Los Angeles city officials on Tuesday acknowledged a long road ahead before residents and business owners will be made whole and returned home following the summer explosion of a South L.A. block by the Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad.
Nearly three months after the June 30 explosion, which occurred after bomb squad members badly miscalculated the firepower of seized fireworks, only 26 of about 200 related claims submitted to the city have been paid out, officials said during a Tuesday meeting of the Police Commission.
The explosion sent out a blast wave that made some homes uninhabitable, badly damaged and blew out the windows of others, and caused other damage for several blocks. Dozens of businesses, residential properties and vehicles were damaged, officials have said.
In addition to the 26 paid claims, the city was trying to finalize payment on an additional 25 claims, and has requested additional information from 128 other claimants, officials said. Officials did not provide a monetary value of those claims. Individuals affected by the blast have six months to file claim, so more claims could still come in, officials said.
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