LAPD and LAFD Form “Unified Command System” To Rescue Homeless

Now that the storm is over…

The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department are joining efforts to rescue homeless people caught in the flood control systems during storms. Here's the blog.

We know that homeless encampments are located in our urban drainage system—there are places to hide there. But when it rains, these flood systems fill up, sometimes catching people in the swift water.

So now the LAPD and the LAFD are joining forces to deploy swift water rescue teams. Five homeless people were rescued in the Sepulveda Basin during this past storm.

It’s good that these entities are coordinating efforts. The better way, however, to prevent swift water rescues of homeless people is to make sure they are not living in our urban flood control systems, and instead having them live in their own safe housing.