New Blog:

The McSween’s Fire Story
| Evelyn F.

This piece shares the McSween family’s experience during the Eaton Fires, honoring their longtime Altadena home, the strength of their neighbors, and the deep sense of history and belonging that remains even after loss.

→ [read here]

Emotional First Aid + Emotional Rehab for Disaster Trauma

Billy walks through emotional first aid and emotional rehab step by step, offering gentle tools to support healing, especially for those still carrying the emotional impact of the fires.

→ [watch the video]

New Blog:

Mutual Aid: Community Care in Action
| Mike P.

Learn about mutual aid and explore how collective care, shared resources, and solidarity help communities survive, heal, and build resilience together.

→ [read here]

New Blog:

Altadena Forever Run: A New Hope
| Belinda Chen

This article shares a personal run through Altadena, honoring loss while celebrating the strength and resilience of neighbors moving forward together.

→ [read here]

New Blog:

This Week Will Be Hard. Preserve Your Peace.
| Kerri Price Katsuyama

A compassionate guide to navigating trauma anniversaries, this article offers practical strategies for preserving peace.

→ [read here]

• New Blog:

  Pause, Reflect, And Hope…Happy New Year!
  | Evelyn Fortson

  This reflective New Year piece honors personal and collective resilience through loss, hardship, and the fires, reminding us that hope, community, and small steps forward can guide healing and renewal.
  
  → [read here]

• New Blog:

  2025 Year in Review: Displaced Fire Survivors Gather in Solidarity and Love
  | Melet Halabaso

  This week’s community voice reflects on the lived experiences of Altadena fire survivors as they navigate grief, displacement, and rebuilding through community, memory, art, and shared resilience nearly one year after the fires.
  
  → [read here]

• New Blog:

  Sign or Hold Out? A Survivor’s Guide to SCE’s Eaton Fire Fund
  | Allison Walker

  This article offers a clear, compassionate breakdown of SCE’s Eaton Fire compensation program, helping our community understand their options, protect their rights, and make informed decisions with care, support, and dignity.
  
  → [read here]

• New Blog:

  Prefab Possibilities: Rethinking Housing in the Burn Zone

  | Caroline Paules

  Caroline, our newest community voice, prefab advocate, and fire-impacted Altadena neighbor, shares what she has learned about prefab and how it fits into the choices families are facing as they rebuild.
  
  → [read more]

• New Blog:

  This Holiday Season, Don’t Just Shop Small— Shop Survivors
  | Kerri Price Katsuyama

  A warm holiday shopping guide rooted in local recovery, this article highlights fire-impacted and survivor-owned small businesses in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. It invites the community to shop with intention and help neighbors rebuild through every local purchase.
  
  → [read here]

• partner announcement!

  We’re teaming up with Panda Express’ Panda Cares foundation this Tuesday, Dec 2 for Giving Tuesday to support families rebuilding after the wildfires.
  
  📅 Tuesday
  💻 Online code announced soon
  
  20%+ of every order supports our programs at Lotus Rising LA.
  

  → [learn more here]

• New Blog:

  Music as a tool for healing
  | Cara B.

  
  Learn how music can help regulate the nervous system during times of stress or trauma.
  
  → [read here]

• New Blog:

  What Went Wrong During the 2025 LA Wildfires – Highlights from the McChrystal Report
  | Mike P.

  
  Explore with us what went wrong, review insights from the McChrystal Report, and learn how orgs and local residents are coming together to rebuild and strengthen resilience.

  
  → [read here]

• New Blog:

  There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays: Volunteers Restore Traditions in the Eaton Fire Community
  | Kerri Price Katsuyama

  Neighbors and volunteers revive beloved holiday traditions, proving that even after loss, hope and home still shine bright.
  
  → [read more here]

• New Blog:

  Sun & Spokes: Inside Our Altadena Community Bike Ride for Recovery
  | Amanda W.

  This article highlights our 10-mile community bike ride last week in Altadena hosted by Lotus Rising LA’s Amanda W to support wildfire recovery.
  
  → [read the blog]

• New Blog:

  Altadena Strong
  | Evelyn F.

  longtime resident and Eaton survivor, Evelyn, shares the struggles of Black residents, many of whom are elders, as they face loss, rising costs, and the fight to stay in the neighborhood they love.

  
  → [read the blog]

• partner announcement!

  We’re teaming up with Prime Pizza Altadena this Sunday for our Altadena Bike Ride to support families rebuilding after the wildfires.
  
  📅 Sunday, Oct 26
  💻 Order online or dine in using code: LOTUS
  
  20% of every order supports our programs at Lotus Rising LA.
  

  → [learn more here]

• Altadena Ride update! 🚲

  Lost your bike in the fires? We’ve partnered with Around the Cycle to make bike rentals available for free so you can still join the ride this Sunday.

  Email us: hello@LotusRisingLA.org

  → [sign up for the ride]

• New Blog:

  Technology in a Disaster: How to Use Smart Tools to Stay Safer
  | Mike P.

  Essential apps, tips for staying connected, and ways to use smart tools effectively to stay safe, informed, and prepared in emergencies.

  
  → [read the blog]

• partner announcement!

  We’re teaming up with the Altadena Bicycle Club and Altadena Town Councilmember Dorothy “Dot” Wong for this year’s Altadena Ride!

  📅 Sunday, Oct 26 | 9AM | Loma Alta Park

  Sign up free: givebutter.com/altadenaride

  Come roll with us! For connection, movement, and community.
  

  → [learn more here]

• partner announcement!

  Exciting news for our House to Home families 💛

  We’ve partnered with our friends at A Sense of Home to help wildfire-impacted families receive furniture and home setup support to
  

  → [learn more here]

• New Blog:

  Rebuilding Centuries of History: Mt. Wilson Trail Recovery Run Raises Awareness and Funds for Fire-Damaged Iconic Trail
  | Kerri P.K.

  Learn how the community rallied after the Eaton Fire to restore the historic Mount Wilson Trail and preserve its 117-year-old race tradition.

  →[read the blog]

• Event Recap: EFC Collaboratory Grand Opening
  
  Lotus’ Mama toads, Belinda & Jacqui, joined the Eaton Fire Collaborative grand opening in Altadena, sharing resources, stories, and community connection nine months into recovery.
  
  → [see the recap]

• New Blog:

  Don’t Get Scammed – Fraud after a Disaster
  | Mike P.

  Practical tips to recognize fraud, safeguard personal information, and report suspicious activity, helping survivors rebuild with safety, trust, and awareness.

  → [read the blog]

• New Blog:

  Interview: How UCLA’s cityLAB is helping families rebuild with prefab housing | Amanda W.

  From insurance and permitting to financing and next steps, Amanda W’s latest piece highlights how UCLA’s cityLAB is guiding families through prefab housing as a rebuild option.
  
  → [read the blog]

• Recap + Resources!
  Our Rebuild Ready event recap is now up!

  → [see it here]

• New Blog:

  Why Community Love Still Matters: 9 Months After the Eaton Fire
  | Akeya Harmon Collins

  Akeya shares how survivors of the Eaton Fire continue to find healing through community support, from churches and nonprofits to local businesses, showing that love and connection remain vital long after the flames are gone.

  → [read the blog]

• New Blog:

  What happened to renters after the fires?
  | Cara B.
  
  A look at rent gouging, tenant rights, relief efforts, and the local groups stepping in so renters have clear options and real support as they work on rebuilding their lives.

  → [read the blog]

• New Blog:

  
  Burned Out Latinos: How Fire Disasters Leave One of LA’s Largest Communities Behind… And How To Avoid It

  | Rodrigo C.

  
  Read how wildfires disproportionately impact Latino communities in Los Angeles, highlighting systemic barriers to preparedness and recovery, and outlining solutions for equity and resilience.

  
  → [read the blog]

• New Blog!

  Trauma-Informed Lessons from the Pandemic Babies for the Fire Babies
  | Kerri P.K.

  
  This community voice reflects on lessons from raising children during the pandemic to better support families with young children after the fires.

  
  → [read the blog]