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Black America Web
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
LA County Lawmaker Wants Audit To Examine Eaton And Palisades Fire Responses
Source: Mario Tama / Getty In the months since the Eaton and Palisades wildfires ravaged through the LA County area, a local lawmaker is now calling for an official statewide audit to examine the fire responses to ensure that when future issues of a similar nature arise, the county is better prepared. Democratic assemblyman John Harabedian, who represents Pasadena, recently announced his decision to request a state audit, as impacted residents still have a host of questions about what went wrong during that disastrous day back in January. 'Generally speaking, why did alerts not go out? The 18 deaths in Altadena happened primarily in the western part of Altadena, where the fires had been raging for eight hours before alerts were received,' Harabedian said. 'By that time at three or four in the morning, the fire was on the doorsteps for many of my neighbors and some of whom didn't make it out.' In addition to the 18 people who were left dead in Altadena due to the Eaton fire, 12 people also died in the Palisades fire. 'I really think we owe it to my constituents and my neighbors to figure out what happened,' Harabedian continued. 'So I've requested an independent audit to examine the state and local response to the fires in both Altadena and the Palisades.' If approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the audit will examine the complete timeline response of both the Eaton and Palisades wildfires—including investigating the evacuation orders, first responders' resources, and vegetation management in the area. 'The audit will focus on a number of things, but mainly on how systems function in real time, looking at evacuation alerts, agency coordination, equipment deployment, utility preparedness, everything,' Harabedian explained. 'And really I think that it is incumbent on the state to push for this type of transparency, accountability, and the improved readiness that will hopefully come from this will help when the next disaster strikes,' he added. Harabedian's audit request is running alongside other California and LA County investigations into the fire response. He shared what he hopes will be accomplished with the audit and how it will impact any future natural disasters in the area. 'At a minimum, I want to see improved coordination and communication during future disasters,' Harabedian said. 'All coordination and being able to communicate during these disasters, whether it's the fire, whether it's the earthquake, whether it's a flood, that is something that needs to be looked at across the board,' he continued. 'Because unfortunately, we will be dealing with the next disaster very soon.' SEE ALSO: Real Estate Developers Are Buying Altadena's Burned Lots As Residents Face Harsh Financial Realities Of Rebuilding Evidence Of Human Error Grows In Altadena Fire Evacuation Investigation SEE ALSO LA County Lawmaker Wants Audit To Examine Eaton And Palisades Fire Responses was originally published on
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers try to tackle the mental and emotional effects of wildfires
Insurance providers in California would be required to reimburse patients who seek mental health care after a natural disaster under proposed legislation to address the emotional and mental trauma of wildfire victims. The Eaton and Palisades fires starting on Jan. 7 burned through large swaths of Los Angeles County, destroying over 11,000 buildings, resulting in 29 deaths and around $30 billion in property damage. Experts and legislators anticipate that the devastation will likely leave lasting emotional and physical scars on residents whose lives were upended by the tragedies. "As Angelenos continue to recover from the devastating firestorms, the Assembly is moving quickly to help and support residents, including with assistance for mental and behavioral health,' said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) Assembly Bill 1032, authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Los Angeles) and supported by Rivas, would require healthcare service plans and insurers to reimburse eligible enrollees for up to 12 annual visits with a licensed behavioral health provider if they live in a county affected by a wildfire-related local or state emergency. Read more: Opinion: The reported costs of the Los Angeles fires are staggering. The hidden costs are worse Harabedian said that legislators have put all of their focus on the 'physical rebuilding' but 'haven't prioritized the mental health short-term and long-term effects' of the wildfires. If the bill is passed and signed into law, the benefits will begin in 2026 and will be available for up to one year after an official state of emergency is lifted. From Jan. 7 to Jan. 15, according to Harabedian's office, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline experienced a fivefold increase in the number of calls associated with the Disaster Distress Helpline for the Los Angeles region. The predominant emotions callers reported included 'fear, grief, and a real sense of uncertainty.' Dr. Le Ondra Clark Harvey, chief executive of the California Behavioral Health Assn. and a supporter of the bill, said the physical symptoms someone might experience during and after a natural disaster could include fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, difficulty falling asleep, brain fog, inability to concentrate and flashbacks. Read more: L.A. opens resource centers for people who lost work in the fires 'Wildfires are not an anomaly for Southern California but the number of wildfires happening at the same time and the level of destruction was really catastrophic compared to wildfires I've seen in my lifetime,' she said. The "shock of it is more impactful" for residents in urban areas because they can be more 'caught off guard.' Researchers, according to a 2024 study by Nature Mental Health, examined the relationship between anxiety and wildfires and found an increase in emergency room visits for anxiety disorders after wildfire events in California and other parts of the Western U.S. from 2007 to 2018. Among the most vulnerable populations during these disasters are children and older adults, Clark Harvey said, and she emphasized the need for continuous care. 'It's important during this time people understand how to take care of themselves,' she said. 'If you're having anything out of the normal impacting your daily functioning in the wake of natural disasters do not wait, address it early.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
21-02-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Lawmakers try to tackle the mental and emotional effects of wildfires
Insurance providers in California would be required to reimburse patients who seek mental health care after a natural disaster under proposed legislation to address the emotional and mental trauma of wildfire victims. The Eaton and Palisades fires starting on Jan. 7 burned through large swaths of Los Angeles County, destroying over 11,000 buildings, resulting in 29 deaths and around $30 billion in property damage. Experts and legislators anticipate that the devastation will likely leave lasting emotional and physical scars on residents whose lives were upended by the tragedies. 'As Angelenos continue to recover from the devastating firestorms, the Assembly is moving quickly to help and support residents, including with assistance for mental and behavioral health,' said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) Assembly Bill 1032, authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Los Angeles) and supported by Rivas, would require healthcare service plans and insurers to reimburse eligible enrollees for up to 12 annual visits with a licensed behavioral health provider if they live in a county affected by a wildfire-related local or state emergency. Harabedian said that legislators have put all of their focus on the 'physical rebuilding' but 'haven't prioritized the mental health short-term and long-term effects' of the wildfires. If the bill is passed and signed into law, the benefits will begin in 2026 and will be available for up to one year after an official state of emergency is lifted. From Jan. 7 to Jan. 15, according to Harabedian's office, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline experienced a fivefold increase in the number of calls associated with the Disaster Distress Helpline for the Los Angeles region. The predominant emotions callers reported included 'fear, grief, and a real sense of uncertainty.' Dr. Le Ondra Clark Harvey, chief executive of the California Behavioral Health Assn. and a supporter of the bill, said the physical symptoms someone might experience during and after a natural disaster could include fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, difficulty falling asleep, brain fog, inability to concentrate and flashbacks. 'Wildfires are not an anomaly for Southern California but the number of wildfires happening at the same time and the level of destruction was really catastrophic compared to wildfires I've seen in my lifetime,' she said. The 'shock of it is more impactful' for residents in urban areas because they can be more 'caught off guard.' Researchers, according to a 2024 study by Nature Mental Health, examined the relationship between anxiety and wildfires and found an increase in emergency room visits for anxiety disorders after wildfire events in California and other parts of the Western U.S. from 2007 to 2018. Among the most vulnerable populations during these disasters are children and older adults, Clark Harvey said, and she emphasized the need for continuous care. 'It's important during this time people understand how to take care of themselves,' she said. 'If you're having anything out of the normal impacting your daily functioning in the wake of natural disasters do not wait, address it early.'
The Hill
10-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Newsom promotes bill to bring interest from fire-related insurance payments to homeowners
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) threw his support on Monday behind new legislation aimed at guaranteeing that wildfire-impacted homeowners, rather than their lenders, would receive interest earned from insurance payouts. The bill, authored by state Assemblymember John Harabedian (D), intends to fix what the governor's office described as 'an inequity in current law,' which has enabled lenders to collect such interest payments held in escrow following a disaster. 'Homeowners rebuilding after a disaster need all the support they can get, including the interest earned on their insurance funds,' Newsom said in a statement. The governor issued this announcement amid a long list of actions taken with the intent of expediting rebuilding and recovery in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that struck the Los Angeles region last month. As far as post-disaster insurance payouts are concerned, after such an event occurs, these funds remain in escrow until rebuilding is complete — a process that can often take months or even years. And during that window, these funds can accrue considerable interest, the announcement noted. California law requires lenders to pay homeowners interest on funds escrowed for property taxes and insurance but does not apply these same rules to insurance payouts, according to the governor's office. The newly introduced bill would amend state law to specifically mandate that lenders must pay homeowners interest earned on post-loss insurance payouts — just as they do for other escrowed real estate expenses. 'This is a commonsense solution that ensures that they receive every resource available to help them recover and rebuild,' Newsom said. Among the goals of the legislation is to provide a much-needed financial boost to wildfire victims who are in the process of rebuilding their communities, the governor's office stressed. The bill would cause no new burdens on lenders and would instead align insurance payout escrow rules with existing escrow interest law, while protecting the rights of homeowners, the team's announcement added. 'Homeowners, not insurance companies, should receive the interest earned on their insurance payouts,' the bill's author, Harabedian, said in a statement. 'Many Angelenos devastated by these wildfires have lost nearly everything; they are struggling and need every bit of financial support,' Harabedian added. 'This bill puts people over profits, ensuring that rightful insurance payments go to those who need them most.'
