Councilmember Raman Introduces Motion To Ensure The City Of Los Angeles Is Equipped To Respond To Severe Weather Emergencies

For Immediate Release: February 24, 2023

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COUNCILMEMBER NITHYA RAMAN INTRODUCES MOTION TO ENSURE THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES IS EQUIPPED TO RESPOND TO SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCIES

LOS ANGELES — Today, Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced a motion to ensure the City is fully equipped to respond to severe storm events, including clear methods for communicating essential safety information. The series of recent atmospheric river storms that struck Los Angeles in January produced widespread damage to City streets, hillsides, and stormwater infrastructure. Residents in hillside communities have been forced to contend with road closures, erosion, mudslides, and other serious hazards as a result of the storms. Councilmember Raman’s legislation seeks to create a comprehensive storm response across City departments and Council District offices and delineate clear channels of communication both internally between departments and externally to the public. 

“I know that our hillside communities here in District 4 and throughout the city are especially vulnerable to the impacts of severe rainstorms, with effects including extreme erosion, mudslides, and road degradation,” said Councilmember Raman. “We saw this firsthand in January and expect to again with this weekend’s anticipated storm. It is critical that before, during, and after these major storms, we are able to swiftly share information, distribute resources, and address damage to minimize their impacts.”

Councilmember Raman’s legislation instructs the Emergency Management Department to report back within 30 days with an overview of existing plans to manage weather-related emergencies, in addition to lessons learned from the January 2023 storms and corresponding adjustments that will be made, a clear delineation of responsibilities for preparing for and responding after an emergency, and an identification of channels for the communication of critical safety information between City departments, Council offices, and residents.

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