Victoria Knapp | Six Months Later: Rebuilding Altadena, One Nail and One Neighbor at a Time

GUEST OPINION

Original Webster’s building adjacent to a burned-out structure (Photo – Melissa Michelson)

It hardly seems possible that half a year has passed since the Eaton Fire tore through our hillsides, our neighborhoods, and our hearts. That morning, and the days that followed, are embedded in my memory with a kind of clarity that only tragedy seems to grant: the acrid smoke, the eerie orange skies, the sirens, the uncertainty, the hurried goodbyes with neighbors and the things we left behind.

By Victoria Knapp

We lost homes, histories, trees older than any of us, and a sense of safety that may never return quite the same. But in those ashes, something else began to grow.

In the weeks that followed the fire, the pain was sharp and immediate. Grief doesn’t wait, but, neither did we. Altadena, you showed up. Six months later, you still are showing up.

You showed up with water, food, PPE, GoFundMe links, hugs and tears. You showed up to check on neighbors, rescue pets, drive supplies across town, and set up vigils and clean-up crews to help those who needed it most. You showed up with heart.

The milestones we have reached in that time are nothing short of remarkable for a disaster of this magnitude. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers, 98.5% of the debris has been cleared, well ahead of schedule. What looked like a post-apocalyptic war zone is beginning to look like home again. I want to express my deep gratitude to Generals Kelly and Hannan, and Colonels Swenson and Avichal, whose honorable leadership and compassionate sensitivity have been lauded throughout town.  They have aided in my own healing.

As of this writing, eighty-four property owners, and counting, are beginning the hard and hopeful work of rising from the rubble. Foundations are being poured. Frames are going up. Hammers are swinging. With each nail, a community is being re-stitched, one plank at a time. Some businesses have reopened in the same beloved spaces, repaired and renewed. Every dollar we spend with them is a vote for resilience, a declaration that we still are here.

Perhaps most extraordinary is what we have done together. The community events, big and small, have been lifelines: potlucks in backyards, town halls at the library or on-line, healing circles, benefit concerts, and storytelling. We’ve gathered in parks and on sidewalks, in the library and in churches. We’ve gathered to grieve, to plan, to commune, and to hope. We’ve met neighbors we didn’t know we had, reconnected with old friends, and made new ones. In the space left behind by what we lost, we found each other.

The work ahead is daunting. There still are residents without homes, Altadenans without funds, and trauma to process. The landscape will never look the same and neither will we. Six months on, here is what I know for sure: Altadena is not just a place. It’s a people, a spirit, and a stubborn, resilient community in the foothills.

We are rebuilding, not just structures, but trust and not just homes, but hope. We are writing a new chapter, not forgetting what came before, but carrying it forward with reverence and with purpose.

Thank you to everyone who has given time, talent, and resources. Thank you to the first responders, the public servants, the volunteers, the neighbors who became heroes, and the friends who became family. Thank you for every small act of kindness, and every bold act of determination. We have lost a lot. We never lost each other. That is how I know that we’ll make it.

Victoria Knapp is Altadena Town Council Chair and Eaton Fire Survivor.

(L) ‘Altadena Forever’ tattoo on Victoria’s arm. (Top right) Mark Mariscal, Colonels Avichal and Swenson with Victoria. (Bottom right) General Kelly with Victoria (Photos courtesy of Victoria Knapp)

(Top) Victoria’s cleared property. (Bottom) Matilija poppies blooming in the front yard (Photos courtesy of Victoria Knapp)