When a sudden, powerful storm pummeled Boyle Heights in October, one poorly placed mattress wreaked havoc on the neighborhood.
Los Angeles officials say the mattress was blocking a catch basin, which subsequently caused flooding that damaged a basement and several vehicles.
The incident has sparked additional interest in the city’s El Niño preparation and has department heads mulling a new tactic to mitigate its effects. For the first time, they are considering suspending trash pickup.
“A single object, whether it’s a trash bag or a mattress, can impact an intersection,” Kate Hutton, a spokeswoman with the city’s Emergency Management Department, said Friday.
The changes in service would affect the parts of Los Angeles that are expected to be hammered with the heaviest rainfall and most severe flooding. But officials said decisions about halting pickup would not take place until 72 hours before a major storm or later — possibly even during the storm itself.
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