The $600 million effort of three Los Angeles Unified Schools burning in the Palisade Fire reached a major milestone ahead of schedule – all debris cleared from these properties. Alberto Carvalho said Friday.
He called the debris removal “a critical moment for all of us,” and he detailed the reconstruction plan to get students back to campus quickly.
“Today, we recognize that good-willed people can open up a common foundation to achieve great things together,” Carvalho said alongside Mayor Karen Bass next to the Palisades Carter Charter Elementary School, one of the burning campuses.
About 70% of schools were destroyed by fires that began on January 7.
Bass touts the speed of debris removal in the burned area of the wawu fire, which was destroyed Nearly 7,000 structures and burned over 23,000 acres, saying: “We are absolutely committed to ensuring that Palisad is rebuilt as quickly as possible.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has removed debris from Palisades Charter Elementary School.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Marquez Charter Elementary was also destroyed, and Palisades Charter High School was closed for major damage. Students on two elementary school campuses have moved to nearby public schools.
Carvalho said the next step in the reconstruction effort would include contracting architects and engineers. He added that the soil and residual structure will be subjected to ongoing environmental testing at three sites. Officials are also taking steps to place portable classrooms on one of the sites. He said it was part of a program that aims to get students back to campus “as soon as possible” but “no more than what the community wants to happen,” he said.
Carvalho said the cost of rebuilding each primary school was about $150 million, and about $300 million rebuilding a large portion of Palisades High.
2,445 students from the school that has been in classes since the fire will soon move to the former Sears building In the heart of Santa Monica. Carvalho said only about 30% of the Palisades High campus was damaged or destroyed, including some classroom buildings and sports facilities – but it is much larger than two primary schools.
Carvalho said the area will use it $9 billion construction margin voter Approved in November Start the building. “It can’t come in a better moment,” he said. The region will also use about $50 million from its insurance policies. It will then turn to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We will take financial responsibility with our own approvals approved by the people of Los Angeles and then seek federal reimbursement,” he said.
But Carvalho also addressed issues concerning federal support for projects such as Rousder’s reconstruction efforts. In recent months, the Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in many regions. Including public health and educate.
“I think it would be an understatement for this decade if we say our stopgap approach to federal support, not only in California, but across the country,” Carvalho said. “We want to rebuild Palisades or anywhere in our country to be affected by fires, natural disasters, storms, hurricanes and more… [be] Politicization. We certainly hope that there are no weapons of disaster to achieve political interests. Shame, shame for anyone willing to do so. ”
The school’s clothes left behind by the Palisades charter elementary school that was damaged in the Palisades fire.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
A FEMA representative told the New York Times that the Los Angeles unified aid request was approved, “The exact funding and reimbursement will depend on the qualifications of the facility, the work performed and the related expenses assessed by the facility. [agency’s Public Assistance funding] process. ”
“The specific dollar amount has not been determined yet, as Lausd is still in the process of submitting its loss impact list and project details,” said FEMA spokesman Brandi Richard Thompson.
At least four private schools were burned down in Palisades, including the parish school and the rural school in St. Matthew, both of which moved to Santa Monica’s office building. Eaton Fire Destroys Several Public and Private Schools Including Pasadena Waldorf School and Elliott Institute of Art Magnet.
Carvalho said the speed of cleaning on Palisade properties in his area can bode well so that other campuses are designed to reopen quickly.
“We are currently leveraging processes for removing debris, soil testing, mitigation of the environment, and reconstruction processes – we actually cut the timeline for reconstruction by up to 50 percent,” he said. “This is great for the entire community, if not the entire state, namely embracing a better, faster process to be better, faster, and more powerful than ever.”
Also on Friday, Bath announced that the Palisades playground, which was damaged in the fire, would be restored due to nearly $1 million donations from Benefit Concert Initiative FireAid, and donations from others. Bath’s office said in a statement that it supported a total of $1.3 million. Private funds will make the playground open earlier than expected. Once remodeled, it will include a competitive fire truck that will pay tribute to the first responders who fought the fire.
