Huizar to Seek Review of City’s Windstorm Response

is scheduled to introduce a motion in the City Council Wednesday, asking certain departments at the center of repair and relief operations following last week’s "once-in-a-generation" windstorm to report on how they have responded to emergencies across Los Angeles.

The motion is aimed at gauging the government’s overall response to the Nov. 30-Dec. 1 calamity, which hit Northeast Los Angeles harder than any other part of the City, leaving nearly 43,000 residents without power.

Studying the response could provide valuable lessons about how the government should handle future disasters, including earthquakes, according to an advance copy of the motion that the Council member’s office provided to Patch.

Huizar’s motion, which is expected to be seconded by CD 11 Council member Bill Rosendahl, will require the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Bureau of Street Services, the Bureau of Sanitation and the Emergency Management Department to account for their handling of the widespread damage and relief measures.

If the motion is approved, the departments will also be required to present to the City Council the following:

• A short-term and long-term strategy for restoring essential public services.

• A timeline for removing storm-related debris such as tree limbs.

• A proposal for strategies to improve responses to natural disasters in the future.

• A report, in conjunction with the City’s chief administrative officer (CAO), about the cost of cleaning up after the windstorm and providing the resources necessary to restore public services.

• Any potential impact that the windstorm might have made on other essential services.

The ability of departments to effectively communicate with their customers during prolonged disruption of essential services is one key reason behind the review that Huizar is expected to seek.