JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Catastrophic wildfires continue to rage out of control across greater Los Angeles. The two most destructive fires have already totaled thousands of structures. The Palisades fire is burning in the Santa Monica Mountains near the Pacific Coast, and inland to the east, the Eaton fire is encroaching on the city of Pasadena. The community of Altadena is just north of Pasadena, and it's seen some of the worst damage. That's where some of the officials planning disaster response are doing so, having fled or even, in some cases, having lost their homes. Victoria Knapp is chair of the Altadena Town Council, and she joins us now. Thank you for being here.
VICTORIA KNAPP: You're welcome.
SUMMERS: Victoria, I want to start by asking about your personal experience. What has this been like for you and your family or you among those who had to evacuate?
KNAPP: We were among the first to evacuate because the eastern edge of the fire was just outside the canyon of our home. So I'm - you know, I'm a Gen Xer, and I've been through a lot, and I've seen a lot. And I don't have a word in the English language that can express what this experience has been like but to say that it is utter devastation and trauma.
SUMMERS: Tell us what the community there looks like today from what you've seen. How much have you been able to see the damage there for yourself?
KNAPP: I was able to get up to our home yesterday, which we unfortunately lost completely to the fire. I live on a cul-de-sac of 15 homes. Two were left standing. There is a lot of widespread debris from the windstorm. So that's creating a lot of problems for first responders and for those that are going to initiate the cleanup efforts to get through town. We are a small foothill town of about 45,000 residents. And we rely and support small businesses. And when I tell you probably half of our small businesses are gone to the ground, that would not be an overstatement. So it's obviously smoky still. There are active fires burning, but the most stark visual is just that of a post-apocalyptic war zone. That's how I would describe it.
SUMMERS: I know people must be feeling a whole wide range of emotions right now. Tell us what you're hearing from people in your community. What do they need right now?
KNAPP: The thing that the people of Altadena need most is information. One of the problems with Altadena being as remote as it is and part of unincorporated LA County is that there is no centralized communication operation. The Altadena Town Council is working right now on our statement, which will have all of the local state and federal resources so that those most impacted can start to take advantage of those and begin to move forward in the healing process. We need information immediately...
SUMMERS: Yeah.
KNAPP: ...Because there are things that most people don't consider, like what do you do with your mail when both your home has burned down and the post office has burned down? What happens then? What do we do about shutting off gas to homes where people are in a neighborhood that isn't evacuated?
SUMMERS: Victoria, I understand that winds are forecast to pick up before things start to get better. I wonder, to what degree can you even think about rebuilding it?
KNAPP: We can't. We have to get past this crisis first. It's hard to imagine more disaster because the degree of catastrophe is so high already. So the rebuilding is really one of spirit, honestly. In fact, the town council is going to put together a gathering. It won't be in Altadena, but we want to be able to give space for residents to come together so that we can hug, we can communicate what we know and have learned and so that everyone feels the support and love of their neighbor.
SUMMERS: Victoria Knapp is chair of the Altadena Town Council near the Eaton fire in Southern California. Victoria, we're thinking about your community and wishing you the best.
KNAPP: We appreciate it. Thank you so much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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