Senator Rick Scott, chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led a field hearing in Pacific Palisades, California. The hearing, titled “Forgotten After the Flames: Stories from the Palisades Fire,” focused on the impact of the January 2025 Palisades Fire on seniors and ongoing recovery efforts for survivors.
During the session, survivors, local leaders, and advocates described difficulties faced by older adults in preparing for, evacuating from, and recovering after the fire. They also discussed continued challenges in accessing resources nearly a year later. The chairmen examined shortcomings in government preparedness and response to disasters affecting vulnerable populations.
As part of their investigation into the incident, Senators Scott and Johnson sent requests for information to several local officials—including Los Angeles’ mayor, city council president, and heads of key departments such as Water and Power and Fire—as well as federal department secretaries from Agriculture, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Transportation, and Treasury.
In his prepared remarks at the hearing, Senator Scott stated:
“The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging will now come to order.
Natural disasters do not discriminate. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how much money you have, or how smart you think you may be – if you aren’t prepared, nothing else matters.
And while being prepared starts with you and is vital for EVERYONE – it is also very important that your local, state, and federal governments do all they can to prevent disasters, and for those disasters that can’t be prevented, they must be prepared to respond.
I believe the Palisades Fire was more than just a horrific tragedy, it was an unacceptable failure of government to protect the lives and property of its citizens. And we all know that this fire hurt our seniors more than anyone else.
Families in this community deserve answers and accountability. Over the years, billions upon billions of federal taxpayer dollars have been directed to California to support fire management and disaster mitigation efforts.
Yet, on the day of the Palisades Fire, reservoirs were empty, fire hydrants went dry, and innocent people, including many vulnerable seniors, perished while thousands more lost their homes, businesses, and everything they owned.
While nothing can undo the damage done by the Palisades fire, I am committed to advocating for the victims, their families, and this community to get answers and make sure this never happens anywhere in our great country ever again.
As the senior Senator from Florida and former Governor, I am no stranger to disasters.
Throughout my eight years as Governor and six years serving Floridians in the U.S. Senate I’ve seen the destruction left behind by multiple devastating hurricanes in the Sunshine State.
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned – it’s that PREPAREDNESS SAVES LIVES AND AFTER EVERY DISASTER YOU HAVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND SEE HOW YOU CAN BE BETTER NEXT TIME.
There is no alternative to getting prepared and having a disaster plan. When disasters strike,the things around us can be replaced,but if you don’t protect your life there is no second chance.
I tell Floridians constantly during hurricane season: you can rebuild your home,but you can’t rebuild your life.
I cannot tell you how many Floridians I have talked to that barely survived hurricanesand wish they would have done moreto be prepared.
Andthe goal is ALWAYSto keep people aliveand save our homesand businesses.
Today we are herein beautiful southern Californiato hear from victimsof the Palisades fire.As Chairmanof thesenate special committeeon aging,I thinkit is importantwe hearfrom victimswho were directly impacted,many losing everythingthey had.
I am so thankfulto have witnessesbefore ustodayand havethem sharetheir stories.
Now,I’d like to recognizeSenator Ron Johnsonfor his opening statement.”
The investigation seeks greater accountability regarding wildfire preparedness measures funded by federal tax dollars allocated over recent years for disaster mitigation efforts in California.
