For the first time since the earthquake, there is a date.
The Preservation Teams, the engineers, utility crews and inspectors who have been working inside the Los Santos evacuation zone since the main shock, now estimate that residents could be allowed back into the city by Thursday 1 October.
Buses are being scheduled to leave Paleto Bay at 10am on Thursday to take anyone who wants to go home back to Los Santos.
What the teams have been doing
Since the evacuation order, the Preservation Teams have been working street by street. Inspectors have been checking buildings for structural damage, crews have been clearing collapsed debris from the main roads, and utility teams have been working with Gaia Energy to keep power and gas stable across the city.
According to people familiar with the teams’ work, the main routes into the city are now largely clear and most of the worst hazards, including leaking gas lines and unstable facades, have been made safe or sealed off.
The teams describe Thursday as an estimate, not a promise. It depends on final safety checks over the coming days, and on the ground staying quiet. A strong aftershock could push it back.
The buses: Thursday 10am
Buses are scheduled to leave Paleto Bay at 10am on Thursday 1 October, taking residents who want to return back into Los Santos. The service is free.
Collection points in Paleto Bay are expected to be confirmed closer to the day. Residents are advised to arrive early, bring ID and anything they need for the first few days back, and to expect a long, slow journey south as the convoy moves through checkpoints.
Nobody has to go. Families who have settled in Paleto can stay, and those who drove north in their own vehicles can make their own way back once the roads open.
What returning residents should expect
Los Santos will not look like it did a week ago. Some buildings are expected to remain closed while repairs continue, and residents may find their street reopened while the block next to it is still fenced off.
Power and water may be patchy in parts of the east of the city for some time. Shops and services are expected to reopen gradually rather than all at once, and emergency services will be stretched as thousands of people move back in on the same day.
If your home has been marked as unsafe, do not go inside. Report it and wait for an inspector.
Still no word from the State
The announcement comes from the teams on the ground, not from the Governor’s office. The State has still not said anything about a return date, and its freeze on disaster aid remains in place.
For many families, Thursday matters for another reason too: under the State’s “presumed abandoned” rule, homes left empty during the emergency are at risk. Getting back through the front door may be the best protection residents have.
Going back, or staying?
Not everyone is in a hurry. Many evacuees told Weazel News this week that life in Paleto Bay has been better than they expected, and some are not sure they will return at all. Weazel News will confirm the collection points and any change to Thursday’s plans as soon as we have them.
