Politics & Government

LA County Estimates About $3.6 Million Damage to Communities

During this active recovery, about $3.6 million is estimated as damage so far, not including structural damage. The county will assess flooding systems before the winter rain season.

The windstorm caused about $3.6 million in damage throughout Los Angeles County as of Tuesday, Dec. 6, a figure that is expected to increase in upcoming weeks.

It will be weeks until the county finalizes the complete cost, which is expected to rise when structural damages are assessed, Bob Spencer, Chief of Public Affairs for Los Angeles County Public Works, told Patch.

“To date, so far, in the County of Los Angeles, we’re estimating our costs at about $ 3.6 million,” Spencer said. “There’s no doubt about it. That cost will go up.” 

Find out what's happening in Montrose-La Crescentawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Crews will continue to clear debris and assess county damages, he said.

“We’re still very much in storm response mode, and it’s going to be some time--weeks in fact--until we are able to clean up all the debris and fully assess damage in the area,” Spencer said. “We’re not just looking at roadways; we’re looking at county facilities.”

Find out what's happening in Montrose-La Crescentawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Public works initially responded by reopening roads and now focuses on the county flooding system, including channels and debris basins throughout the foothill and San Gabriel communities.

“We’re still in the middle of an active recovery situation,” Spencer said.

It could be several weeks until individual community damage estimates are available, he said.

“We’re going to be continuing this clean up for several weeks,” Spencer said. “Our priority is to look at our flood control system, which will be crucial for the upcoming winter storms.”


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