Latest news with #ArmyCorpsOfEngineers
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Final evacuation order officially lifted nearly six months after Palisades fire
Nearly six months after a wildfire devastated the Pacific Palisades, the final evacuation orders have been fully lifted, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A portion of the coastal Los Angeles neighborhood had remained under an evacuation order because of dangerous downed wires, potentially explosive lithium-ion batteries and toxic wildfire debris, according to Lyndsey Lantz, a spokesperson for the Fire Department. The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency overseeing wildfire cleanup, has overseen federal contractors in clearing wreckage away from more than 3,200 properties, alleviating some of those worries. "Our concern has decreased since much of the debris has been removed," Lantz said. Only residents and contractors had previously been able to return to the portion of Pacific Palisades that remained under the evacuation order. Authorities had established vehicle checkpoints, in part, to keep the public away from these lingering hazards. As the final evacuation orders fully lift, however, the general public will be allowed to access the area. Los Angeles police are expected to maintain a presence in the neighborhood to ward off potential thieves and deter property crime. Read more: Pressure is mounting for soil testing post-fire cleanup. The Newsom administration is downplaying the concerns Although people will be allowed back into fire-affected communities, public safety and health authorities are asking them to exercise caution, such as wearing an N-95 mask to prevent exposure to toxic dust. Elected officials and environmental researchers have raised serious concerns about the possibility of lingering soil contamination because federal disaster agencies have decided not to pay for soil testing to confirm that heavy contamination isn't left behind. Soil sampling projects by Los Angeles Times journalists and, separately, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health found lead and arsenic contamination above California's standards for residential properties at properties already cleaned by federal contractors. Read more: When FEMA failed to test soil for toxic substances after the L.A. fires, The Times had it done. The results were alarming 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.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
California's capital headed for 'mass abandonment'
California 's capital Sacramento could experience 'mass abandonment' in the coming years due to the rising threat of flooding, a new report has found. Sacramento, which sits at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River, is a high flood risk. In the coming decades conditions could continue to deteriorate, driving home insurance premiums so high that home owners will be forced to move elsewhere, researchers from First Street concluded. Sacramento County is the state's fourth largest metro, home to around 2.4 million residents. But First Street predicts that 28 percent of its population will have left by 2055, a number it considers to meet the threshold for 'mass abandonment.' The report argues that flooding will be the biggest factor in pushing residents out, combined with rising insurance costs , increasingly bad air quality and changing demographics. The National Risk Assessment report also argued that Fresno could lose half its population in the same period. Increasingly hot temperatures as a result of climate heating are melting mountain snow, increasing river flows and heavy rain events. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta lowlands will become less and less able to absorb such deluges and dangerous flooding will become more likely, researchers predict. In December a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Sacramento as at highly exception flood risk in need of mitigation. 'The Army Corps of Engineers and the [Sacramento River] levees have historically done quite a good job of providing protection,' UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told the San Francisco Chronicle . 'That's probably thanks to good luck and probably thanks to good engineering, but that good luck probably won't hold forever.' Swain warned that mass development of low-lying areas around the city have spread the risk of flooding further. Developing the area has made California's Central Valley, but Sacramento in particular, one of the largest populations in the US highly vulnerable to flood risk. First Street found that risk of flooding was the biggest driver of migration in the US compared to other perils such as poor air quality, wildfires and hurricanes. One of the biggest economic risks of living in an area prone to flooding is that most home insurance providers will not cover flooding. Instead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a flood insurance program. First Street analysis found that it will cost 137 percent more to insure homes in Sacramento by 2055. Such costs will drive businesses and residents away to more climate-resilient areas. 'Some people will no doubt be displaced by climate events,' Jesse Keenan, director of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University, told the Chronicle. 'But many more will be displaced, or at least steered by, the hand of the market,' he explained. Other areas of California are also facing an insurance crisis, with major providers such as State Farm hiking prices after threatening to pull out of the state entirely.
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sacramento could be headed for 'mass abandonment' for disturbing new reason
California's capital Sacramento could experience 'mass abandonment' in the coming years due to the rising threat of flooding, a new report has found. Sacramento, which sits at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River, is a high flood risk. In the coming decades conditions could continue to deteriorate, driving home insurance premiums so high that home owners will be forced to move elsewhere, researchers from First Street concluded. Sacramento County is the state's fourth largest metro, home to around 2.4 million residents. But First Street predicts that 28 percent of its population will have left by 2055, a number it considers to meet the threshold for 'mass abandonment.' The report argues that flooding will be the biggest factor in pushing residents out, combined with rising insurance costs, increasingly bad air quality and changing demographics. The National Risk Assessment report also argued that Fresno could lose half its population in the same period. Increasingly hot temperatures as a result of climate heating are melting mountain snow, increasing river flows and heavy rain events. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta lowlands will become less and less able to absorb such deluges and dangerous flooding will become more likely, researchers predict. In December a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Sacramento as at highly exception flood risk in need of mitigation. 'The Army Corps of Engineers and the [Sacramento River] levees have historically done quite a good job of providing protection,' UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told the San Francisco Chronicle. 'That's probably thanks to good luck and probably thanks to good engineering, but that good luck probably won't hold forever.' Swain warned that mass development of low-lying areas around the city have spread the risk of flooding further. Developing the area has made California's Central Valley, but Sacramento in particular, one of the largest populations in the US highly vulnerable to flood risk. First Street found that risk of flooding was the biggest driver of migration in the US compared to other perils such as poor air quality, wildfires and hurricanes. One of the biggest economic risks of living in an area prone to flooding is that most home insurance providers will not cover flooding. Many insurance providers will not cover flooding in their policies Mass development of low-lying areas around the city have spread the risk of flooding further Instead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a flood insurance program. First Street analysis found that it will cost 137 percent more to insure homes in Sacramento by 2055. Such costs will drive businesses and residents away to more climate-resilient areas. 'Some people will no doubt be displaced by climate events,' Jesse Keenan, director of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism at Tulane University, told the Chronicle. 'But many more will be displaced, or at least steered by, the hand of the market,' he explained. Other areas of California are also facing an insurance crisis, with major providers such as State Farm hiking prices after threatening to pull out of the state entirely. Many Los Angeles residents that lost their homes in the devastating wildfires earlier this year found that their insurance policies will only cover a fraction of their rebuilding costs.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Eaton Fire survivors share challenges of rebuilding home, including delays in permit
The Brief Ted Koerner, an Altadena resident, faced challenges rebuilding his home after the Eaton fire, including delays in the permitting process. The Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with cleanup, but the volume of permit applications is overwhelming local offices. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is advocating for a centralized permitting center to streamline the process for affected homeowners. LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Ted Koerner thought losing his beloved Altadena home to the Eaton fire was bad enough until he started to go through the rebuilding process. With about 600 applications in process, 15 permits have been issued so far. Keep in mind, 9,800 homes were destroyed by flames in January. His was one of the first homes cleared of debris, a process that is moving relatively quickly, with 56 Army Corps of Engineers cleanup crews in Altadena already clearing more than 5,000 properties. But after weeks of delays in the permitting process and repeatedly being told, "Your plans look good, but so and so still has to approve this or that," he decided to call every politician representing his area—city, county, state—demanding answers. In the process, he met the District Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, who is making it a point to help frustrated homeowners. Colonel Eric Swenson can't speak for the permitting process itself but tries to put it in context, saying the volume is overwhelming. It usually takes more than a year, and closer to three, to build a new home in California. With the fires, an office that was handling perhaps 20 permits a day is dealing with hundreds of applications coming in daily. But there are some things that seem to be helping. Don't wait. Even if you don't know yet whether you'll rebuild, get the permit process started for something on the property. Even if you sell the property, you'll get more with plans. Unless your home is very old, the original plans are still filed with the county. If you rebuild the home's exterior within 110% of that plan, permits will be similar to the original ones and easier to get. The county has several pre-approved home plans in different styles, where permits are much easier to get than a one-of-a-kind, unique feature home. If you and your neighbors use the same architect and contractor, you might save money, especially when it comes to materials, which can be bought in bulk. Get on the phone. It's much less likely your paperwork will remain at the bottom of some huge pile if the person at that desk is getting calls asking, "What's going on?" "What do I need to do?" LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who has been very vocal about permit issues, is calling for the county to create the Altadena One Stop Recovery Permitting Center to expedite the process by bringing under one umbrella the different departments usually involved in the permitting process, like Building and Safety, Planning, Public Works, Fire, and so forth. The Army Corps of Engineers does have a call center at 212-308-8305 that connects to the local personnel. "Don't give up," adds Koerner, as he shows us the permit he got today. "We can and will get through this," he adds, looking at his scorched garden filled with green growth making its way through the charred plants. "It's strong," he says, "just like us."
CBS News
31-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Judge allows for completion of Denver Water's controversial Gross Dam construction
The massive enlargement of the Gross Dam in Colorado is back on. A federal judge has pulled back her previous injunction, stating in her decision, "Petitioners have not shown that they would be irreparably harmed if the Gross Dam construction were to be completed." Gross Reservoir CBS It means the completion of the dam is back on, after objections to a prior move by the judge filed by Denver Water, which operates the reservoir and sought the expansion in a process that dates back to 2002. Denver Water has said it needs additional capacity in its northern water system as it faces concerns about climate change and fires that could contaminate supplies. In a ruling out late Thursday, Federal District Court Judge Christine Arguello stated, "A permanent injunction prohibiting further construction of the Gross Dam is not merited due to safety concerns." The petitioners have been a consortium of environmental groups and neighbors of the project in southern Boulder County who filed a lawsuit in 2018 against Denver Water and the Army Corps of Engineers which approved the project, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their primary objections were to drawing water from the headwaters of the Colorado River on other side of the Continental Divide through the Moffat Water Tunnel, clearing the trees as part of the project to enlarge the reservoir, and effects on wildlife, including elk habitat. Arguello put the completion of the dam, which will be raised by 131 feet to accommodate enlarging capacity of the reservoir by nearly threefold, on hold back in April, then allowed some work to continue. In October Arguello had found the Army Corps of Engineers violated The National Environmental Policy Act as well as the Clean Water Act when it approved permits for the reservoir expansion. And she backed many of the opponents claims. The water to fill the expanded reservoir capacity would be moved from the headwaters of the Colorado River on the opposite side of the Continental Divide via the Moffat Tunnel. Denver Water has maintained that will only draw during periods when the tributaries are flowing well. In Thursday's ruling, Arguello found another kind of potential environmental injury -- in stoppage of the project. "There is a risk of environmental injury and loss of human life if dam construction is halted for another two years while Denver Water redesigns the structure of the dam and gets that re-design approved," she wrote. Gross Reservoir CBS In a statement, Denver Water wrote that it looks forward to finishing the project it called critical. "This added storage is of enormous importance to the 1.5 million people we serve, as well to our West Slope partners who support the environmental benefits to streams and fish habitat associated with the expansion. Denver Water will continue to work through the appellate court to resolve remaining issues and ensure this long-awaited project reaches completion." Those remaining issues also came out in the judge's order Thursday. It's not clear sailing yet for the reservoir expansion. The judge said the Army Corps of Engineers has to re-write environmental permits before the expanded reservoir can be filled to its new capacity.
