Hell in Los Angeles is still far from over. The Santa Ana winds, which had granted a brief respite, have strengthened and will blow violently at least until Wednesday, while the number of deaths and buildings destroyed by the devastating fires of recent days tragically continues to increase. The authorities of the metropolis have warned that the “threat is still high” and we cannot lower our guard. “Wind conditions will worsen over the next few days and critical weather conditions will continue into Wednesday,” said the fire chief, Anthony Brownin one of the many press conferences of these hectic days.
They are orMore than 153,000 Los Angeles citizens received orders to evacuate but the numbers are updated every hour, like that of the victims: 16 confirmed so far. The most worrying fire front, according to the authorities, is the Palisades fire, “a multi-headed monster with the possibility of growth in different directions” given the thick vegetation in the area, explained fire spokesman David Ortiz. This fire is currently only 11% contained. Then there’s the second largest, the Eaton fire in the north of the city around Pasadena, 15% contained; the Kenneth fire at 90% and the Hurst fire at 79%. In addition to air reinforcements, a team of approximately 1,000 firefighters from Mexico arrived in Los Angeles and were received by the governor Gavin Newsom at the airport, while Kim Kardashian pleads the cause of the inmate firefighters taken from prisons and brought to fight the flames for a salary of a dollar an hour. “In all the fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of inmates risking their lives to save us and getting paid next to nothing. Some died to show the community that they have changed. They are heroes,” the reality star wrote.
In addition to the pressing emergency of flames and toxic fumes – the population has been advised to leave the house as little as possible and to wear masks even indoors – then there is the plague of looting of evacuated homes which continues, with the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Brentwood targeted by two thugs who were eventually arrested. At least 29 people have been stopped by the police for attempted robbery in abandoned houses, some posing as firefighters, or for violating the curfew. Then there are the more long-term problems such as damage – over 150 billion by now – and insurance companies predicting losses of around 20 billion dollars, according to JP Morgan forecasts. The fire that will cost the most will be in Palisades, a very affluent area where the average cost of a home is about $3 million and homeowners pay up to $40,000 a year to insure their properties.
In addition to the immediate costs there is then the risk of flight of insurance companiesan endemic problem in a state like California that is so exposed to natural disasters. Before the fires broke out, Allstate and State Farm had already announced that they would no longer protect the new homes that will be built. Last year alone, State Farm failed to renew policies on 72,000 homes and apartments in the state, 69% of which were in the Palisades area. Meanwhile, the mayor of the city Karen Bassoverwhelmed by the controversy over an emergency that according to some could have been avoided, said she was confident that in the next few days Donald Trump she will show up in Los Angeles, despite the president-elect’s violent attacks on her and Democratic governor Newsom.