We're Safe, But Not Everyone Is
The LA Fires
Living in Los Angeles a little more than 25 years, I’ve seen many wildfires. They’re recurring natural disasters, not much different than blizzards or hurricanes in other parts of the country. If you don’t live here, you might wonder if the news is exaggerating or sensationalizing a recurring event; I can tell you they are not.
I’ve never seen anything like the last few days. The high winds that spread the fires so rapidly also prevented airplanes and helicopters from dropping water to douse the flames. Two very large fires split the firefighters’ attention, along with several smaller (but still significant) fires. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, and over a hundred thousand are in danger zones that may have to be evacuated at any time.
We live in an area that’s currently safe, although we can smell smoke. But we know many, many people who’ve lost everything. Kirrily’s school is in Pasadena, which is pretty close to the Eaton fire. At least 20 student and faculty families have lost their homes.
Amelia’s school is in another part of town, called Mar Vista; it’s not close to the Palisades fire, but the smoke is bad enough that the school decided to remain closed for most of the week. Her school only has ten students, but they come from all over town for this special place. Two of our students’ families’ homes burn down, and a third evacuated (which, as you can imagine, is difficult when you have a child with special needs), as well as one of the therapist’s.
Singing in the Ashes
A friend of a friend was able to return to the burned wreckage of their home. They took the opportunity to sing a hymn—
What You Can Do to Help
If you’d like to help, there’s a number of charities you can contribute to:
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation supports the LAFD in protecting life, property, and the environment by providing essential equipment, and trainings to supplement city resources.
Direct Relief California wildfire response.
World Central Kitchen is in Southern California to support first responders and families impacted by wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Baby2Baby provides baby supplies to families that affected by disasters.
Salvation Army wildfire relief.
If you’d like to make a more personal donation, Joe Galvan is an usher at St. Agatha’s, where I was a parishioner for nearly a decade, and where Amelia was baptized. He was a friendly face and welcoming presence every Sunday. His home was destroyed in the Palisades fire. Joe evacuated with his dog and the clothes on his back. Everything he owned was destroyed, including his automobile. You can donate to his GoFundMe to help one of the kindest men I’ve ever met.