How many cars are in Los Angeles? Is it even remotely possible to consider an evacuation of LA county? Can we even think about evacuating the City of LA? 

The Camp fire that roared through Paradise, California served as an eye opener. It showed what happens when an evacuation doesn’t go as planned. There have been evacuations of parts of LA. But what if a devastating earthquake affected the entire county? Or, what if some other event made just the city uninhabitable?

Here are some of the statistics and thoughts that lead us to this conclusion:

• There are 9.8 million people in LA County (2010 Census)
• There are 4,751 square miles in LA County
• Every day, there are 220 million vehicle miles traveled in LA County

• There are 3.7 million people in the City of Los Angeles (2010 Census)
• There are 503 square miles in the City of Los Angeles
• Every day, there are 45 million miles traveled in the City of Los Angeles

• There are 7.8 million vehicles registered in LA County
• There are 6.6 million drivers licenses issued
• Every day, 471,000 workers commute into LA County from other counties
• Every day, 3.9 million workers commute by car or carpool, 82% of the workforce

Quick “back of the envelope” calculations:

• The City of LA has 5 times the population density as the rest of LA County
• LA County, not including the City of LA, has 1,435 people per square mile
• The City of LA has 7,355 people per square mile
• You expect twice the number of commuting cars to get on the road if all residents tried to evacuate.

Issues that exacerbate a failed evacuation:

• Running out of fuel
• Every day breakdowns
• Impassable roads, especially main arteries

Realities of the City of LA and LA County

• There’s a tipping point when everything just seizes up. Twice the number of cars on the road traveling a longer distance fail.
• Mass transit is not a choice, the mass transit infrastructure now only handles 6% of the commuting population.

Back to our conclusion, be prepared to shelter in place. For sheltering in place, you need water, food, and medicine. Don’t forget prescriptions, sanitation, and communication tools. Make certain electrical generation and a way to keep clean, like antibacterial wipes.