Something very suspicious is going on up in Bel Air Crest: There are already gates around the neighborhood and now they've spent $50,000 making themselves "self-reliant," their "operations manager" tells the LA Times. They've collected an underground shed, a tri-fuel generator, a satellite phone, medical supplies for about 500 people with serious injuries, eight portable toilets "with pop-up privacy tents," a 2,000-gallon water truck, air mattresses, a rough-terrain wheelchair, an ATV, and many other various other disaster supplies (they already had an emergency broadcast system), all for just the residents of its 286 homes. The have a medical triage team and designated tennis courts for pets, triage, and a morgue. "But there's a limit to funds. We can't create a hospital up here," one resident swears before he's interrupted by another clearly spilling too much: "Although … almost…."
What is this neighborhood preparing for? Are they planning to invade Bel Air proper? They claim it's all to protect themselves in the case of an earthquake or other natural disaster, but if that's the case, why doesn't every neighborhood in LA have these kind of supplies? The American Red Cross Los Angeles region put out a report recently that says, in fact, poor neighborhoods are uniquely screwed in the event of a disaster. ("The communities that have less leisure time are going to be comparatively less resilient because of it," according to the org's head.) No tennis courts to keep scared pets, no ATV, no water truck, no privacy tents for their emergency toilets (if they even have emergency toilets). If emergency supplies like this were so important, wouldn't the government be giving them out to everyone?? No, Bel Air Crest clearly has plans beyond mere survival.
· In Bel Air, the luxury of disaster readiness [LAT]
· Watts Residents Will Die 11.9 Years Before Bel Air Residents [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...