
Eaton Canyon Wildfire: Help Obin's Family Relocate
Donation protected
I'm Veena. My husband Chad and I, and our son Obin, have been living in Altadena for the past 5 years. While the house we’ve been renting is miraculously still standing, the majority of our neighborhood has been destroyed. It’s unreal and heartbreaking to see your entire community turned to ash and rubble in less than 24 hours. Our son’s school has burned down, shops and restaurants, most of the parks—all the places that have defined our daily life.
Since we are right in the middle of the burn zone, it has become clear that our home will be unlivable for the coming several months or more between the toxic ash and rubble surrounding the house, and smoke damage/toxic ash inside the house. Most of our belongings are not salvageable, including a good amount of Chad’s music gear and equipment that is essential for him to work (he is a sound designer and composer for film/television).
As renters already at the top of our budget, we’ve decided that the time has come to move to a lower-cost area, and are in the process of relocating out of state. We've struggled with asking for help, knowing that there are others who have lost more than us. However, we’re humbled by the realization that we can’t recover on our own, relocating and replacing all that is unsalvageable. We are raising funds to cover the cost of moving and replacing the furniture and all the small things that we have lost.
We will miss Altadena dearly. For those of you who have not been there before, it was a beautiful, creative, family-oriented community nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Old California oak and palm trees lined the streets next to wild gardens, with historic bungalows and beautiful homes - most of which were very modest. We had a vegetable garden and our neighbor had chickens. We gave each other the extra produce from our gardens and watched each other's children. We had neighbors we could depend on for anything. In fact, it was our neighbors who alerted us that it was time to evacuate as we were putting our son to bed, and our neighbors who found us a place to sleep that first night. Our family often went hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains - the photo here is from one of those recent hikes. It was an idyllic life and it is gone now, at least for several years as people rebuild. I wish we could wait around for that to happen but we have to find a stable place to raise our son. Altadena, you will always be in our hearts.
We are so grateful for your support as we work to rebuild our lives.
Organizer
Veena Fox Parekh
Organizer
Altadena, CA