Los Angeles County is asking people who lived through last year’s Eaton and Palisades fires to grade the recovery effort, rolling out a short public survey Wednesday for residents affected by evacuations, shelters, and the long slog of repopulation. Officials say responses will feed an independent after-action review and help shape how the county handles the next big disaster. The outreach targets evacuees, people who used shelters or debris removal, residents with access or functional needs, those who were unhoused when the fires hit, volunteers, and anyone who needed information about someone in county custody.
According to the County of Los Angeles, the survey is part of an independent review being conducted by the McChrystal Group and “takes less than 10 minutes to complete.” Residents can access the questionnaire through Decipher Inc., and the county says the portal will remain open through April 24, 2026. County staff are particularly urging participation from people who evacuated, experienced property damage, used disaster shelters, tried to donate or volunteer, or otherwise interacted with county recovery services.
Why the review matters
The independent McChrystal Group after-action review described the Jan. 7, 2025, blazes as among the most destructive in county history, noting the fires burned roughly 37,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and claimed 31 lives. The report flagged “outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and communications vulnerabilities” that made alerting and evacuation efforts harder, and it recommended upgrades in policy, training, and technology.
How officials say feedback will be used
County officials say survey responses will be anonymized and used to improve disaster recovery and repopulation operations, including how the county issues alerts and manages the return of residents to burned neighborhoods. The McChrystal review already lays out a menu of suggested actions, from updating evacuation decision authority to modernizing communications, and officials say residents’ firsthand accounts will help determine which fixes should come first.
One year later, rebuilding remains slow
A year after the fires, rebuilding in the hardest-hit neighborhoods has been painfully slow, with national reporting finding fewer than a dozen homes fully rebuilt and hundreds of survivors still displaced. That lag, driven by insurance delays, permitting hurdles, and high costs, is a key reason county leaders say they want detailed accounts from residents so recovery programs better match on-the-ground needs. The McChrystal review and county recovery pages outline programs aimed at speeding permitting, debris removal, and soil testing, but many survivors say the pace still feels uneven.
People who remember the response clearly, those still waiting for debris removal, or homeowners tangled in insurance and permitting, are all being urged to complete the short, anonymous questionnaire. Local coverage of the survey and the county’s strategy is available from MyNewsLA, and county pages include the full after-action materials along with related recovery resources.
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