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Los Angeles Hell: Deaths and Damages for 150 Billion and a City on Its Knees

From Malibu to Santa Monica to the San Fernando Valley, the city burns steadily as search parties work house-to-house to recover the bodies of the victims.

The hell of Los Angeles: deaths and damages for 150 billion and a city on its knees.

Los Angeles, the capital of the dream industry, finds itself in a battlefield-like landscape today. The fires that have ravaged the region have killed at least 11 people, destroyed more than 10.000 homes, and reduced more than 14.000 hectares of land to ashes. The estimated economic damage reaches a record 150 billion dollars, making this tragedy one of the most expensive in U.S. history.

A city under siege

From Malibu to Santa Monica to the San Fernando Valley, the city is burning steadily as search parties go from house to house to recover the bodies of victims. Meanwhile, the National Guard and more than 200 police officers are patrolling evacuated neighborhoods to prevent looting. A nightly curfew, imposed by authorities, is intended to ensure the safety of more than 153.000 evacuees and prevent looters from taking advantage of the chaos.

President Joe Biden described Los Angeles as a “war scene” and harshly condemned attempts to politicize the tragedy.

“A lot of demagogues are taking advantage of the fires,” Biden said, highlighting the climate of misinformation spreading on social media.

Causes of fires: electricity grid in focus

As authorities try to determine the cause of the fires, attention is focused on the electrical grid, which may have provided the fatal spark. Despite the arrest of a suspected arsonist in Woodland Hills, where the Kenneth fire is raging, there is no concrete evidence that the fires were arson.

Politics, however, is not a stranger to the disaster. President-elect Donald Trump has asked Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom to resign, accusing him of inefficiency in managing the emergency. Newsom, for his part, has invited Trump to visit California to assess the extent of the damage in person, urging him not to politicize a human tragedy.

L’inferno di Los Angeles: 11 morti, danni per 150 miliardi e una città in ginocchio

The victims: a tragic toll

The victims of the California inferno include people of all ages and social conditions. Among them, an 82-year-old former engineer, an amputee with his disabled son, and a former pharmacist. One of the most touching stories is that of Victor Shaw, a 66-year-old deliveryman who died while trying to save his parents' house with a garden hose.

This tragedy has affected the rich and the poor alike, but, as often happens, it is the most vulnerable sections of the population who suffer the most.

Disinformation and controversy

In an already tense climate, social media-fueled misinformation is further aggravating the situation. On platforms like X (formerly Twitter), conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones have attributed the fires to “a globalist plot to deindustrialize the United States.” Elon Musk himself initially shared a post from Jones, but has since deleted it.

Insurance is also at the center of the debate. California legislation that prevented insurers from adjusting premiums for climate risk has left many properties without coverage. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, more than 2,8 million policies were not renewed, more than 530.000 of them in Los Angeles County.

Efforts to tame the flames

More than 800 inmates, trained to deal with emergencies, are working alongside professional firefighters to contain the blazes. Progress has been made, but it is still limited: the Palisades blaze, the largest, is only 8% contained.

Air efforts have been hampered by incidents such as a drone hitting a firefighting aircraft, forcing it to ground. However, helicopters and air tankers continue to operate to try to contain the flames.

With untold damage, political controversy, and a devastating human toll, the Los Angeles inferno represents an unprecedented crisis for California. As the flames continue to burn, questions about responsibility and prevention policies remain at the center of the debate.

Governor Newsom said the primary focus is on saving lives and preparing for the return of Santa Ana winds, which are forecast for next week. But with such a high human and economic cost, this tragedy will leave an indelible mark on the history of the state and the country.

Solidarity from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Italian Government

The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, had a telephone conversation with the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, to whom she wanted first of all to express her personal feelings of solidarity and that of the Italian Government for the terrible devastation caused by the fires in California.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed to President Biden his deep thanks and appreciation for the extraordinary collaboration held in the framework of the exceptional bilateral relations and on all issues of international politics, as also confirmed in the context of the Italian Presidency of the G7. In this regard, President Biden wanted to recall, in particular, the importance of the result achieved with the agreement for the disbursement of loans to Ukraine for 50 billion dollars, using the profits deriving from immobilized Russian sovereign assets.

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