At the block party on Duende Lane, Elissa Atwood was delighted Saturday morning to greet neighbors she hadn’t seen in months, hoping their reconnection would help preserve the sense of community that was so shaken by the Palisades fire.
She is a third-generation Palisadian whose home, built by her grandfather in 1953, was threatened by the flames. Several of her immediate neighbors’ lost their homes. Atwood’s daughter was pregnant during the disaster, and her granddaughter is the fifth generation of the family to live in that home.
The party, organized by the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Assn., was the neighborhood’s only gathering of the year — music playing from a speaker, Pueblano-style tacos sizzling on the grill, dogs happily roaming around.
Many residents say it has been difficult to get in touch with their neighbors, some of whom have left or are still deciding whether or not to sell their land. They fear developers will turn what were originally middle-class properties into rows of walled-off mansions where residents don’t know each other.
“I think that it’s hard to overestimate how debilitating and disorienting this has been,” Atwood said. “One of the things we’re doing in our neighborhood is knowing each other’s contact information so we know who’s gonna need help.”
About 40% of residents in this corner of Pacific Palisades are senior citizens, according to Haldis Topple, former president of the Marquez Knolls Property Assn.
The 83-year-old lost her three-bedroom home in January. Topple has called Pacific Palisades her home for more than 60 years. Now, she rents an apartment in Marina del Rey while her house is under construction.
“I met my husband here. My son was born here,” Topple said. “I have decided to rebuild because I can’t live anywhere else. Where will I go?”
Like Topple, some residents have found it difficult to rebuild their homes. She says she has contracted three architects so far, two of which took her money and “dragged out the process before dropping me.”
Atwood says some insurance companies have not paid the standing homes claims for smoke damage needed to speed the recovery process.
“People are still fighting it,” she said, adding that residents who suffered full loss have been paid by insurance companies, while those who suffered partial loss have received less than 10% of claim pay. “This has been a big obstacle for us coming back faster.”
Resident Michael Edlen, a Realtor in the area, said it may take up to five years “for things to settle down.”
Many people have fled the area to avoid what’s ahead: years of construction, Topple said. “Some of them just don’t want to deal with it and have sold.”
Some neighbors took the opportunity to air out their frustrations about how the fire and its aftermath were handled. Julie Valentine, a resident in the area, says she is still “traumatized.”
“I just felt like it was a lack of leadership, a lack of planning, and a lack of understanding,” Valentine said. “I just feel bad that we’re having to meet under these circumstances.”
Valentine’s brother suffered back burns after trying to save his home in the Pacific Palisades Highlands area. He saved their mother’s home, “with a garden hose and his finger as a nozzle,” she said.
The shared trauma and struggle brought many residents together, but as more people leave the community, the battle bonding fades.
Sam Lagana, a broadcast announcer for the Los Angeles Rams, kicked off the party with a speech.
“We need to be positive because quite frankly, it isn’t easy,” Lagana said. “No matter what your situation is — whether you were completely burned out, partially burned, had smoke damage or your mental game has been challenged. We are all in it together.”
Among the speakers were representatives from the American Cross and American Legion, fire personnel from the Los Angeles Fire City Department Station 23 and a liaison from the Los Angeles Police Department.
“This is a closely knit community,” Topple said. “We would like to keep it that way.”
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