During a typical summer break, Alma Lagunas’ sons, 10 and 17, would be outside playing soccer or basketball and riding their bikes in their East LA neighborhood. But this year, the family has been isolated behind closed doors and windows. Going outside has meant smoke, unhealthy air and now, being hit with the worsening smell of rotting food from the Lineage warehouse a few blocks away.
“It is stressful; I worry a lot about my children’s emotional well-being, because they are used to playing outside and doing sports… but since June 17th, we haven’t been able to do that,” Lagunas said in Spanish.
As the smell worsens and cleanup efforts continue, Lagunas worries about what will happen if the warehouse is not cleared by the time her 10-year-old starts fifth grade at Eastman Avenue Elementary School, less than a mile away…