Residents left behind at elder care facilities in LA raise serious questions about evacuation preparedness
Imperfect Paradise
LAist Studios
4.5 • 535 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.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Support for LAIST comes from CarPros Kia, featuring the 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid with a striking new design and family-friendly seating for up to eight. |
| 0:09.5 | You can learn more at CarPros Kia in Glendale, Huntington Beach, and Moreno Valley. |
| 0:15.1 | LAISD is supported by Elephant Energy. |
| 0:17.7 | Elephant Energy is LA's expert in installing modern and efficient heating and |
| 0:21.7 | cooling systems, the new standard for whisper-quiet comfort year-round. They handle the design and |
| 0:27.5 | the rebates to save you thousands. Claim your rebates at elephantenergy.com. This is in Perfect Paradise. |
| 0:33.8 | I'm your host, Nereida Moreno. For many affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires, the search for answers and accountability |
| 0:42.1 | continues for communities across L.A. County, almost a year after the fires killed nearly |
| 0:47.3 | three dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. In today's episode of |
| 0:52.8 | Imperfect Paradise, we look closely at what happened to some of the most vulnerable residents during one of LA's most devastating disasters. I've been trying to find a way out. Let's get you out here. Let's get you out. Where do I go? But don't lose me. I promise I old is you? Don't worry, okay? |
| 1:16.1 | 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. |
| 1:21.1 | L.A. County Sheriff's deputies discovered her alone hours later. |
| 1:25.4 | Their body cam footage showed her wandering a dark hallway on the third floor, |
| 1:29.3 | and she was not the only one left behind. Her community, Montecedro, was one of two residential |
| 1:37.9 | care facilities who were cited for failing to follow their own emergency evacuation procedures |
| 1:42.6 | and leaving residents behind. This raises serious |
| 1:45.9 | questions about emergency planning, especially when it comes to places where we live and work. |
| 1:51.2 | Who is responsible for disaster evacuations? Is it first responders or the facility? What went wrong |
| 1:57.1 | and why? And what do these situations reveal systemically about our emergency preparedness |
| 2:02.7 | and response? LA's health and housing reporter Aaron Trink has been looking into these questions, |
| 2:08.1 | and he joins us now. Hey, Aaron. Hey, Nereda. The audio from the LA deputies body cam footage |
| 2:15.6 | that listeners just heard was from the Monte Cedro retirement community. |
... |
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