LA Wildfires Devastate Unhoused: Urgent Call for Protection

0:00A new study from UCLA and USC dropped some harsh truth on how last year's wildfires hit Los Angeles counties unhoused folks hardest. Out of 374 people surveyed, 56% said their lives were straight up in danger, and 21% got injured. Researchers called it a double whammy of fire and brutal winds that wrecked tents, cars, and swept away belongings. Unsheltered people living in tents or vehicles took the worst hit, with over 75% reporting damage to their spots from flying debris. And gusts up to 90 mph, services got messed up too, clinics shut down or burned, leaving folks without basics during the chaos. Those in wildfire evacuation zones faced even rougher times, more evacuations, longer smoke exposure, and tougher spots to crash. LA County has the biggest unsheltered crowd in the country, over 52,000 outside any given night, and this disaster showed how exposed they are compared to sheltered peeps.

1:02The study pushes for real changes, like folding unhoused angolinos into disaster plants, setting up emergency shelters near hot zones, handing out masks and goggles, and leaning on mutual aid to pluck service gaps. It's clear homelessness amps up climber risks big time. As LA grapples with this emergency scale homelessness, the call is out for smarter protections, better bathrooms, water access, and disaster shields. So, no one gets left in the wind next time. I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to California News today, AI-powered local news.