Months after the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed parts of Los Angeles, a report claims L.A. County’s outdated policies led to delayed emergency alerts.
Within the 133 pages, it says there wasn’t just one, but several weaknesses with staffing, training, and communication.
There were roughly 40,000 acres of flames and destruction.
ABC 10News was on the ground when the major fires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades in January put L.A. County’s emergency response to the test, including the alerts and warnings system.
A report from the McChrystal Group says that “outdated policies, inconsistent practices,” and staffing challenges led to a strained response and unclear messages to the public in times of evacuation.
“When you have these really big catastrophic events, all of that planning and coordination we do ahead of time really makes a big difference,” said Julie Jeakle, the Acting Director for San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services.
She says there is a lot that goes into sending an evacuation alert.
“What's happening on the ground? How big is the fire? What's the path that it might be heading?” said Jeakle.
But one of the most important factors: Time.
“The decision to send an alert or warning to the public is probably one of the most important decisions we make, and time is of the essence, right? If we're sending an alert or warning out to the public, it means there is an immediate threat to life safety or property, and we have to make that decision very quickly,” said Jeakle.
One of the recommendations in the report was to model a wildfire and evacuation operation training initiative like San Diego County’s.
“After a disaster or emergency, it's really important to take a look at what went well and what didn't go well and where there's opportunity for improvement. Maybe there are lessons learned that another jurisdiction experienced that we can take action on here before, before that thing, you know, happens to us,” said Jeakle.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to review the report when it meets on Tuesday.
