On January 6th, the National Weather Service issued a dire warning of a life threatening storm — Santa Anas so extreme it would be sure to topple trees, knock down power lines, and spread any fire that started.
But LA planned for this, right?Most climate scientists agree that a fire driven by hurricane force winds is impossible to fight, but some of LA’s emergency systems did break down in those first chaotic nights after the Palisades and Eaton fires started — and the finger pointing began almost immediately.A big source of residents' ire: an empty reservoir sitting above the Highlands in the Pacific Palisades. It’s hard to say whether it would have made a difference against the firefight had it been full of water. But the fact that it was empty raises the question of how prepared the city was for a disaster of this scale, and what’s being done to make sure we are ready for the next one.

Guests:
LA Times reporter Matt Hamilton
Pacific Palisades resident Peggy Holter