The Environmental Protection Agency has stop field operations Thursday, Feb. 13, due to rain across Los Angeles County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have reduced debris removal operations.
The National Weather Service forecasted between 1.5 to 3 inches of rain and 3 to 6 inches in the mountains, with Thursday being the peak of the storm. The expected conditions could result in urban flooding and burn scar debris flow.
Both agencies combined have more than 2,000 personnel responding to the Eaton and Palisades fire footprints as part of a two-phase debris removal effort. The EPA continues to remove household hazardous materials while the Army Corps has begun the much longer Phase-2, which includes removing all ash and debris off a property.
According to the EPA, it remains on track to complete its Phase-1 work by the end of the month. The speed of the work has been a priority under a federal executive order requiring a 30-day timeline for the removal hazardous household waste. Phase 1 and Phase 2 are happening concurrently.
During the weather restrictions, crews will continue training and readiness efforts and work will resume as soon as the EPA and Army Corps safety monitors allow.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week the beginning of Phase 2 debris-removal work was occurring with “unprecedented” speed, beginning just 35 days since the fires erupted. He said that is twice as fast as the process took following the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
According to Newsom, of the thousands of people who have submitted Right of Entry forms allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to clear debris for free from private properties, only 315 people have opted out of the program. Those people will have to hire their own contractors to remove debris.
The governor said “the vast majority of people have decided to get this done for free.”
Authorities continued to urge residents to complete the Right of Entry forms before the March 31 deadline.
Right of Entry forms are available at any FEMA Disaster Recovery Center and online at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/.
Receiving the forms means the Corps will be able to begin clearing debris from residential properties that were destroyed in the blazes, as soon as they are cleared of hazardous materials by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Administrator Bob Fenton said more than 7,300 of the forms had been filed as of Monday.
City News Service contributed to this article.