A bombshell Pacific Palisades wildfire recovery plan has called for nearly $1 billion in upgrades to infrastructure that was destroyed in the devastating blazes.
The proposal includes projects through 2033, which involve more than $650 million for electrical undergrounding lines after nearly 57% of all electrical points were destroyed and another $150 million for replacing aging and leaky water main pipelines, theLA Timesreported.
The reports were done by infrastructure firm AECOM, commissioned by Los Angeles city officials for $5 million. An additional $3 million has been set aside for the company for long-term recovery planning.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sent aletterto Palisades residents that included links to the reports.
She wrote: “Full recovery is a long-term, multi-year effort that requires sustained coordination — and it must continue to be community-led.
“This past year has been unimaginable for the Palisades community, but I remain committed to supporting you through every step of the recovery.”
The reports focused on three things:public infrastructure restoration,wildfire resilience, andlogistics and traffic managementonce construction gets underway.
Some of the things that stood out in the report include:
It also found that simply clearing vegetation around homes was “not enough” to “meaningfully reduce wildfire risk in the Palisades,” due to its topography and dense vegetation.
In response, the city needs to work with state and county land managers on measures such as “cutting gaps in vegetation for firefighter access, maintaining defensible space around community infrastructure” and restoring native plants.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
