When Disaster Strikes

It’s scary enough to have to flee your home, seeing flames less than a mile away or watching embers fall around you. But as the thousands of people in Los Angeles who lost everything in the Palisades and Eaton Fires are now finding, the period after is daunting in another kind of way. Experts estimate that recovery will take years. It’s an effort that will be easy for no one, but that if not done with great care, could deepen historical inequalities — and leave many families behind, especially those already facing challenges before the fires. ‍

How Disasters Deepen Inequality

More than 29 million Americans live in an area where there’s significant potential for wildfires. About 41% of them are economically vulnerable, in a position where preparing for — or recovering from — a fire just isn’t possible. This is especially true in Los Angeles, a city with an existing affordable housing crunch, a high cost of living, and wages on a downward trajectory for middle-and lower-income jobs. Of course, this economic vulnerability isn’t evenly spread. According to the Federal Reserve, the median family in the US has $8,000 in savings, but that number hides a deep divide — while white families have $12,000 in savings, Black and Latino families have $2,000 on average. And Latino families received an additional financial hit from the LA wildfires, with more than 30,000 family members working domestic jobs in Pacific Palisades and Altadena — from cleaning to landscaping to caregiving. Many saw their jobs go up in flames, with nearly half of them self-employed and ineligible for unemployment.

The unfortunate truth is that 37% of Americans still report not being able to afford an unexpected $400 expense — the cost of a simple car repair or replacing a basic smartphone. And recovering from these fires is going to take much, much more than that. As counterintuitive as it may seem, after a disaster, the cost of living in an area tends to go up. Since the wildfire that ripped through Paradise, CA, in 2018, for example, median home prices have nearly doubled, with gentrification noticeable as speculators and people buying vacation homes swoop in. According to a Washington Post analysis, in the immediate aftermath of the fires, rents in LA spiked by 20% with some areas up as much as threefold. Given the prices, many people who lost homes are still in hotel rooms or Airbnbs, with an average price of $243 a night. Add the increased cost of everyday living to the loss of property and it’s clear how a family runs through their savings quickly. Even those who may have been able to rally family or community support through donations.

Researchers at UCLA say that $20 to $89 million of the property lost in the LA wildfires was uninsured. Lower-income households and households of color are less likely to have insurance, as are renters, since insurance isn’t always required for a lease. But while these Angelenos are especially exposed, homeowners with insurance also face obstacles. Insurers don’t cover a property’s full market value — they cover the cost of reconstruction, without taking into account factors like limited contractor availability and inflated material costs that come with rebuilding.  And when it comes to replacing possessions, many find themselves short-changed by the amount of coverage they purchased when compared to the actual value.

‍What All This Means for Kids‍

Families with children have an added challenge. For young people at a critical stage in their development, experiencing a wildfire can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Evacuations and displacement disrupt their sense of security and routines, and lead to grief over the loss of their homes and access to their friends. Experts at USC note that losing a community is terrible for anyone, but is even more difficult for kids, who have deeper neighborhood connections.

And then there’s the fact that a dozen LA schools were destroyed or damaged in the fires, with many more closing for evacuations. Researchers at NC State studied the impact of natural disaster-related school closures on kids’ learning and found that, across every group except the highest performers, students’ math and reading test scores declined in the months following a closure. Yet, across LA, students are adjusting to new school locations — or new schools altogether — in the middle of the year, disrupting their learning and threatening their sense of belonging. And anytime remote learning is required, children in lower-income families suffer, as they’re less likely to have the right technology, a stable internet connection, or a space where they can concentrate.

A Growing Problem‍

In 2024, there were 27 natural disasters in the US that each created $1 billion in damages. Compare that to the average from 1980 to 2023 — about nine per year. As global temperatures rise and our climate changes, disasters like wildfires and floods are becoming noticeably more frequent. At the same time, the future of FEMA — the federal agency that mounts disaster response — is in question. From day one, the shining beacon in this disaster has been how individuals, nonprofits, and the public sector stepped up quickly to help. GoFundMe, the platform where many wildfire victims posted needs, has now raised more than $250M, from donors in 160 countries and all 50 states. One-time giving is meaningful. But sustained giving is what will help the most vulnerable communities well after the news cycle has moved on. Community-based organizations in these areas are working to support families in need — but they’ll need greater resources than ever before. 

How We Can Help
Sustained giving — in the form of monthly contributions and long-term grants — will be essential in rebuilding. Since 2015, Comic Relief US has distributed $57 million in rapid response grants to partners responding to disasters and crises. We are firmly committed to working with our community-based partners in LA for the long haul. As we focus on strengthening capacity for under-resourced families and communities and addressing the long-term needs of our partners and the people they support, we hope you’ll join us in this essential work. It won’t be easy, but with continuing support — building back better and with equity will be possible.

“Comic Relief: Stand-Up for LA” is raising money to support under-resourced families as they recover and rebuild. Join us on March 3 live from The Town Hall in New York City with Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Ramy Youssef, Hannah Berner, and many more. Tickets are selling fast, so get them quickly. And if you can’t make the show, you can donate.‍

(Main Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)