Palm Springs City Council approves local hazard mitigation plan

Update 3/28/24 - 8:00 PM

The Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved the hazard mitigation plan.

Derelict land in Palm Springs is causing residents concerns, as they ask questions about disaster plans and the city's priority placement of Fire mitigation.

David Lee is a resident who bikes around the neighborhood and has even witnessed a fire near Vista Las Palmas. "There it was just this empty lot that caught on fire, right in the middle of huge, beautiful luxury homes," says Lee.

News Channel 3 told Lee that the city plans to adopt the Riverside County Operational Area multi jurisdiction local hazard mitigation plan. The city identified hazards and ranked them out of 20. The Palm Springs City Council has wildfires as number 17 out of 20 potential hazards: Earthquakes, floods, and pandemics are the top 3 ranked. The Palm Springs fire chief says the stakeholders that put this list together were amid a pandemic.

"Currently, right now with the unprecedented rainfall, and the amount of growth that I have out there, and especially in my very high fire areas that are on our west side of our city and the south side of our city, it's a priority for me, says Fire Chier Paul Alvarado.

He says he has taken an aggressive approach to getting rid of the brush since last May. The departments are continuing their clean-ups on the west and south sides of the city, but for privately owned lots like Serena Park and even your homes, they face obstacles. Alvarado shares how you can help.
"This is an all-hands approach; they need to start clearing brush 200 feet from their structure out from the roadways, they need to clarify 10 feet within, and if they have trees on their property that are over 18 feet tall, I want a six-foot clearance," says Alvarado. "So in the event we do have a fire, those aren't going to start a house fire on their property." If you do not maintain your property just as Fire Chief Alvarado describes, "that's when it's our code enforcement team here at the city will actually go out there and start citing them," says Alvarado.

The council's Thursday meeting agenda includes a resolution to adopt the Riverside County Operational Area Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The city can vote or table for further discussion regarding adopting a mitigation plan in case of a disaster at the meeting.

Mitigation involves taking steps to prevent natural disasters and having plans to address the potential impact of these disasters.

According to neighbors, the former Palm Springs Country Club, also known as the Serena Park development, is a privately owned lot that has not been maintained. The photos below show the foliage.

Tune in to News Channel 3 to learn more about the city's disaster plan and fire mitigation for these rundown lots and fire-prone areas.