Hazmat Removals Start Today, Should Take 1-2 Months – Answers To Your Questions
Written by 991KBU on December 3, 2018
Inspectors are supposed to begin fanning out over Western Los Angeles County today … looking at 1600 destroyed houses and thousands of damaged structures.
But the issue of him when demolition permits will begin to start flowing is still a matter of confusion and interagency wrangling.
Not a pretty picture … but that’s what is happening between federal … state … county and city governments regarding the removal of fire debris from Malibu and nearby jurisdictions.
No one in Malibu is getting demolition permits until this get settled … and try as they might … City of Malibu officials are finding this is happening far above their paygrade.
FEMA and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control have set up shop in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains … to oversee the inspection of fire debris for hazardous materials.
They will oversea hazmat property inspections conducted by the Los Angeles County Fire
Department and the Los Angeles County Health Department’s Hazardous Materials Division .
KBUU has asked direct questions to those agencies …. here are the answers.
Q: What is the priority for inspections, between damaged/destroyed homes, occupied/unoccupied homes, etc.?
A: To be determined
Q: When will inspections start?
A: Monday, December 3, 2018
Q: How long will they take?
A: Estimating 1-2 months
Q: Who are the inspectors?
A: The teams consist of Either DTSC or USEPA, LA Co Fire/HHMD Inspectors, and state or federal contractors.
The key and the key question that homeowners face: How and when will each report be forwarded to the local city or county, so that demolition permits may be issued?
The County fire department says a sign will be posted at each site once the assessment and hazardous waste removal occurs.
The state is also setting up a public Internet site called a dashboard … to display cleared properties on by one as work is completed … with updates to occur in real time.
This website will be sent out with a press release soon.
Q: But what if a property owner disagrees with an assessment, is there appeal?
A: The county says there is no formal appeal process.
Any issues will be addressed case by case.
Q: But what about a home that is not substantially damaged … but has a yard full of burned trees??
A: Can that be removed?
The county fire department tells KBUU that they are discouraging any outdoor debris removal until it has been assessed by the hazmat team.
Q: Will the Lost Hills landfill accepting burn debris?
A: The county fire department says that is unknown to them …but the landfill people tell us they will not.
