angeles has been burning for 11 days! What is the latest situation?

The fires that began in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California, in the United States on the morning of January 7 have been continuing for 11 days.

To date, 25 people have lost their lives in the wildfires that have spread rapidly to the surrounding areas, particularly the Eaton, Hurst, Sunset, and Woodley regions.

The total damage and economic loss caused by the fires, which have reduced thousands of acres to ash, are estimated to be between 250 and 275 billion dollars.

EDUCATION DISRUPTED

Education in the city has been disrupted due to the fires. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stated in a press release that numerous schools have burned down or sustained heavy damage.

Noting that education in the city has been significantly disrupted by the fires, Carvalho stated that the reconstruction of some schools damaged in the fire could take more than 2 years.

Students from some schools that became unusable as a result of the fires have been temporarily transferred to other schools in safe areas.

HOW THE DAMAGES WILL BE COVERED IS BEING DEBATED

More than 40 thousand acres of land have been reduced to ash so far in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires, and more than 12 thousand structures have been damaged or rendered unusable.

The total damage and economic loss caused by the fires are estimated to be between 250 and 275 billion dollars.

Following the fires, the main issues the city will face include applications for federal disaster aid, the search for long-term housing while landlords raise rents, lawsuits regarding how the fires started and who should pay for the damages, the race for private capital to step in and seize the best plots of land, legal battles with insurance companies withdrawing from California, political infighting, and the replanning and reconstruction process of the fire zones.

California Governor Gavin Newsom stated on January 11, "We are already organizing an aid plan. We have a team working on redesigning Los Angeles 2.0."

It is not yet clear how the Los Angeles 2.0 announced by Newsom will take shape. Designing this and the reconstruction process will take years.

A large portion of the recovery for the burned areas in Los Angeles will depend on federal resources.

President Joe Biden has provided federal funding for the next 6 months to cover costs related to immediate public safety threats, such as temporary housing, emergency assistance for individuals, debris removal, and hazardous materials.

However, long-term funding for the reconstruction of public infrastructure such as water systems, roads, and schools will depend on the administration of President-elect Donald Trump and Congress.

RECONSTRUCTION MAY TAKE YEARS

It may take weeks for residents to even be able to inspect their properties, and it could take more than a year for all debris and hazardous materials to be removed so that homeowners can begin rebuilding their homes.

The complete reconstruction of critical infrastructure such as water systems, power lines, roads, and schools could take several years, and funding fights in Washington could delay this progress even further.

Pete Gaynor, who served as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during Trump's previous term, said in a statement, "I hate to say this, but if you lost your home and even if you have the means to rebuild, you better buckle up because it is going to be a journey you are not going to like."

For those who lost their homes, FEMA provides temporary housing, usually in hotels, but Gaynor noted, "Setting up longer-term temporary housing like mobile home services, finding land for these structures, and building road, water, and electricity infrastructure can take more than a year."

15 MONTHS AFTER THE FIRE IN HAWAII, MODULAR HOMES BEGAN TO BE DELIVERED

FEMA provided 3 billion dollars in support due to the wildfires in Maui County, Hawaii, in August 2023. More than 1.3 billion dollars of this was spent on direct reconstruction efforts such as debris removal, providing temporary housing, rebuilding a local school, and repairing public infrastructure.

A large part of the first year of recovery in Maui was spent clearing debris and hazardous materials before property owners could begin rebuilding their homes.

It also took about a year for FEMA to complete the process of testing, inspecting, and cleaning the contaminated water and sewage infrastructure. This allowed local authorities to begin repairing these systems and rebuilding homes.

About 15 months after the fire, families began moving into a temporary FEMA housing complex consisting of 169 modular homes. FEMA also provides mobile homes that can be used on private land.

However, not all residents who lost their homes were eligible for FEMA housing assistance. Housing aid was not provided to undocumented immigrants, nor to individuals whose homes were heavily damaged but not burned.

On the other hand, experts emphasize that throughout this entire process, attention must also be paid to the magnitude of the emotional cost, in addition to the costs of reconstruction and logistics.

BUILDINGS IN THE FIRE ZONE ARE BEING INSPECTED

Even citizens whose homes or businesses were saved in the fire in Los Angeles but were removed from mandatory evacuation zones remain displaced in temporary shelters or with friends or family.

Teams are currently inspecting every single building in the fire zone and publishing their damage status online.

Places heavily affected by the fire will remain closed to all residents until inspections are completed and hazards such as debris, trees, hazardous materials, and downed power lines are cleared from the roads.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would send approximately 500 personnel to the region at a cost of 100 million dollars to remove household hazardous waste such as paint, cleaners, pesticides, pressurized fuel canisters, and lithium-ion batteries from properties affected by the fire. Experts estimate that this work will take weeks to complete.

ELECTRICITY AND WATER DEPARTMENT SUED

When residents are allowed to return to their homes, even those whose homes are still standing will not actually be able to live in them. Public utilities such as electricity, water, and natural gas may be out of service for months.

On the other hand, Pacific Palisades residents filed a lawsuit against the city's Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles, alleging that the city and the department were caught unprepared for the Palisades Fire.

Residents are seeking compensation for the costs, repair, and replacement of damaged or destroyed property, as well as any other relief the court deems appropriate, such as alternative living expenses.

ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BIG OIL COMPANIES

Meanwhile, many people who lost their homes in the fires directed their anger and accusations at "big oil companies" at a press conference organized by Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group.

Altadena resident Sam James said, "We are working to help fire survivors recover and rebuild our community, but this is not our responsibility, and it should not constantly fall on us to cover the consequences of the negligence of big oil companies."

Climate scientists stated that climate change and the sharp transitions between extremely wet and dry seasons increase the likelihood of frightening seasonal winds coinciding with hot, dry conditions and dense fuels.

In the past, states and municipalities have filed lawsuits against oil companies, demanding that they be held accountable for the consequences of climate change, often alleging that they lied about the damage their products could cause.