As cleaning continues from the devastation of the deadly LA wildfires, residents are systematically trying to rebuild their lives.
Newsom criticizes the Trump administration
California’s government’s Gavin Newsom encouraged activists to draw inspiration from the actions of historic social leaders.
Chien Yu recently offered to take her 12-year-old son Hudson with him for a haircut. It seemed like a harmless suggestion, but the answer of the shaggy haired boy reminded Yu that he still dealt with the trauma his two sons endured this year.
Hudson reminded him when they all had haircuts together, the same day his school and their home for six years was burned to the ground.
“I had forgotten. I was blown away, he remembered,” Yu said. “So I dropped it and went without them.”
Pasadena, California, firefighter, YU developed the skills to block such tragedy long ago. But the wildfires that tore Los Angeles and their Altadena area earlier this year literally hit the vicinity of their homes.
“It’s far more personal now,” said the 46-year-old. “Our tough journey is not over.”
The boring path to reconstruction
The road to recovery will be long for YU families and thousands of people who lost their homes, schools, workplaces and livelihoods during a three-week fire that burned more than 37,000 acres or 57.8 square miles of California coastline. The fire was caused between an estimated $95 billion and $1640 billion in financial losses. More than 30 people have died.
Yus, like many, has just begun the rebuilding process.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have completed clearing debris from their family lots earlier than planned, but are still cutting over 9,000 lots of Eaton and Palisade’s burn zones.
Los Angeles County approved reconstruction permits for 238 of 1,523 of the 1,523 on August 22, according to the county dashboard. Most Altadena property owners, including YUS, have not yet submitted applications.
Still, the pace of permission was too slow, President Donald Trump said in a conversation with a White House reporter on August 22.
“The mayor’s incompetent, the governor’s incompetent,” Trump said, referring to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “They want to build a house and can’t get permission from the mayor or governor. That’s awful.”
YUS is progressing, however. They work to share costs with neighbors in Altadena, a diverse working class community. It benefits from the retired architects of Bullock who purchased large quantities of wood and other supplies, co-employed contractors, and offered to help design new homes.
Families also hope to benefit from county and state decisions to temporarily suspend or waive certain regulations to promote reconstruction.
“I hope this doesn’t become a long, drawn-out process,” said YU’s wife Kim, 46, who is also a volunteer Alta Dena Town Council member. “We still have each other’s backs.”
Meet your economic needs
Kim Yu, along with council colleagues Nic Antzen and Milissa Marona, helped create the Altadena Eaton Fire Recovery Fund (AEFRF), in a partnership with CEO and fellow Altadena resident Tim Cadogan, a homeless resident in Wildfire.
The fund aims to provide one-time grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 to support Altadena residents’ recovery and reconstruction efforts. Malona said it won nearly $300,000, with 300 people getting an average of about $1,000 and 300 people applying.
“Money will go right in their hands,” Malona said. “The needs are very outstanding.”
Yu has launched its own GoFundMe campaign. This raised over $250,000 to cover costs that are not insured.
Other funding is also available, including one from Edison in Southern California. This acknowledges that the transmission line may have started a fire.
Still, the federal funds that many wanted to help reconstruction have not been realized.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom marked the six-month anniversary of the wildfire on July 7, calling for the Trump administration again, providing federal funding for the state’s recovery. Congress left the summer break that month. He advanced Newsom’s $40 billion request in February to help rebuild homes, schools and hospitals, providing economic development grants and small business loans.
Newsom said that funding for the fire should be a nonpartisan issue and that it has repeatedly said, “We’re all together.”
Chien Yu agreed.
“I hope this isn’t a ‘I can’t see, I don’t care’ occurrence,” he said. “That’s going to be the saddest part of everything — if politics gets in the way.”
Strong for family and community
During the reconstruction, Kim and Chen Yoo say they will find their sons’ everyday life and stability. Hudson and Atticus (8) were priorities during the makeshift arrangement period.
“We’re trying to keep things light and focused. Atticus looks pretty good, but we can say he’s still being affected,” Kim Yoo said. “He is a very independent child, but it is difficult for him to be alone.
“And Hudson, he likes to remind him and points out things when he agrees with what happened,” she added.
Her full-time job as a California Institute of Technology fire safety specialist said she and her husband must be strong not only for their family but also for the community.
“To be honest, when I ran (for town council) last year, I never imagined I would be in this position,” she said. “The last few months have been really tough, but I have no other options. Sometimes I feel like I’m failing, and I will turn to help my husband and family.”
Chien Yu agreed, adding that he is digging deep to stay resilient.
“My wish is that while our children remember our homes burning out, they have the ability to create new and happy memories,” he said.
