LA looks to survive highway closure

With warnings having been broadcast through television, radio, social media, and flashing freeway signs as far away as San Francisco, much of the city’s nearly 4 million residents appear ready to stay off the roads.

If they do, there will be no shortage of staycation activities awaiting them.

They can snag free popcorn being offered at movie theaters along the 405 or drop in on Michael Jackson’s dermatologist for 25-percent-off Botox injections so that frazzled commuters will not look quite so frazzled.

For those who do get caught in traffic, LA musician Ken Elkinson is offering free downloads of his boxed set, “Music for Commuting,’’ a collection of soothing tunes.

Along with all the gimmicky promotions, there have also been months of planning.

Construction crews have been gearing up, but so have police, fire, and medical officials seeking to ensure that everything goes smoothly - or, if it doesn’t, to ensure they are prepared to handle any emergency.

The city Fire Department put two dozen additional engines, fire companies, and ambulances into service, placing them in neighborhoods that firefighters might have a hard time getting to from jammed roadways.

The UCLA Health System, which runs the huge Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center located near the 405, put three helicopter companies on standby to transport patients and organs.

For those who do have to drive, a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center psychiatrist was offering advice. Among Dr. Waguih William IsHak’s tips: avoid road rage at all costs, apologize profusely to anyone you accidentally cut off in traffic, and be sure to leave for your destination with a full tank of gas and a cellphone.

And, he said, don’t forget to go to the bathroom before you leave.

Or, better yet, authorities say, stay at home.