A little palm tree trapped by cement is the lone survivor (and maybe the only victim) of this week's landslide in San Pedro. more ›

City Controller Wendy Greuel isn't missing an opportunity to take a critical look at Los Angeles' emergency response plans after Hurricane Irene took most of the East Coast out of commission this weekend. She has announced an audit of L.A.'s current emergency disaster preparedness plans. more ›

A disaster like last week's massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan will provoke not only sympathy and outreach from Angelenos, but also signals a need to be aware and prepared for what a tsunami could mean for us here. To that end, the City of Los Angeles has released a set of three guides for each of three coastal regions that explain what a tsunami is, and how locals can be prepared and survive. more ›

It snowed last weekend in Los Angeles (okay, in outer LA), and if that’s not a sign of the end times I don’t know what is. Actually, it’s just a sign of shifting weather patterns and maybe global warming, but crazy weather is a good reminder that the potential for natural disaster is ever looming. more ›

Yesterday's devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand has impacted many people world-wide, and now Los Angeles is reaching out with assistance in the form of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s 74-member California Task Force 2 team, who deployed in the evening to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts there. This morning, the official death toll remains at 75, however hundreds of people remain missing, buried beneath the rubble. more ›

Homeowners, renters and businesses can now take advantage of low interest federal loans to help rebuild or repair property lost or damaged during the Station Fire. 89 homes were destroyed along with 26 commercial properties. Of that 66 homes and five businesses sustained uninsured losses of at least 40 percent of their value, which meets the U.S. Small Business Administration's criteria to declare a disaster. "Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace their primary residence, and homeowners and renters may borrow up to $40,000 to replace personal property," according to Senator Barbaa Boxer's office. "Businesses of any size and private, non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other assets. Interest rates can be as low as 2.75 percent for homeowners and renters and 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years." more ›

It seems to happen every disaster, so it's likely to happen this time around as well. "After virtually every disaster, scam artists come out of the woodwork to defraud individuals wishing to help victims," Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement. "Californians should give only to reputable organizations so their donations don't end up lining the pockets of criminals and opportunists." His office has two webpages dedicated to the issue: one for tips on charitable giving and another for submitting complaints if you believe you've been ripped off. In a press release, his office also offers these tips: more ›

Last June, Governor Schwarzenegger sought federal disaster aid as California entered its third drought summer in three years. 43% of the state is listed in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor's results last week. Still, the Obama Administration denied Schwarzenegger's request, which would have given money for food banks, unemployment and other services in Fresno County, according to the Associated Press. Now Schwarzenegger is asking Obama to reconsider his petition. The last time federal money was given to California for a drought was in 1977. more ›

First there were signs in front of fire stations (see above) and now a mailer using images from the Chatsworth train crash (see below) that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is calling "tasteless, offensive and misleading." more ›

You can't be assured of getting the proper assistance and funding from the unbelievably-not-renamed-since-Katrina Federal Emergency Management Agency (they even faked their press conference while SoCal was burning). But if you live in LA or Orange County and suffered damages in the October wildfires, you have until 6 p.m. to apply for federal and state assistance. FEMA reports that 19,000 requests have been filed to date. more ›