Imperfect Paradise: Residents left behind at elder care facilities in LA raise serious questions about evacuation preparedness
Norco 80
LAist Studios
3.7 • 889 Ratings
🗓️ 12 December 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the early morning hours of January 8, the Eaton Fire raced closer to the MonteCedro retirement community in Altadena, California. Nearly 200 of the facility’s residents were evacuated, but two women were left behind, raising serious questions. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, LAist Health and Housing Reporter Aaron Schrank looks at what went wrong, who should be held accountable, and what it reveals systemically about emergency preparedness.
You can read more of Aaron’s reporting for his Left Behind series at LAist.com.
This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos
Grow your business no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise
Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Support comes from Sony Pictures Classics presenting Nuremberg. Following World War II, |
| 0:05.4 | prosecutor Robert Jackson leads the trial of the century as a U.S. Army psychiatrist |
| 0:09.5 | confronts Herman Goren's mind. Powerhouse performances by Russell Crow, Rami Malik, and |
| 0:14.7 | Michael Shannon raves the Hollywood reporter, Nuremberg, for your awards consideration. |
| 0:20.1 | Support for Elias comes from Willa, |
| 0:22.5 | presenting the voice of Hind Rajab, |
| 0:24.8 | from Academy Award nominated writer-director, |
| 0:27.3 | Kaltra Benhanya. |
| 0:28.5 | The film uses real emergency call recordings |
| 0:30.7 | to portray the attempts to rescue a five-year-old girl |
| 0:33.5 | trapped under fire in Gaza, |
| 0:35.4 | in theaters December 17th. |
| 0:37.3 | This is in Perfect Paradise. I'm your host, Nerida Moreno. trapped under fire in Gaza, in theaters December 17th. |
| 0:38.9 | This is Imperfect Paradise. |
| 0:40.7 | I'm your host, Nereida Moreno. |
| 0:47.5 | For many affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires, the search for answers and accountability continues for communities across L.A. County, almost a year after the fires killed nearly |
| 0:52.8 | three dozen people and destroyed thousands |
| 0:55.4 | of homes and businesses. In today's episode of Imperfect Paradise, we look closely at what |
| 1:00.8 | happened to some of the most vulnerable residents during one of LA's most devastating disasters. |
| 1:06.5 | I've been trying to find a way out. Let's get you out here. Let's get you out. |
| 1:30.4 | Where do I go? But don't lose me. I promise I'm going. You're all right. You don't worry. Okay. That's Jean Bruce Poole, a 100-year-old resident who was left behind at the Montecedro retirement community in Altadena after it was evacuated during the Eaton fire. L.A. County Sheriff's deputies discovered her alone hours later. |
| 1:34.6 | Their body cam footage showed her wandering a dark hallway on the third floor, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from LAist Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of LAist Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.