To my friends and constituents experiencing unimaginable losses from the Palisades Fire, please know that all of Council District 11 mourns with you. My own heart is fully broken as we begin to take in the scope and scale of the devastation, and yet I continue to be uplifted by the many selfless acts of service I witnessed over the last several days and the confidence I have in our own resilience as a community.
As you all know, the Palisades Fire broke out on Tuesday morning. It quickly grew to ten acres, then 300, then 3,000. By the end of the day Wednesday, nearly 16,000 acres and hundreds of structures were decimated by the fire. As of this writing on Thursday morning, nearly 20,000 acres have burned. Because fire suppression efforts remain ongoing, we still don’t fully understand the magnitude of these losses. While many of you are anxiously awaiting news about your loved ones and your property, it’s still not safe for you to come back. As hard as it is, please be patient and continue to follow all directions from fire and police authorities.
I’ve personally been in the Palisades for the last two days, meeting with our emergency responders and surveying the destruction. Your CD11 team has also been on the ground putting out small fires with garden hoses, looking for lost pets, and recovering personal belongings to return to their owners. I won’t sugar coat things. Most of the Palisades is gone and the destruction is pervasive. While a few landmarks remain, it will take us years to recover and rebuild from this tragic event.
We have a lot to talk about as a community. As soon as the fires are out and things are more stabilized, you have my commitment to convene our top leaders for as many town hall meetings as are needed so you can get the answers you deserve.
In the meantime, my team and I are here to serve and support you, and we are keeping you all in our prayers.
The Red Cross will set up Community Recovery Centers where residents can begin the process of finding stability and locate the status of loved ones. If you need assistance locating a missing loved one because of the fires, the Red Cross may be able to help. You can reach the Red Cross at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and be ready to provide as much detail as possible to assist us in potentially locating your missing loved one.
