Overview
- City sanitation, street services, police and fire approached a woman living in a South LA storm drain the day after FOX 11’s report and coaxed her out.
- Crews blocked the manhole after she emerged, and she left the area after telling a reporter she would accept a place to stay.
- The on-scene video had shown people sheltering underground in drains filled with trash, human waste and flies, with a stench so strong the crew moved several blocks away.
- The mayor’s office called the conditions tragic and unacceptable, cited years of systemic failures and noted a 17% drop in street homelessness under Mayor Karen Bass.
- Volunteers and neighbors said they have encountered storm drain living before near 88th Street and South Grand Avenue, and FOX 11’s coverage, later echoed by the New York Post, prompted the city to pledge cleanups.