LOS ANGELES — A bleak new survey of Pacific Palisades residents shows that most fire victims are still in dire straits and losing hope one year after the wildfire that wiped out nearly 7,000 homes in the iconic Los Angeles neighborhood.
Only 13% of single-family homeowners have begin construction on their new houses, according to the survey conducted by the Pacific Palisades Community Council.
Fire victims say financing, insurance battles, and government red tape remain barriers to rebuilding — despite Mayor Karen Bass’s pledge to help the Palisades recover at “lightning speed.”
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Around 70% of residents were extremely or very concerned that insurance won’t cover the full costs to rebuild, according to the report, which was released on Tuesday — the eve of the first anniversary of the fire.
More than a third of people who lost their houses are considering giving up on rebuilding.
Across the board, only one in four Palisades residents have moved back to the devastated neighborhood, which is still a wasteland of empty lots.
“People are eager to get back to their community, but they face significant barriers,” said Jennifer Benz, senior vice president at the National Opinion Research Council at the University of Chicago — a partner in the study.
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
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- Trump anticipates rising death toll in LA wildfires: ‘We’re gonna find many bodies and many more, many more dead’
- Deadly Palisades Fire set ‘maliciously’ by Florida firebug Jonathan Rinderknecht, feds say
Many residents simply no longer feel safe in the Palisades. Half of residents believe that the air, water and soil in their neighborhood is contaminated following the fire.
Faith in local leaders, too, is abysmal: Only 7% of residents said they have a “great deal of confidence” in the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, or the state government.
More than half said they had “hardly any confidence at all” in their local officials.
