Would You Gamble With Your Life?
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
February 5th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
First–great site & blog. Thank you for taking the time to share your special expertise.
I’m with you on the evacuation thing. Have these people never seen the news? Never heard of people smothered in their beds by walls of mud slamming through the walls of their homes. I have. Lived 18 years in SFV. Now, SFV is unfashionable, but a lot safer than most areas of greater LA.
If it were up to me, I would not send emergency workers into dangerous situations to rescue people who ignored evacuation orders. And if the scofflaws survived, I’d fine them. Big. It is criminal to create a situation that might cost the lives of not just you and your family but also the responders. I say, Book ‘em.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:33 am
Hi Texanne;
Thank you for visiting my site and thanks for responding. When I first wrote this article, it was the week where heavy rain was predicted for a week. The media turned it into a major “storm watch,” and all the city and county agencies were all geared up pleading with people to evacuate. Nothing happened, and many of the folks who live in those areas almost sneered that the emergency responders had made a big deal out of nothing.
After a moderate rainfall a couple of days ago, 40 houses were damaged or destroyed. Luckily, no one was hurt or killed (that I’m aware of). Hopefully, some of those folks will heed the warnings next time. Hope you visit here again.