From the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, to the recent earthquakes in Mexico City and the Southland, it's clear that disaster can strike at any time. Our newspaper headlines, television screens and social media feeds are inundated with stories recounting the debilitating affects of Mother Nature's wrath and the rising human toll left in its wake. News of these natural disasters certainly may seem overwhelming, but it should also serve as a great motivator to counteract them, and the best way to do that is to get prepared.

In the week since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southeastern Texas, the tropical storm has a left trail of devastation in the region. So far, it has claimed nearly 50 lives, flooded 136,000 structures in Houston alone and displaced hundreds of thousands of people in the storm's wake. The rising waters turned familiar roads into rivers, and residents sought refuge in official and makeshift shelters.

VALLEY VILLAGE - Dozens of community members joined this year's National Night Out celebration in Valley Village to promote community safety and strengthen partnerships with local law enforcement. Councilmember Krekorian greeted event goers and shared community updates about the city's continued work to improve services and resources for residents. 

I don't have to tell you that Los Angeles is facing a homeless crisis greater than we've seen before. Economic dislocation from the Great Recession, a reduction of mental health services, the challenge of finding good jobs, along with the dearth of affordable housing in LA have made Southern California ground zero for the problem over the past few years. We understand the problem well as we see its manifestations each day, but our response has matured in recent months. This year, the City Council dedicated $176 million -- more funding than ever before -- to fight homelessness. And we are currently exploring the best ways to use that money, taking necessary steps toward mapping out permanent solutions.

This week, hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District students returned to school, and in the coming weeks, nearly every young student in the city will be back in the classroom to kick off the new school year. As students get back to learning, I would like to remind parents, families and students to be safe and smart while making your way to school.

You might remember that, last year, the City Council launched LA's first-ever comprehensive sidewalk repair program. We pledged to invest more than $30 million a year and a total of $1.4 billion over the next 30 years to make all 11,000 miles of city sidewalks safe and accessible for everyone. The program, called Safe Sidewalks LA, is one of the biggest and boldest infrastructure projects in LA's history.

With the Fourth of July holiday just around the corner, some of our neighborhoods are already witnessing the familiar pops and bangs of illegal fireworks exploding in the night sky. My office has received several recent reports about the possession and use of illegal fireworks in North Hollywood and Valley Glen. I have notified the Los Angeles Police Department and the Fire Department about this issue and asked them to remain watchful and to continue to educating the public about the dangers of fireworks.

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Krekorian and community members activated a brand new traffic signal and crosswalk at Lankershim Boulevard and Dundas Drive. The signal and the new crosswalk are vital safety improvements for this busy corridor that will protect pedestrians.

You may have heard about the Mayor's Great Streets Initiative and the options being discussed on portions of Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. My office has held five public meetings with businesses, residents and stakeholders on the topic and we've received much valuable feedback. Because this is an important discussion for people in NoHo and the East Valley, I wanted to share with you my letter to the community with my thoughts on the current options.

LOS ANGELES - This week, Metro announced the launch of a new public awareness campaign to prevent bus operator assaults.