LA City Council calls for plan identifying flood prone areas

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved a motion calling for a plan that would identify risk prone areas in the city likely to flood during adverse weather, and invest in infrastructure to prevent impacts to life and property.

Without discussion, the council approved the motion in a 12-0 vote with council members Eunisses Hernandez, Tim McOsker and Paul Krekorian absent during the vote. The motion directs the Emergency Management Department and other relevant departments to report on areas of the city that are continuously at risk during extreme weather events.

The report will include a priority list of projects and action items that can be implemented to reduce risks in these areas as well as find the appropriate funding for improvements in infrastructure, such as drainage, sidewalks and streets.

Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez introduced the motion on Sept. 6. According to the motion, in the last year, the city has seen a “large amount of rain events, from the atmospheric rivers during the winter and spring months to the most recent Tropical Storm Hillary.”

The city’s Emergency Management Department activates the Emergency Operations Center, which coordinates the city’s response with the aim of preventing loss of life and property.

“We as a city have learned that when weather incidents happen many of the same areas are constantly at a higher risk. Ranging from flooding in the San Fernando Valley due to a lack of proper drainage, to higher than normal level of water through the Los Angeles Riverbed, and including mudslides in our hillside communities,” the motion reads.

Rodriguez notes the city must begin “building a plan to address risk prone areas of the city” to ensure public safety and the possible loss of property during adverse weather events.

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