More than 37,000 acres of homes, businesses, schools, churches—entire communities— has turned to ash in the LA fires this past week.
To put that in perspective:
Charleston, SC = 73,728 acres.
Salt Lake City, UT = 70,976 acres.
Milwaukee, WI = 61,568 acres.
Baltimore, MD = 51,776 acres.
Manhattan, NY = just 14,604 acres.
Imagine half—or all—of those cities disappearing overnight.
I’ve had a week to process this, and I’m still at a loss for words. If it feels distant to you, I understand. But let me be clear, our city is hurting. We are experiencing loss, grief, and trauma like never before.
There’s a pre-conceived notion that LA is made up of fake, over-privileged, under-appreciative, self-absorbed people. And while we have our fair share of those (every major city does), the truth is, LA is so much more than that.
LA and its people showed tf up this week and I’ve never been more proud to be from LA than in this moment. Just about every shelter you call is no longer accepting donations because they are at full capacity. Every volunteer center you visit has swarms of people helping. You go to the grocery store and see multiple carts filled with water, diapers, non-perishables, pet food, etc. This is a city of?dreamers and doers filled with people who are looking to make things happen for themselves. If you think we'd show up any different for our people, I don't know what to tell you.
From tech bros to sculptors to writers to first generation immigrants, professional athletes, musicians, tarot card readers, luxury real estate agents, chefs and everything in between – no matter what you fancy, there is a path for you here. It’s truly what makes LA so special – the diversity in people, business, culture, food, art, entertainment.
This past week, we've proved that despite all the juxtapositions and stark contrasts in lifestyles, status and class, we put all of that aside and show up for each other. It's been incredible to be a part of.
If you're looking for ways to help:
Spread awareness: Manhattan Beach Unified School District is ready and able to accept students displaced by fire.
Donate to Los Angeles FD – no explanation needed, true heroes! ??
Donate to World Central Kitchen – simply put, Jose Andres is the shit. Wherever there is crisis in the world, you can bet Jose Andres has deployed one, if not many, teams to help.
Donate to Pasadena Humane Society – They have taken in 400+ animals (domestic + wildlife) in the last week, they need all the help they can get!
Click?? on the google sheet below – This is a list of friends and friends of friends who have lost everything. If you can, please donate:
https://lnkd.in/g32t2siR
If you can’t help monetarily, please consider sharing the links above.
