‘Everything is gone’ – expats navigate LA wildfires

When Johannesburg-born mother Lauren Shuster, who lives in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, realised that the blaze that had started less than a kilometre from her house was no ordinary fire, she raced home to where she had left her daughter, her daughter’s boyfriend, and their dog.

“I drove like a crazy person to get back to the house,” said Shuster. “By the time I got there, there was a big fire roaring on the hill coming towards us. I told the kids to pack bags, got them in the car, and drove out of the driveway literally carrying the shirt on my back, my laptop, and a few important items. You’ve got the fire coming towards you, and the traffic’s not moving.” Many people abandoned their cars and ran, but Shuster managed to drive out of danger. Yet, her house burned to the ground.

Still burning and fuelled by accelerating winds, the most destructive wildfires Los Angeles has ever seen have obliterated entire neighbourhoods, causing 25 deaths. Since they broke out on 7 January, they have also upended the lives of multiple South African expats.

With budget cuts to the fire department, dry but fertile land, powerful Santa Ana winds, and a lack of reservoir water, it was the perfect storm. Sweeping across 40 000 acres of land to date, the fires have left thousands of LA residents homeless and facing an uncertain future.

“It doesn’t feel real,” said Savanah Park, whose Johannesburg-born parents, Jon Jon and Michelle, were forced to flee their Pacific Palisades home when the fires broke out. Their home of 25 years, which held a lifetime of memories, is simply gone. Park’s parents have moved three times since the fires began as evacuation orders spread to wider areas.“All of my and my brothers’ childhood and young adulthood memories are there,” said Park, who now lives in New York. Everything we had is gone.” Jon Jon is the son of the late Reg Park, a famous three-time Mr Universe winner, actor, and bodybuilder. The pain of losing sentimental items like family photos is compounded by the loss of irreplaceable memorabilia from Reg’s career dating back to the 1940s, including trophies and photosMost worrying to the family, however, is the fact that Michelle, who has metastatic breast cancer and had surgery just two weeks before the fire, lost her life-saving medication. “This medication is extremely expensive if it’s not approved through insurance,” her daughter said. “She hasn’t had approval yet for this year, and there’s never a guarantee.” Park has therefore started a GoFundMe campaign for her parents to cover medical expenses and the costs of starting overPark said her family was touched by the emotional support from the South African Jewish community. “There’s a ton of South African immigrants in the United States, and my dad has an incredible network of people that he’s still in touch with. But our friends, family, and Jewish community back in South Africa have shown up for us more than anyone else, providing love and support. I feel blessed that we have such deep roots in this strong community.”Cape Town-born Kate Wessels was visiting South Africa for the first time in almost 10 years when the fire broke out. Her husband was also away at the time. Wessels was in fact meant to be flying home when the fire alerts came through. Yet, she’s grateful that the flight cancellation meant that she could co-ordinate her three children’s movements around their Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.She directed her friend who was house sitting to collect her four-year-old daughter whose school evacuated children to various locations as the fire spread. Her other two children were at school in the opposite direction and were also evacuated, and so her friend raced to fetch them.“At the same time, I was phoning another friend to get my dogs from my house. My friends managed to get a lot of our personal stuff out of our house as I had two labelled boxes prepped in case of an emergency,” Wessels said.The house burned down and, to date, the family hasn’t been allowed to return. They have photos of the wreckage from a journalist they know who was able to visit, providing some closure. “Our Range Rover was parked in the driveway and melted, but our BMW is parked outside our house and is still standing,” Wessels said incredulously.

“My husband is Jewish, and we had an amazing response from the Jewish community,” she said. “People are banding together, asking what everyone needs. If there’s a silver lining, that’s definitely it.”

South African-born Food Network chef and author, Melissa Mayo, had to evacuate her Beverly Hills home, but is grateful that it’s still standing. Since the fires began, she’s been actively providing support to those affected, particularly in the Jewish community, literally driving towards the fires as they began.“My Chabad rebbetzin and I went through about 12 checkpoints to deliver 50 kosher pizzas and Gatorade and water to first responders. With strong Santa Ana winds, I thought my car would flip. I woke up the next morning to this massive level of devastation,” she said.The Jewish community has come together, Mayo said, providing meals, clothing, and more. “I’ve also got friends in Israel who were helped by people in LA during the war and who are now putting together Judaica kits for Jews who lost their Judaica in the fires.” Miraculously the Chabad shuls in both the Pacific Palisades and Brentwood are still standing despite the surrounding devastation.Yet there are considerable challenges, she said. People who have lost their homes are facing price gouging in the rental market where they’re being asked to sign a three-year lease with a year’s rental paid upfront. Landlords are boosting rental costs – something Shuster has experienced firsthand. “The situation has brought out the best and the worst in people,” she said.Another major problem is the air quality. Many are drawing comparisons to the toxic air around Ground Zero after the 11 September 2001 terror attacks, which caused lingering adverse health effects. LA has now experienced much wider destruction. “It’s like two Manhattans burned up, and you’ve got to live in that toxic wasteland,” Shuster said.South African Danna Yevilov Sachs, who has been able to return to her ash-infused Santa Monica home after being evacuated and staying in a hotel, said many people were again wearing masks, something she cannot fathom doing.Yevilov Sachs, a hairdresser, said her salon in the Palisades was miraculously still standing amid the ruins, but she couldn’t return to the area yet. “My whole community, my clients are in the Palisades – there’s nothing to go back to. I’m completely numb. I haven’t shed a tear, I’m not quite here. I can’t sleep or eat. I can’t watch TV. It took me three days to actually shower.”Yet Shuster believes that immigrants have an added edge in navigating such upheaval. “When you’ve been through moving countries and cities, and the associated ups and downs, it makes you a lot more resilient,” she said. “You’re used to starting again. We’re alive, and that’s the most important thing.”