A designated debris drop-off site next to the Rose Bowl (Photo by Lauren Foliart)

Facilitated by Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard and City Manager Michael J. Beck, residents were briefed on recovery efforts and encouraged to express opinions towards the city’s handling of the aftermath.

Daphne Bell, Pasadena resident of 30 years, was dissatisfied with the city’s communication after the windstorm.  She lives off Lake Street and lost power for almost a week.

“The inconsistent information from the city when calling in about when we’d be restored [with power] got really frustrating after that sixth night,” she said.  “I just wish someone had told me it would take six days.”

Winds exceeded 60 mph on the night of Nov. 30 and early morning of Dec. 1 in the San Gabriel Valley.  Los Angeles County’s most violent windstorm in recent years left almost all 325-miles of Pasadena streets afflicted by collapsed trees, debris and power outages.

More than 400,000 Southern California Edison customers lost power due to the storm, according to their Dec. 8 press release.  Some lived without electricity for over a week in areas of Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia and Temple City; unprepared and unaware of recovery efforts, residents became aggravated.

“It was a frustrating experience because without power, without a smartphone, I really didn’t know what was going on,” Bell said.

Both the City of Pasadena and Southern California Edison updated their websites with information as they worked to restore power; however, a large number of residents were unable to access those sites.

“What’s interesting is we were very effective in utilizing new media, but forgot about the traditional ways of spreading information,” Beck said.  “I think that’s the biggest lesson learned.  As we’re forced to move to social media, it’s not necessarily the solution to everything.”
Solutions to better communicate information in an emergency included centralized call centers, designated community messengers and utilizing the Postal Service. 

However, the meeting strayed from talks of the future and remained focused on the city’s current recovery.  Mayor Bogaard announced that all remaining piles of debris have been collected and relocated to designated sites to be turned into mulch, a material used to enrich soil for gardening.

The process of turning such debris into mulch could produce an unpleasant odor and hinder the air quality of surrounding neighborhoods. 

Several neighbors from Outpost Lane, a street in East Pasadena near Eaton Canyon, overlook one of the designated mulching sites and attended the meeting to express irritation at the city for not addressing their concerns.

“We have asked the city, we have asked the county about the plan for removing the mulch,” said Outpost Lane resident George Miranda.  “But we haven’t gotten an answer.”

The site in question belongs to the county and led to confusion about the location.  Pasadena cleared a debris site north of Eaton Canyon Golf Course after complaints rather than the one west of Outpost Lane, Beck said.

After several weeks of repair, Pasadena and neighboring cities are taking actions to be better prepared for natural disasters like the 2011 windstorm. Inexperience resulted in a disconnection between city residents at a time when community strength was most important.

“These meetings are an opportunity for us to learn collectively,” Beck said.  “Not all the responses and responsibilities are on the city.  This is an opportunity for individuals to determine how prepared they are for future events.”

The community meeting held on Jan.14 is the first of three to discuss Pasadena’s recovery efforts.  The next will be Jan. 17, 7 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave.; and Jan. 19, 7 p.m., at the Pasadena City College Creveling Lounge, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.