For the first time since the devastating fire erupted, all Pacific Palisades residents were allowed to return home, as evacuation orders for the final two neighborhoods in Los Angeles were lifted shortly after noon on Monday, Jan. 27.
“The grief and the pain and the denial and the anger that everybody has been feeling is palpable,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “As you go through the area and see the amount of loss, (it) has been devastating, and today all of the neighborhoods opened up so that people from the Palisades can come back.”
While residents no longer have to be escorted to their homes, they still need to obtain access passes to get into the burned areas, officials said. To get an access pass, residents must check in with law enforcement between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Lot 3 Beach Access, located at 1150 Pacific Coastal Highway in Santa Monica, officials said.
Bass appeared at an early afternoon press conference with civic leader Steve Soboroff, whom she appointed on Jan. 17 to lead the rebuilding efforts. Bass and Soboroff were unable to provide a clear timeline for reconstruction of the community.
The cleanup for destroyed homes and other properties will be done in two phases. During the first phase, the federal Environmental Protection Agency will remove household hazardous waste, and the second phase will involve clearing solid waste, debris and ash.
Phase one will be done quickly across different areas but it involves a large number of homes, which presents a logistical challenge, Soboroff said. But this first phase needs to be cleared before the second phase can begin.
“What we have to make sure is they have enough crews working enough hours to do it in enough time,” Soboroff said. “So some of it is going to be done in a week, and some of it may be done up to three months. What I’d like to do is take those periods and shrink them down by getting more resources.”
Recovery Costs
Meanwhile, the city is grappling with the financial toll of the fire. Initial damage estimates were $358 million in costs related to emergency response, infrastructure/structural damages and debris removal. The costs include:
– Emergency protective measures : $6.6 million
– Infrastructure/structural damage to city facilities and equipment: $350 million
– Debris removal: $1.2 million (primarily wind-related)
The city is already facing financial troubles, having reported in December that it was overspending its budget by nearly $300 million. These additional fire-related costs add to the strain.
FEMA typically covers 75% of disaster-related expenses, leaving the local jurisdictions responsible for the remaining 25%. However, a presidential declaration by the Biden administration allowed FEMA to cover 100% of the cost if the debris removal begins within 180 days of the city’s emergency declaration.
Bass told this newspaper at the press conference that she doesn’t expect the terms of this federal assistance to change under the Trump administration.
“FEMA will cover 100% for the first 180 days,” Bass said. “That was something that President Biden had set up. President Trump has given us no indication that it will be anything different.”