You can’t help but see the trend of people reaching out to help and support their fellow human during the burning of these wildfires and the violent movement of the devilish Santa Ana winds. I have lived in nearly every pocket of Los Angeles, Ventura, IE, and OC and have picked up some friends on my journey to where I am today and I have seen all of them jump into support each other by helping all of their neighbors.
I took a moment from white knuckling my phone and peering at the Watch Duty app to reach out to more of my groups of people. I listen to my sister throw in a load of laundry. I could hear the water pouring into the basin through the phone receiver while I organized information on a spreadsheet. She shut the washer door and then headed to the kitchen to wash dishes. I had just gotten off the phone with my grandma while I was adding things to my emergency bag. I was on the phone with friends and family just to listen and to talk out loud. Somehow, a series of recent disasters have tricked me into reaching out more to my friends and family.
I received more phone calls throughout the week. Some friends had lost their homes, and most had avoided fire but remained packed and ready to go in case they received an evacuation alert. Some former SoCal natives looked on from out of town and made sure I was out of harm’s way. All of them seemed to be on edge, but they all jumped in to help their communities in whatever way they could.
An outpouring of support from around the world. I have seen it in every text message, DM, volunteer work, donations, kindness, encouragement and the sharing of resources and information. It’s all hands-on deck for the majority of the people I know who are affected by the wildfires or know someone who’s affected by the ongoing wildfires.
Everyone around me is lending a hand in whatever way they can. No matter what anyone looks like, how they pray, what they believe, or any other unique strokes of paint that make up an entire portrait of a person, they are coming together to help their community.
I have driven the entire length of the continental United States, from south to north and from west to east and back again, and I have never been in a more diverse place than Southern California. Most people here are more likely to intermingle, which is evident in the endless fusions of our local cultural foods, the arts, and the mix of natural wilderness and urban jungle.
We know it will take a long time to rebuild the land and buildings in these communities, but I swear the relationships between the people have grown stronger despite such difficult situations. Because of this, I know we will rebuild these communities and keep the same people in them for years to come. These are groups of people who have each other’s backs when times are rough, coming together through community support.