LAUSD Officials Prep For El Niño's Arrival
LAKE BALBOA (CBSLA.com) — With the threat of a strong El Niño bearing down on Southern California, Los Angeles Unified School District officials are working feverishly to get their campuses ready.
The district's El Niño "strike team" is going from campus to campus, clearing storm drains and gutters and marking walls for a closer examination by plumbers. At Mulholland Middle School, at least one wall was marked with red tape in an "X" because it contains a clogged downspout.
"We start with the secondary schools, because that's where we have the roofs, you know, the two-story buildings, then we're going to the elementary schools," said Angelita Khazei, the district's regional facilities director.
The district is pushing hard on big repair jobs, like replacing roofs at Canoga Park High and nine other schools. Those jobs were originally slated to be finished by May, but with El Niño arriving this winter, the district is working feverishly to get the work completed by January.
"The goal is to try to have these roofs up prior to the big storm coming," said Steven Johnson, of the district's maintenance department.
In particular, crews want to protect classrooms and gymnasiums with wood floors, which can be damaged by even a small amount of water.
District officials are also stockpiling supplies – brooms, sandbags, even generators in case of power outages.
Students and officials alike got a preview of rain-related trouble after recent rainstorms flooded the road in front of Canoga Park High School.
There "was just a big puddle, and it was hard to cross and get inside class," student Gaby Artega said.
