Last fall, the Northern Los Angeles area was hit with a number of brush fires that left the hills and many neighborhoods devoid of vegitation.  This is not a new phenomenon and one that many Angelenos accept as the norm and the risk that goes with living in rural areas. 

So now it’s winter.  And another common occurrence is at hand.  Rainfall in those same barren hills.  The local media has been on ”storm watch” since last week - even before the storms hit.

I know for a fact that, for months, the City of Los Angeles has been preparing for potential mudslides.  There have been numerous community meetings (not well attended) to prepare the community for the possibility of mudslides. 

So here we are in our fourth day of heavy rain.  The ground is saturated and the city and county officials are asking people to evacuate their homes.  The police and fire departments have diverted officers and firefighters to the affected areas to issue mandatory evacuation orders.  And how are people responding?  They’re NOT evacuating.  Why?  From what I’ve seen on the news, the citizens don’t think they’re in danger.  In fact, the media is reporting there has been less than a 50% compliance with the evacuation orders.

As a police officer, I just don’t understand it.  Even though the public has been warned that if there is a mudslide event emergency services might not be able to get to them, the citizens still stay.  Many of those interviewed by television reporters are saying they don’t think they’re in danger and they’re prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.  The trouble is, that if the ground decides to shift, they’re not going to have a moment’s notice.  The mud can slam into their homes before they’ve had a chance to grab their car keys.

I just don’t understand why people would place themselves at unnecessary risk.  As our Police Chief, Charlie Beck has said, “We’re not asking you leave your homes because your carpet might get wet - we’re asking you to leave because your lives are in danger.” 

As I tell people all the time, as a police officer, I’d rather respond to a situation and find out it’s not an emergency than to respond to an incident and find it’s a disaster.  So, to all those citizen who are gambling that everything will be okay, I say, “I hope you win that bet.”

Until next time…

KMA367