LA Fires: A devastating week
Note: This post was written Monday, January 13, 2025. The situation with the fires in LA is rapidly changing.
This week I was told that online communities fall short because we are not able to organise locally. Sadly, this week, we have had to prove them wrong. We have a few beloved “Harboristas” who live in Southern California and have been affected by the wildfires. We are grateful they and their homes are safe for now and we continue to stay connected and offer financial support as needed.
One of our pastors, Dottie Oleson, lives in LA County. She has been going non-stop not only taking care of her family but organising funds and groceries for families who have been affected by the fires. Here is a note she shared with us on Monday morning. Keep reading to learn how you can help.
As many of you know, the fires in LA are historically devastating. Being in Southern California, we’ve become acquainted with yearly fires. It’s always devastating. This time around, however, the magnitude of these fires is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It’s unthinkable. Horrifying. And as these disasters often do, they intersect with the environment, government, and marginalized people. One of the cities that burned down, Altadena, is a historically black neighborhood. Here’s an Instagram carousel that explains the situation.
I live in the very bottom of LA county in a city called Long Beach. We are fortunately out of the fire zone and yet still close enough where the winds have carried the smoke to us. On Thursday, after spending the morning collecting and organizing donations for fire relief, our home was filled with smoke. Jesse and I both got light headed from just a few hours being home and we suddenly found ourselves packing up our things and rushing down south to get the four of us to a safer spot. Then we got evacuation alerts from LA county, which ended up being a false alarm, but enough to jolt us to come up with a plan and realize our home wasn’t safe.
The air has been so smokey, I’ve had the kiddos inside when we are in Long Beach, or driving down south to get them outdoor time. Every morning, my car has had ash sprinkled all over it.
Winds are supposed to still be bad this week. We aren’t in the clear yet.
If you can help, we ask you to donate directly particularly to the verified fundraisers on GoFundMe and others that benefit Black households, particularly Altadena, and historic Black neighbourhood. You can donate here with 100% of funds going directly to help Black folks find housing and begin to rebuild their lives.
