A Community Lost

This has been a tough week. Most of us know someone who lost their home. Stories abound that no water was available to fight the Eaton Fire hence the huge property loss. My husband has been either on the ground with members of Montrose Search & Rescue or working the command post.

I’m writing this on Tuesday night when more Santa Ana winds are due to come in. It terrifies me to think that I might be the victim of another power outage. I lost power a week ago on Tuesday night and was without it until Friday. It was restored then went out again. Thankfully I had gas and water so I was able to boil water then tote it upstairs to put in my bathtub. With only a couple of inches of water in the tub those were quick baths, let me tell you!

No power meant no heat, either. And I’m sure you remember how cold it has been. I bundled up to keep warm and it seemed to work (I’m still here).

I was at a Kiwanis meeting on Friday and was complaining about having no power, no internet, no heat. Then I learned that one of my fellow Kiwanians lost her house in the Eaton Fire. She thought she was way too low for the fire to reach her (she lived not too far from Lake Avenue) and even though she evacuated she thought it was just a precaution. She was wrong. Her house was among the hundreds – the thousands – that were lost.

I was talking to another woman whose house was destroyed in the Eaton Fire. I was chagrined when I complained about my inconveniences – because that’s what they were. Inconveniences. I still have a house and all the memories that are tied up in it.

One thing my friend said that struck me was how concerned she is about the Altadena community. She feels the same way about Altadena that I feel about the Crescenta Valley. Altadena has a rich history. Among the things that make it special is that it wasn’t a Sundown Town; unlike many areas that practiced “redlining,” Black people could buy land. If you have ever driven through Altadena, you saw run-down apartment buildings and high-end private residences. The town was as diverse in its architecture as it was in its residents. Now it’s like a hand swept it all away.

My friend is afraid that developers will come in to buy up the land then build – or over-build – it. That, she said, will change the specialness of the community.

She also said how heart-warming it was to see the outreach of so many people.

You can learn more about those efforts on page 8 of this week’s paper.