Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's search and rescue team are at LAX right about now boarding a flight for New Zealand. They will be helping look for victims of the earthquake that devastated Christchurch. No dogs allowed this trip: New Zealand doesn't permit outside canines to enter the country without quarantine. This is the group that went to Haiti in January 2010.
Calamities
Task Force 2 heads out to Christchurch
More by Kevin Roderick:
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staffPower out Monday across Malibu
Put Jamal Khashoggi Square outside the Saudi consulate on Sawtelle
Here's who the LA Times has newly hired*
LA Observed Notes: Clippers hire big-time writer, unfunny Emmys, editor memo at the Times and more
Recent Calamities stories on LA Observed:
Power out Monday across MalibuHere we go again
Cory Iverson, 32, California firefighter dies on Thomas Fire
Biggest maybe, but not close to the worst LA brush fire
Mass evacuation below Oroville Dam
Bet you didn't know quicksand is a real SoCal thing
Sand Fire grows overnight to 35,000 acres
New leak over the weekend above Porter Ranch