Help Zach and Mae After the Eaton Fire

Help Zach and Mae Rebuild Their Lives After the Eaton Fire!

The Eaton Fire demolished most of Altadena on January 7, 2025. Thankfully, our home wasn't destroyed, but we haven't been able to return since then due to mandatory evacuation, utility outages, a still unclear water situation, and toxic smoke and ash deposits. We hope to resettle in the greater Palm Springs area, where we can live without fear of exposure to lead, asbestos, and other chemicals.

The cost of living is also significantly less, and there are new and intriguing job opportunities. Even before the Eaton Fire, we were both being underemployed, and now our savings are being further depleted. Mae was a lifelong Altadena resident, and Zach grew up not far away in Pasadena. We both attended Pasadena High School.

Zach and Mae request your assistance to recover our losses and to establish a nest egg to end our displacement. We love Altadena; it's home for us, and we were both very involved in the community, particularly the nature and outdoors community. Mae is an avid photographer of people and wildlife, including botany, and Zach is a journalist and picked up trash throughout the San Gabriel Mountains.

We are incredibly saddened by the total losses of many of our friends and hope that one day it's safe to return to a rebuilt Altadena. For now, though, we are accepting that things have dramatically changed and seeking to move on with our lives with some new adventures. Mae, for example, is very excited to attend the Mojave Centers planned course in sustainable housing set for March 2025 in Joshua Tree. Life can be challenging, but in crisis there are opportunities.

Costs: motel accommodations, vehicle operation and cleaning costs, home cleaning costs, food costs, lost job time, wellbeing care.

Kind regards,

Zachary Ellison and Mae Koo