After the Fire USA

We walk with you all the way home at After the Fire USA

?? Important News for LA Fire Survivors! Great work by coordinated government leaders at all levels ?? ???????????? FEMA today sent a letter to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) agreeing to expand the scope of cleanup to a number of facility types that were not previously eligible for debris removal, including owner occupied condominiums, multi-family units, and certain commercial properties. FEMA also extended the deadline for Right of Entry form submissions to April 15 to allow the newly eligible groups time to apply. #afterthefireusa #EatonFire #pacificpalisades #megafire #LAFires #communitymatters https://lnkd.in/g_NxKjtN Jennifer Gray Thompson, MPA FEMA California Governor's Office of Emergency Services Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom

There is so much here to behold and absorb, it was hard to pull any one quote. Please read the article and between the lines. The struggle is real and has profound implications on recovery and well-being. Mahalo to our Sonoma County advocate, friend and fire survivor Will Abrams for his wise words and insights here. ???????? Please hear him. One quote from Jennifer Gray Thompson, MPA does sum it up, but even this quote isn't as important as the entire article: “The ick is real, and it feels very predatory,” said Jennifer Gray Thompson, chief executive officer of After the Fire USA, a nonprofit that has worked in Lahaina, Paradise and other communities ravaged by wildfire. “It feels like it’s a feeding frenzy off of people’s trauma and suffering.” PLEASE READ IF A FIRE SURVIVOR FROM EATON OR PALISADES FIRES #afterthefireusa #wildfire #megafire #EatonFire #pacificpalisades #malibu #Predators https://lnkd.in/gyMRp5aa

Last night, Jennifer Gray Thompson, MPA was kindly included by Lauryn Rego of Lahaina Strong to see the new solar lights around Lahainatown, generously donated by our friends and partners Good360. This very cool effort is from those two orgs working together and listening to the community. We rode along to watch the installation of several more lights and got a tour of the impact zone at night. It's a mix of progress and potential. Roland and Anne Tanner, along with their adorable daughter Kai, have installed tons of these lights for the community to prevent thefts and make walking safer. People like Lauryn and the Tanners make community rebuilding possible, admirable, and an act of love. Rebuilding a community requires people who love it so much that they get up and do the hard work every single day. Willing to push forward incrementally inches and miles all at once. This is our WHY at After the Fire USA. We've lived it. We respect it to our core. We do everything we can to support and amplify the beauty of community post-megafire. Together, we DO. If you wish to support the community effort to make the impact zone more secure while they rebuild, here's an Amazon wishlist: https://lnkd.in/gDt2Rhz3 Here's a news article about the theft issue - which we always see post fire and why sheds are so important for tools. https://lnkd.in/gYUKg9-u #lahaina #Lahainatown #afterthefireusa #communityresilience #community #maui ##MauiStrong #kula

After the Fire USA is in Maui having meetings and checking in with leaders. Jennifer Gray Thompson, MPA sat with the new Director of Maui's Long-term Recovery for FEMA. Alexandra Slous has a holistic approach to the recovery process, likely informed by her background in local, state, federal government but also by her time in the private sector. Ali has been living in Hawaii for a very long time. We are grateful for her time. It was good to view the progress as it speeds up. Finished homes are up in neighborhoods in the process of rebirth. We love the people and place of Maui. We admire their commitment to community (ohana) first. We appreciate the lessons they've brought to us during our work together supporting their recovery. All recoveries are group projects. All recoveries require dedicated humans get up every single day to push forward incrementally over and over and over again. That's how we get home. Together ?????? #afterthefireusa #Wildfire #ohana #megafire #Maui #Lahaina #kula #community #recoveryispossible

As we've pointed out, wildfires are NOT a west coast problem alone. In fact, active wildfires endangering lives and homes are not in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii or any of the western states. Look towards the Midwest and Eastern US for the most active and dangerous fire behavior today and you'll see Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico are ablaze. We've seen some of this before, but it is growing as a concern daily. Our hearts and worries are with all of those affected today and who will be affected tomorrow. Climate disasters are here. They are not political. They are not personal. They do not vote or wear hats or carry signs. They've never heard of the ballot box. These disasters are indifferent to human preferences. Despite out inbox messages, these disasters have zero to do with retribution or space lasers or blue roofs or voting colors. Are we helpless? Not at all. Just the opposite. But to deal with reality requires accepting it. Facts. One cannot wish themselves into a future that is safe for one, perilous for the rest. This is a group project as a nation and a globe. No heroes. No saviors. Everyone has a role to play; something to contribute; an invitation for a different outcome. Send your care to the human beings who are scared right now, running from fire, trying to save their cattle, gathering their most valued items from their homes before they flee. They all deserve our attention and love and devotion to truth before fealty. Empathy and compassion are tools for the strongest humans to carry into the danger. We can do this, but only together. #afterthefireusa #ohana #Oklahoma #Texas #Arkansas #florida #NewMexico #Wildfire #climatecrisis https://lnkd.in/g2D74wtS

Aloha from Maui ?????? After the Fire USA is checking in on the Maui Fire Recovery. Recall this is both the Lahaina and Kula Fires. This stage of recovery (19 months post) is the part right before building picks up and extends for years. Maui is on track. We love and respect their measure of success is bringing community home. Units of housing are important but they are not THE most important factor if you go home and recognize no one. If your ohana is gone. Today, our CEO Jennifer Gray Thompson, MPA met with leaders from the County of Maui in three mtgs: Mayor Richard Bissen Josiah Nishita, Managing Director Cynthia Lallo, Chief of Staff Laksmi Abraham, Director of Communications + Government Affairs Marina Martin, Director of Public Affairs ???????? Councilwoman Tamara Paltin ???????? John Smith, Director of Maui County's Office of Recovery These check ins are important as long-term recovery is fully underway. We continue to listen, learn and figure out how to be of service to the people. We are proud to have built relationships on Maui and sustained them. Mahalo to the leaders for their time with us. #ohana #megafire #lahaina #kula #recovery #afterthefireusa

Our latest webinar with Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation of Pacific Palisades focused on the crucial topic of "Navigating Financial Decision Making" after wildfire. We're grateful to everyone who joined us to explore this essential aspect of the recovery journey. Financial decisions after disaster can feel overwhelming - from insurance claims to rebuilding costs to managing unexpected expenses. This conversation provided practical tools, survivor insights, and expert guidance for those facing these challenging choices. Many thanks to Adam Simon for hosting and to our panelists Sidra Goldwater, Kate Bulger, and Valerie Brown. If you missed it live, the recording is available here: https://lnkd.in/gZaSjiJC #WildfireRecovery #FinancialPlanning #CommunitySupport #PacificPalisades #AftertheFireUSA

We are thrilled to join forces with San José State University's Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC). This collaboration brings together leading experts in wildfire research, innovative technology, and forward-thinking policy to drive comprehensive wildfire solutions. By combining Watch Duty's real-time wildfire intelligence with WIRC's cutting-edge research, we aim to shape the future of wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery. Innovation and research will play a key role in strengthening wildfire resilience for communities and we couldn't be more excited about this collaboration.

There are thousands of ways to help after the fire. We applaud this effort by Emily Kane Miller. She created Heart and Hamsa to replace Judaica lost to the LA Fires. Emily is a total loss survivor and a champion for her community. “One of these treasures was a set of beautiful Shabbat candlesticks — the kind that look like they are from ‘the old country,’” Emily said. “My friend accepted them with such joy. They looked like a pair she’d lost. In that moment, I felt her repair just a little bit. Now, when she lights candles on Shabbat, she has the story of receiving these from someone who received them from her Bubbe who wanted her and her family to have them." We especially love the "felt her repair" part because this is what propels recovery: humanity. We repair each other, stitch by stitch, kindness by kindness, day by day. If you want to support this effort or have lost your Judaica, please visit the website: https://heartandhamsa.com/ #Palisades #eatonfire #megafire #afterthefireusa #Judaica #communitysupport #WildfireRecovery #pacificpalisades https://lnkd.in/gfYswM2F