West Coast feels effects of superstorm Sandy
LAX, SCE, and DWP to aid
Airlines Wednesday cancelled at least 27 flights between Los Angeles International Airport and the East Coast, where airports are coping with the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, LAX officials said.
On Tuesday, the 10 airlines at LAX reported 182 cancellations—92 departures and 90 arrivals—to and from cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland and Washington D.C., said Nancy Suey Castles of LAX.
About 500 flights in or out of LAX were cancelled through Tuesday, and nearly 16,000 flights were cancelled nationwide. Passengers can visit the website www.lawa.org to check the status of their flights.
With some 8 million people along the East Coast still without power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the City Council passed an emergency motion allowing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to send crews to help with utility restoration.
The motion by City Councilman Tom LaBonge authorizes the LADWP to make available workers with overhead and underground utility expertise who can help restore electricity and provide damage assessment.
“Our neighbors to the East are experiencing a horrific natural disaster, and power is the key to get people back in their homes and their lives right,” said LaBonge, adding that he expected the federal government to reimburse the city for any costs incurred by sending the city’s utility workers.
LADWP General Manager Ron Nichols supported the motion.
“There’s a history of mutual assistance between utilities, and we’re looking at the prospect of making available our help,” Nichols said.
A fleet of more than 70 Southern California Edison (SCE) utility trucks is being prepared for transport to the East Coast to help restore power in areas devastated by Sandy. Edison spokesman David Song says the crews were going to drive the trucks cross-country, but with the urgent need for assistance, the U.S. Air Force will instead use six C-5 and eight C-17 aircraft to transport the vehicles from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.
COMPTON, Calif. — A fire broke out today in a commercial building in Compton, possibly compromising power lines, county fire officials said.
The blaze was reported at 3:24 p.m. in the 5000 block of Compton Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The structure was engulfed in flames and continued to burn as of 4 p.m., fire officials said.
There may be power lines down behind the burning building, fire officials said. Southern California Edison were dispatched to the scene.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Virgin America airline began offering flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Las Vegas today, and touted the service with a sale of tickets for as low as $39 each way.
Passengers on the inaugural flight from LAX to Las Vegas were given the red-carpet treatment upon arrival, and airline officials, including company founder Sir Richard Branson and Virgin America CEO David Cush, will host a celebration tonight at The Cosmopolitan hotel/casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Delays were reported at airports in the Southland and around the nation today as a result of the furloughing of air traffic controllers under federal sequestration budget cuts.
The average delay Sunday night was three hours in the Southern California Terminal Radius Approach Control (TRACON), according to National Air Traffic Controllers Association spokesman Doug Church.
The National Regulatory Research Institute’s October 2012 report, “The Role of Natural Gas in California’s Climate Policy,” stated: “As California transitions its energy infrastructure to one that is more environmentally friendly, natural gas holds promise as a fuel that can complement the state’s cap-and-trade program, energy-efficiency measures, and transition to renewables.”
Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA) First Source Hiring Program is coordinating the first job fair for airport tenants planning to hire hundreds of employees for the new restaurant and retail complex opening this summer in the new Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
HMS Host will interview applicants for 125 fast-food attendant/cashier positions at the LAX Targeted Recruitment Job Fair to be held Saturday, April 6.
