Fueled by the Santa Ana winds and the dry brush of mountain canyons, a series of wildfires ignited across Los Angeles County, displacing thousands of residents and destroying 17,000 structures. As of Jan. 25, the fires are known to have killed 28 people.
Kate Jennings, a third-year psychology major at PLNU, said via an email interview that she had to evacuate her home in Pasadena, CA, the night the Eaton fire started.
“We could see the fire from our front yard long before there was any news of it,” Jennings said. “The Palisades fire had already been going that day and we knew there was a high fire risk for us, but it was scary to be face to face with it like that and not know what we were supposed to do.”
After evacuating, Jennings said she and her family drove around for hours trying to find a place to stay.
“Thankfully, friends of my family opened their home to us and we were able to stay the night,” she said. “We had no idea if our house was going to be safe or not, and it was terrifying to think we might return home the next day to find it burned down.”
Jennings and her family were able to return home the next day and found their neighborhood was still intact. However, many of her friends’ homes were lost in the fires.
“It’s the kind of thing that you never expect to happen to your own city or neighborhood until you’re facing it head on,” Jennings said. “In addition to the homes and businesses that have been lost, many of my favorite trails, hikes and nature centers in these mountains have been destroyed by the fire as well.”
Jennings said she witnessed the community of Altadena come together in response to the fires.
“We were faced with the greatest kind of problem: too many donations and too many volunteers,” Jennings said. “There’s all kinds of things that you don’t realize you rely on until you’ve lost everything, and those losses were met with an abundance of generosity.”
One such instance of care Jennings said was the Instagram account: @altadenagirls. The account was set up by an 8th-grade Altadena resident to collect and redistribute donations helping teenage victims of the Eaton Canyon fire feel more normal. She gathered makeup, perfume, clothes and other products that allow young people impacted to still feel taken care of.
PLNU alumna and current Pepperdine juris doctor program candidate Kyla Kinzle fled her apartment located in north Santa Monica, three blocks from the evacuation warning zones that were extended due to the Palisades fire. While she was not within the mandatory evacuation zone, she said that visible flames, wildfire smoke and the absence of her roommate, who was out of town, led to her decision to seek housing with friends in San Diego.
“I had the news on non-stop and remembered they said to bring the six Ps: People and Pets, Papers, Phone (and phone numbers, I would add phone charger), Photos and Prescriptions,” Kinzle said via email.
Since she was not forced to evacuate, she said that her experience fleeing from the fire was very different from many of her friends who lost their apartments, homes or belongings.
“Last week at church, they read out the names of all the families who lost their homes in the fire,” Kinzle said. “We were stunned at how it just kept going; it is so hard to even imagine the extent of the devastation. I have seen photos of friends’ homes, places where we have spent a lot of time together, and they are completely gone.”
Kinzle said that many friends from PLNU and her fellow law students reached out offering home cooked meals and support for anyone displaced, but she said that one thing she wasn’t expecting was the immediate reaction to scrutinize the disaster.
“It was very disappointing to see how quickly this tragedy was weaponized or politicized for personal gain,” Kinzle said. “It’s unfortunately nothing new. I totally think there is a time and place to discuss the individual or institutional failures that contributed/aggravated the disaster, but I wish that there had been more time for our communities to grieve and process before being used to make a point.”
Kinzle said she is referring to misinformed claims posted on social media concerning the water availability in California.
The deadly fires have been eating away at Los Angeles County, easily growing and moving quickly due to intense winds and dry conditions. Just over a month prior, on Dec. 9, the Franklin fire burned in Malibu.
Kinzle said that it forced Pepperdine University to reschedule final exams. The current fires continue to impact students as well as delay their finals even more. For her program in particular, she said that the school is subject to strict American Bar Association requirements that dictate students must sit for exams.
“Many students who were waiting to take these exams were displaced, facing extreme losses, without power or gas and generally unsettled by the fires,” Kinzle said. “Now, we are facing long commutes due to the closure of PCH [Pacific Coast Highway]. What was once a 35-minute drive now takes about two hours. We are hoping PCH opens in the next couple of days, but some fear it might be weeks or even months.”
Tess Schrupp, a fourth-year Christian studies major at PLNU, watched the Eaton and Palisades fires burn from her home in Burbank. While Schrupp did not have to evacuate, she said that she was anxiously waiting all week to see if the fire would jump over the 405 highway and make its way toward her neighborhood.
“I don’t think my sister and I slept all week,” Schrupp said. “We were constantly checking our community’s Twitter page, Burbank news and the Watch Duty app.”
On Jan. 7, the Palisades fire began, burning a total of 23,488 acres, according to Jan. 25 Cal Fire data. On the same day, the Eaton fire started and has burned a total of 14,021 acres. The Hughes fire ignited on Jan. 22 and is 87% contained after burning a total of 10,425 acres as of Jan. 25. While there were numerous other fires across LA, the Palisades and Eaton fires remain the most destructive. The Palisades fire is 81% contained and the Eaton fire is 95% contained. Los Angeles County is currently facing the aftermath of destruction wherein the community is attempting to feel safe and rebuild.
Schrupp said she had many friends who had to evacuate; her focus during the fires was on how best to support her community.
“I think L.A. is always dismissed as this self-centered, selfish city,” Schrupp said. “Yes, those realities are present like in any city, but L.A. has so many people, and all of these people have their own stories and missions that are greater than themselves. Everywhere you went in a safe zone had drives going on for donations.”
The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling [MACC] Program at PLNU began organizing a food and clothing drive to help those affected by the fires.
Licensed Psychologist and Director of Clinical Training in the MACC, Benjamin Coleman, said that while they continue to collect donation items and have been able to donate directly to affected families who are known in their community, the current need is money.
“It appears that donation centers and food pantries are overwhelmed, and those in transition are not yet able to fully benefit from supply donations, such as clothing,” Coleman said via email. “These donations will still be needed as those affected find stable housing and can take more with them. What is needed most is money, and monetary donations will have the most impact.”
Aside from these immediate relief efforts, Coleman said that professional mental health organizations respond to the need during a crisis and create pro bono services for those affected.
“A natural disaster creates unique and complex traumatic experiences for its victims,” Coleman said. “The mental health needs of those who lost homes, jobs, schools, workplaces and loved ones will be immense. The Los Angeles Psychological Association provides many opportunities to get involved.”
Schrupp also provided a Google Sheets document that had been shared with her shortly after the fires started. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, monetary donations, food and clothing donations, animal shelters and other ways to support the L.A community, view the spreadsheet on Lomabeat.com.
Angelica Moser