“Small businesses are struggling to stay afloat”
These are not unfamiliar words. We are often accustomed to the words being associated with the cut-throat costs of having a family-owned or small business. Small profit margins, high rent, and tough competitors – these are all elements that stack up against business owners. However, these words are no longer just being used in the context of numbers.
Unfortunately for these owners, it’s not “raining money,” but rather, it’s just raining.
From a scenic campus to a white-water rafting river, the city of Los Angeles was hit hard with rain the week of February 16th. With parts of Los Angeles being hit with 5 inches of rain, it became clear that most establishments didn’t know how to handle the weather. By Monday night, water levels rose to mid-door height on cars and robots. What used to be thought of as a half year’s worth of water, hit the City of Angels hard, with small businesses struggling to stay afloat.
Because of that, it’s time to talk about how Westwood and its surrounding areas must stop just surviving the storm but instead start adapting to it.
in the eye of the storm
LA knew it was going to be hit with heavy rain; however, many shops and businesses couldn’t predict the extent of the damage that would occur. For example, the Fairfax District along the 7400 block of Melrose Avenue was hit hard due to its geographic low point. At least twelve businesses were reported underwater and were left with substantial losses. Brooklyn Projects, a skate shop within the area, shared stories and posts about the reality of the situation. By including details about how much flood insurance would cost and displaying the true price toward smaller businesses – the story gained traction for its raw actuality.
Additionally, places like Koreatown were also hit, with popular restaurants being forced to close early as water rushed against the doors. With apparent flooding in the dining area and the kitchen, operations had to halt for the safety of customers and employees.
For smaller businesses, rain like this is devastating for their shops. On top of the initial damage to merchandise and inventory, the lasting impacts, such as the structural integrity of the unit and the sanitation that must occur is an incredible burden to bear. Considerations toward mold and long term property damage are just some of the concerns that require the need for specialized (and often expensive) cleaning.
But if LA knew that rain was coming, why was the issue not mitigated?
the city isn’t designed to
A major flaw underneath the City of Angels is the concrete “dry rock” effect that plagues the city’s drainage system. Urban Los Angeles wasn’t developed with the impression that it would need to absorb annual rain flow. Instead, the ground is largely impermeable. Meaning that the city essentially behaves like a giant, dry rock. When rain hits, concrete doesn’t soak up the water but rather turns it into runoff that overwhelms the 100-year-old pipe system of the county.
The infrastructure gaps are a contributing factor as well. Business owners were particularly frustrated with the fact that the floods have become an annual occurrence, and yet, the city’s response hasn’t matched the need yet. This year, there were staged pump trucks and LA Sanitation crews were reportedly deployed ahead of time, but the complaints reported within the city showed that relief was either delayed or left unmanned.
If the system has the tools for prevention and relief, we must mobilize a way to use them to the fullest extent.
adapt to thrive, not just survive
Here is the “mop-up” of the current responses.
Los Angeles City Council member Katy Yaroslavsky has taken the approach of political accountability by calling out the response to the flooding as “completely unacceptable.” She has been calling for an immediate review from LA Sanitation to determine what happened, who is responsible, and what corrections will be taken. By mobilizing city leaders together with sanitation officials, hopefully the pump system will be efficiently resolved to prevent a repeat.
The U.S. Small Business Administration, aka the SBA, has issued a disaster declaration form for Los Angeles County. Small businesses have the option to apply for physical disaster loans and/or economic injury disaster loans to help initiate recovery. However, the extensiveness of such loans are still worrisome for small business owners.
As of today, most evacuation warnings have been lifted, but the street runoff and sustained damage have left many communities concerned for next year’s fallout. However, LA has been attempting to fit the landscape to be more absorbent. In addition to the green infrastructure being implemented, student and faculty-led initiatives have also been effective in installing cistern systems to capture roof runoff for irrigation.
These efforts, in combination with further political traction, provide hope for those who are done fighting with the rain – and are instead wishing to dance with it.