Episode 98
From Ashes to Hope: Rebuilding Lives After the LA Fires
The latest edition of Boxcar Universe delves into the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and the inspiring stories of resilience and support emerging from the tragedy. Joe James from Mobile Emergency Housing Corporation discusses his company's efforts to provide temporary housing for displaced homeowners, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated responses in disaster-stricken areas. Alongside him, Pete Sarullo from PM Green Energy shares innovative solutions for off-grid living that can help affected families regain their independence and stability. The emotional journey of news reporter Nataly Tavidian, who lost her childhood home in the fires, underscores the personal impact of these disasters and the importance of community support. Together, the guests emphasize the critical need for rebuilding efforts and the collective responsibility to aid those affected as they navigate the long road to recovery.
Mankind's quest for shelter has transformed dramatically from simple bamboo huts to towering concrete structures, reflecting our evolving relationship with the environment. As climate change and natural disasters become more prevalent, the need for sustainable living solutions has intensified. Container homes have emerged as a viable alternative, offering mobility, affordability, and eco-friendliness. This episode of Boxcar Universe delves into the pressing issue of the Los Angeles fires, where homes have been lost and communities displaced. With guests like Joe James from the Mobile Emergency Housing Corporation and Pete Sarullo from PM Green Energy, listeners are introduced to the innovative approaches being taken to provide temporary housing and redefine off-grid living. Edgar Olivo from the Red Cross also shares insights into the vital support being provided to affected families, emphasizing the importance of community and resilience in the face of adversity.
The heartbreaking stories of loss and recovery are brought to life through the personal account of Nataly Tavidian, a news reporter who lost her family home in the fires. Her emotional journey serves as a powerful reminder of what is at stake during such disasters. While many focus on the physical rebuilding of homes, Nataly highlights the emotional toll and the irreplaceable memories that come with losing a family home. The episode intertwines narratives of hope and recovery, showcasing how community members and organizations are rallying together to support those in need. The collaborative efforts between contractors, emergency services, and non-profits reflect a united response to rebuilding lives and homes, fostering a spirit of solidarity in the wake of tragedy.
Through engaging discussions and personal stories, the podcast underscores the urgent need for sustainable solutions and the importance of coming together as a community to support those affected by disasters. As we look toward the future, the episode leaves listeners with a lingering question: how can we better prepare and respond to such crises to ensure that no one faces the aftermath alone?
Takeaways:
- The evolution of human shelters reflects mankind's ongoing quest for safety and sustainability.
- Container homes and off-grid solutions are becoming increasingly vital in disaster recovery efforts.
- Community support plays a crucial role in helping displaced families rebuild after devastating fires.
- The emotional toll of losing a home is profound, affecting not just possessions but personal memories.
- Coordinated efforts between various organizations are essential for effective disaster response and recovery.
- Education and resources are critical for rebuilding communities affected by wildfires and natural disasters.
Transcript
Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter themselves from the elements.
Steve Dubel:Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.
Steve Dubel:The last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.
Steve Dubel:Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?
Steve Dubel:Look no further.
Steve Dubel:You're about to enter the adventures of Container Home Living.
Steve Dubel:And now contractor, radio and TV personality and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.
Melanie Clearwater:Hi, I'm Steve Dubell, host of Boxcar Universe, along with my co host Melanie Clearwater.
Melanie Clearwater:And here's what's coming up on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe.
Melanie Clearwater:On today's episode, Joe James from Mobile Emergency Housing Corporation is with us and he will let us know about his company and what it's doing to help the people in Los Angeles suffering from those terrible fires.
Melanie Clearwater:Also joining us is Pete Cirillo from PM Green Energy.
Melanie Clearwater:Pete's company is redefining off grid housing.
Melanie Clearwater:Also later in the show, Edgar Olivio, the regional CEO from the Red Cross for the Arizona and New Mexico regions will be filling us in on efforts to help the people from the displaced fires.
Melanie Clearwater:And then finally, a heartwarming story from a news reporter from KNX News in Los Angeles, Natalie Tavidian reporting.
Melanie Clearwater:News of the fires, her tragic loss of her home and the miraculous discovery of a keepsake in the home's ashes.
Melanie Clearwater:All that and more on this week's special edition of Boxcar, the LA fires, rescues and inspirations.
Melanie Clearwater:And I'd like to welcome all of you to the show today.
Melanie Clearwater:This is a very special edition as we are talking with some great people here that are instrumental in helping the people in Los Angeles for the fires that have been there and have just been destroyed.
Melanie Clearwater:So many, so many homes, which I know a lot of you have seen on the news.
Melanie Clearwater:The one thing that I wanted to do with this show is to be able to keep the focus on what's important for the, for our, for our, you know, citizens that live in California, our brothers and sisters who have houses out there who've had tragic losses because, you know, the mainstream media, you know, you know, it's been a few weeks have gone by and now you barely hear a trickle of what's going on out there.
Melanie Clearwater:Maybe, you know, a minor fire flare up here and there, but the devastation is just unimaginable.
Melanie Clearwater:And first, I want to welcome Joe James from Mobile Emergency Housing Corp.
Melanie Clearwater:Joe and I have touched base in the past when his company was instrumental in sending emergency housing to, to the people of Hawaii when they had Their fires not too long ago.
Melanie Clearwater:Joe, it's great to have you back on the show again.
Melanie Clearwater:How are you doing?
Melanie Clearwater:How are you holding up?
Melanie Clearwater:I'm sure you're being inundated with phone calls.
Joe James:Thanks for having me back.
Joe James:It's good to be back.
Joe James:Yes, we're a little busy trying to pull it all together to send all the equipment that's needed in California, but we got to stay out of the way of the fires.
Joe James:You know, they haven't put out all the fires, so that makes it a little bit more complicated.
Melanie Clearwater:Absolutely, absolutely.
Melanie Clearwater:Why don't you fill our listeners in a little in case they didn't hear our show from the Hawaii fires a little bit about what your company does.
Joe James:Great.
Joe James:So we provide temporary housing for displaced homeowners primarily.
Joe James:Normally homeowners who've had a house fire or been impacted by a hurricane or some type of extreme weather event, when we have situations like California, we mobilize a bunch of different type of types of equipment to be able to give the utility workers housing so they can start to put the power back up.
Joe James:And that ranges from anywhere from 12 bed workforce housings, you know, up to modulars that we bring in so that they can put the thing, you know, put the utilities back together.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, I mean, that's so important.
Melanie Clearwater:Especially it's like, where do you begin when you come across a situation like that?
Melanie Clearwater:During the fires in Hawaii, did you get a chance to see the devastation in Hawaii?
Joe James:Did not.
Joe James:No, I didn't go to Hawaii.
Joe James:There's a lot of logistics going on in the stateside.
Joe James:So we coordinated with a couple of nonprofits, a couple of companies that were actually on site.
Joe James:FEMA had very specific requirements.
Joe James:So we were able to act as a sub on, on some of that to help those people over there.
Joe James:And they're still, you know, they're still putting it all together.
Melanie Clearwater:Oh, yeah, of course the politics are going to kick in and I can imagine what Hawaii is, and I'm sure that we're probably going to experience the same thing, especially in California.
Joe James:Well, you know, hopefully not as severe as Hawaii.
Joe James:Hawaii was very unique, you know, because of its location and what happened.
Joe James:And it was a devastating situation for everybody.
Joe James:It was very complicated basically to get equipment over there.
Joe James:You know, we had to arrange for cargo ships, not a lot of ships transit over there on a regular basis.
Joe James:So it took a lot of logistics just to get the equipment over there.
Joe James:But, you know, it's a part of the, you know, it's a part of the learning curve that Was something new for us as well.
Joe James:Sure made us a.
Joe James:It made us a stronger company and a more knowledgeable company.
Melanie Clearwater:Well, I'm sure it'll help you prepare for what we're going through now with Los Angeles.
Joe James:Absolutely.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, absolutely.
Melanie Clearwater:How's.
Melanie Clearwater:How, how do you plan out, obviously, now from your facility to get the housing to the needed people in Los Angeles?
Melanie Clearwater:Obviously, all by truck?
Joe James:All by truck, Absolutely.
Joe James:Various types of trucks.
Joe James:You know, all depends on the equipment.
Joe James:We have a combination of equipment.
Joe James:Skid units which don't have wheels, so they get delivered on a flatbed truck.
Joe James:Wheeled units which get pulled, you know, by a tractor trailer.
Joe James:We have folding shelters also that get trucked out, basically using a tractor trailer.
Joe James:We could put about 20 folding shelters on a flatbed truck and get them out there, so that's easier.
Joe James:But, but the, the foldable shelters don't have all of the, you know, all of the toilets, bathrooms, everything built in.
Joe James:They're just for raw shelter.
Joe James:So we'll have to bring out, right, portable showers, portable toilets, holding tanks, and set it up.
Joe James:And we can't do that unless the area basically is secure and, you know, the disaster is finished.
Joe James:You know, we, you know, we can't put our equipment in the area where they, you know, a week later it might be burned.
Joe James:So that's all this right now.
Melanie Clearwater:All right.
Melanie Clearwater:Do you get the okay from the.
Melanie Clearwater:From the local fire department to let you know that it's.
Melanie Clearwater:It's safe to go in and start doing recovery work?
Joe James:I work with the, you know, the, the politicians in the area.
Joe James:They get their information from various sources, fire departments and contractors that we use to bring the equipment out.
Joe James:They give us updates as well.
Joe James:So we get the information from a variety of sources.
Melanie Clearwater:And you go out by train?
Melanie Clearwater:No, no.
Melanie Clearwater:All trucks.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, all truck.
Melanie Clearwater:Okay, well, that's good.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, it's, it's.
Melanie Clearwater:It's pretty amazing that the, you know, FEMA is, you know, I think the perception of the response that FEMA can give is probably very questionable, we'll call it based on some of the other disasters that we've had around the country with hurricanes and floods and other things, too.
Melanie Clearwater:So do you know how actively they are involved with, you know, the local people in California?
Joe James:Well, FEMA basically is a point of contact.
Joe James:You know, the federal government is, is.
Joe James:Is funneling their money down to fema, and then FEMA reaches out to companies like mine and, you know, prime contractors, and they reach out.
Joe James:Some of them reach out also to companies like us.
Joe James:So, so we're, you Know, we're a couple of steps down in the food chain, you know, but fema, FEMA is the point of contact.
Joe James:They're the ones that fund everything and get the ball rolling.
Joe James:Outside of that, you have the individual homeowners who, if they have insurance, fire insurance, I understand a lot of the homeowners had canceled their fire insurance because of the rates that were going up and insurance companies had predicted that this was.
Joe James:So they started dropping people and, or raising their premiums dramatically.
Joe James:So a lot of people did not have fire insurance.
Joe James:But for the ones that do, they reach out to us directly and we can't really do anything again until the area is clear and their property is clear and obviously they have utilities.
Joe James:So it's a process that takes a little while and once they get their property cleared, then we could deal with them on an individual basis.
Joe James:FEMA deals with the population on a mass basis.
Melanie Clearwater:Well, I know online I've seen a few entities reach out to the public.
Melanie Clearwater:Meaning when I talk about the public, I'm talking about the public that are contractors like myself that are interested in helping join the force to rebuild.
Melanie Clearwater:And they're looking for people in throughout the Southwest because there's going to be so many homes that are going to be needed to be done in, in repaired or not repair, rebuilt.
Melanie Clearwater:It's going to be a monumental undertaking.
Melanie Clearwater:So they're looking for, they're looking for people that want to get involved with the rebuild process and with some of the local, I'm sure, entities out there, you know, the contractor organizations out there, much like we have here in Arizona, and get involved and see what they can do because between, I mean they're going to need everybody, I mean, you think what it takes, I know what it takes to build, you know, one or series of multifamily residential or single family homes here.
Melanie Clearwater:You're talking about thousands of homes, not to mention the amount of material and stuff that's going to have to come in there.
Melanie Clearwater:And later on the show of lady I mentioned at our show opening, Natalie to Vidian, she, she said to me the other day when I was talking to her on the phone when I invited her to be on the broadcast that it's, you know, it's going to take three to five years to come back.
Melanie Clearwater:I mean, and it's just an amazing, amazing thing.
Melanie Clearwater:But we're going to take a short break and on the other side when we come back, we're going to speak with Pete Cerulo from PM Green Energy because he's got some things that I want to share with everybody and Pete's got some interesting things that can join forces with Joe and his company and some of the things that we promote here on Boxcar Universe with container homes and container pools.
Melanie Clearwater:So I want everybody to hang tight.
Melanie Clearwater:We we will be right back.
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Joe James:All.
Melanie Clearwater:Right, we are back and you listening to Boxcar Universe.
Melanie Clearwater:And this is our special edition, the LA Fires, Rescues and Inspirations.
Melanie Clearwater:And our next guest is someone who actually is inspiring a lot of technology in the way that they can actually help not just the people that are displaced from the fires in Los Angeles, but for everyday people who have you Know, we talk about container homes and I can't tell you guys how, how many requests I get for people that, you know, can we get, can we go.
Melanie Clearwater:They want to go off grid and that's the main thing.
Melanie Clearwater:I think they just want to get away from all the, all the other red tape and everything else that you have to go through with the municipalities.
Melanie Clearwater:And I know I deal with this all the time with permits and regulations and it's just a never ending, never ending cycle of red tape.
Melanie Clearwater:But Pete Cerulo is here from PM Green Energy.
Melanie Clearwater:And Pete, thank you so much for taking time out to be on the show with us today.
Melanie Clearwater:Tell us a little bit about your company and your vision and what you're building.
Pete Cirullo:Thank you, Dave, and thank you for having me on.
Pete Cirullo:We are primarily an emergency management company.
Pete Cirullo:We were born out of Hurricane Katrina down here on the Gulf coast.
Pete Cirullo:And what we saw, we knew there had to be a way because so many people were displaced for so long as what's happening in LA now.
Pete Cirullo:I was actually at the time working with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Pete Cirullo:I'm a lifetime builder.
Pete Cirullo:I'm not an engineer, but I have been successful in putting things together, especially in the green and renewable space.
Pete Cirullo:I was actually designing some prototypes for the Corps of Engineers to take to North Africa's and other possible areas that needed to be pop ups.
Pete Cirullo:Kind of like the cubicles that were born out of that kind of technology, but that were ballistic and had their own energy source because generators and fuel in remote locations is always a problem with maintenance and contaminated fuel.
Pete Cirullo:So they were looking for a better situation on the military side.
Pete Cirullo:And then all of a sudden Maria totally wipes out Puerto Rico.
Pete Cirullo:And they asked me if I would redirect my efforts into housing because they feared the grid would be down from three to five years there.
Pete Cirullo:And we all remember the devastation that took place on the island.
Pete Cirullo:So we did that and we actually formed shortly thereafter and started to find a way to make our niche is portable emergency off grid.
Pete Cirullo:Which means, and we say we're redefining off grid because typically off grid just simply means you, you have solar or some other power source.
Pete Cirullo:We actually take it a couple of steps further and we developed homes that are not only energy independent but also don't require any sewer hookups, are actually in most cases, not all cases, but most cases we don't require any water hookups or supply as well.
Pete Cirullo:So we use a lot of different technology in those things.
Pete Cirullo:And we were able to create all of that into a pretty Compact space because it's emergency management type housing.
Pete Cirullo:And we go into the tiny home market too.
Pete Cirullo:But we were born as emergency management relief company.
Pete Cirullo:So our goal was to create a portable house because we learned especially from New Orleans in the 9th Ward, people were displaced and had to move to Houston and move to Baton Rouge and move to Atlanta.
Pete Cirullo:And some of them were there for four or five, six years before they could get everything put back together down there.
Pete Cirullo:And we thought what a great idea would be notwithstanding Puerto Rico.
Pete Cirullo:There's a lot of politics, as we were talking about earlier, that keeps a lot of those things from happening.
Pete Cirullo:But what we were able to do was provide a solution where people could actually live on their own property during the rebuilding process rather than be dislocated for long periods of time.
Pete Cirullo:So we have that technology, you know, we, we have intellectual property protecting those, those things.
Pete Cirullo:And we are new into production.
Pete Cirullo:And I actually reached out to Joe about opportunities there because Joe is the leader in that field and providing off grid and emergency housing after disasters.
Pete Cirullo:So we were looking for that opportunity to show what we do and where we've been and how we've done and create a truly off grid where the, as in la, where the grid and power and water and connections and everything else are completely decimated and burned up.
Pete Cirullo:So in those scenarios, you can either bring in a housing unit and then have to bring in a latrine to go with it and bring in a shower to go with it and bring in all the other utilities and amenities.
Pete Cirullo:That what we have done is we've created all of that in one simple housing unit so that a family can stay there and live autonomously while their lives are being put back together.
Melanie Clearwater:Well, I mean, that's just something that is pretty amazing, which is obviously, you know, it never seems that, you know, throughout the years as they go by, we always seem to come up with somewhere in the country with a disaster somewhere of one size, shape or form.
Melanie Clearwater:If it's not a hurricane, it's maybe a flood, extreme heat or fires.
Melanie Clearwater:I mean, it's just, it's just amazing.
Melanie Clearwater:But.
Melanie Clearwater:So, Pete, have you gotten into anything, I mean, your discussions with James and stuff, have you had any interaction with any of the people in California?
Pete Cirullo:We have people on the ground there speaking with the city officials in California and also in Washington speaking with the officials there from FEMA all the way up.
Pete Cirullo:And you know, our production facility is in Alabama, actually north Alabama, and that's where we produce our units.
Pete Cirullo:And we have not gotten the call yet.
Pete Cirullo:We are you know, as far as emergency management is concerned, we're a new company in that arena where the application is.
Pete Cirullo:We've been in business almost a decade now and we have lots of homes out there that have been in completely remote locations, as you mentioned earlier, people wanting to get away.
Pete Cirullo:We have those clients who are living anywhere from South Florida to the North Carolina mountains to West Texas and everywhere in between that have been completely off grid where actually they are not even registered their homes with the county or the city or any municipality because they have no hookups, they have no lifeline and no dependence on any other municipality for utilities or our services.
Melanie Clearwater:You know.
Melanie Clearwater:Now is there any, is there any other companies out there that are doing what you're doing, Pete?
Melanie Clearwater:I mean, with, in the, in the way that you're doing?
Pete Cirullo:The only ones we know of, Steve, we, we've been invited twice by HUD to the innovative housing showcase on the mall in D.C.
Pete Cirullo:and this, this past summer we were there again.
Pete Cirullo:And we're actually the only ones on the mall that have no hookups or no generators to any other outside source.
Pete Cirullo:And we're there for a week.
Pete Cirullo:And there are other companies that are in the business to do that.
Pete Cirullo: ave any air conditioner after: Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, I mean, it's pretty amazing that, you know, that you guys have, I don't want to say you cornered the market, but you are in the crosshairs of people that need this type of help and that it's.
Melanie Clearwater:Be thankful that you have the resources to be able to go back and, and help them out.
Melanie Clearwater:I mean, I know this is going to be a long, drawn out process and you know, James, how long do you think it'll be before you can get some buildings and on the ground?
Melanie Clearwater:And you as well, Pete, how long do you think it'll be before they'll allow you to bring these units in?
Joe James:Well, once we get the notice to proceed, we can be there within 48 hours.
Joe James:That's what we're waiting for.
Joe James:I think Pete's at the cutting edge.
Joe James:You know, I'm very excited about his company and we're going to be talking and collaborating about how we can utilize each other's services because frankly, his product is where the disaster market is going and it's really what we need.
Joe James:You know, Louisiana is a perfect example.
Joe James:You know, that's going to be burnt up.
Joe James:It's going to be a long time before they bring back any utilities.
Joe James:And at a certain point in time, people are going to want to get back home.
Joe James:You know, they want to get out of the hotels or their friends houses or sleeping in their car tents.
Joe James:And Pete has the, the perfect product for that.
Joe James:So I think that the collaboration between our two companies is going to be explosive in that industry.
Joe James:But to answer your question, you know, once we get that, you know, notice to proceed, you know, we can be.
Melanie Clearwater:There in hours and that's going to be, that's going to be hopefully, hopefully rather sooner rather than later.
Joe James:Yeah.
Melanie Clearwater:You know, and before we go to break, I want to give out the websites formobile emergency housing.com that is Joe's email address.
Melanie Clearwater:Joe's website address as well as Pete's web address is pm greenenergy.com so if you'd like to check those out, there's some really great information on there and you'll be able to see a little bit more in depth of what these guys are doing in their everyday lives, not to mention during these crisis times when they're, their services are sorely needed.
Melanie Clearwater:But we're going to take a short break.
Melanie Clearwater:When we come back, we have Edgar Olivia, the CEO of the Red Cross Arizona, New Mexico region is going to be with us.
Melanie Clearwater:It's going to be fill us in on what's going on in Los Angeles with the help.
Melanie Clearwater:And then later on in the show, Natalie Tavidian, knee reporter from Los Angeles, has a great story to tell us about her loss and story of inspiration and satisfaction.
Melanie Clearwater:So don't go away.
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Melanie Clearwater:All right, and we are back, and you're listening to Boxcar Universe.
Melanie Clearwater:And we are speaking with Joe James and Pete Cirillo, who are going to be instrumental in helping the displaced people in the LA Fire region in California.
Melanie Clearwater:And right now, I'd like to bring on the CEO of the Red Cross Arizona New Mexico region, Edgar Olivia.
Melanie Clearwater:Edgar, how are you today?
Melanie Clearwater:Thank you so much for taking time out to be with us today.
Edgar Olivio:Thank you.
Edgar Olivio:Appreciate this invitation.
Edgar Olivio:And before I say anything, I just want to just say that my, my heart breaks for all of the communities in Los Angeles.
Edgar Olivio:We're thinking about you.
Edgar Olivio:We're right next door and we've been sending all the help we can send.
Edgar Olivio:And Natalie, I'm just.
Edgar Olivio:My heart breaks for your situation and the many people that are, that are going through this, but thank you for this conversation and of course, to the entrepreneurs who are doing their part to, to make sure people have a place to go.
Melanie Clearwater:Great.
Melanie Clearwater:So, Edgar, tell listeners a little bit about how you're helping these people.
Melanie Clearwater:What are you sending there?
Melanie Clearwater:What are some of the things that the Red Cross does in situations like this to help these displaced people?
Edgar Olivio:Yeah, the Red Cross activates the moment evacuation calls are made.
Edgar Olivio:So we set up evacuation centers, and immediately we had thousands of people in those evacuation centers.
Edgar Olivio:Once we saw that, the situation got much more dire.
Edgar Olivio:Those centers then became shelters.
Edgar Olivio:And so right now, we still have over 600 people in our Red Cross shelters.
Edgar Olivio:These are shelters that are set up with community church buildings, event venue spaces, large spaces where we're making sure that those who couldn't get to an airbnb or a hotel, the most vulnerable, have a safe place to stay and sleep while they figure out what the next step is going to be.
Edgar Olivio:In the meantime, we're providing food, like I said, shelter, emotional care, recovery planning, and we're also providing financial assistance to help those families.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, I mean, it's, it's, it's simply amazing.
Melanie Clearwater:You know, when you think about the thing, a lot of the things that we just take for Granted, in our normal everyday lives, when they're suddenly completely ripped away from you, it's like sometimes you just don't know where to begin sometimes.
Melanie Clearwater:Because obviously, you know, I remember something that was very, very emotional for me is that when they saw some of the news broadcast and I remember that lady who actually had to be in the area where Governor Newsom was, and she ran up to him and asked her, you know, I lost my house, you know, what are you going to do?
Melanie Clearwater:Help.
Melanie Clearwater:And all she had was the clothes on her back.
Melanie Clearwater:I mean, and you're asking for help here.
Melanie Clearwater:And it's like I didn't see a lot coming back towards her in the way of comforting her.
Melanie Clearwater:No.
Melanie Clearwater:And telling her like, you know, we're doing this, we're doing that, you know, So I think there's a lot to be said about the way the government is handling this tragedy, but that's a story for another show.
Melanie Clearwater:I don't want to get into the politics of it because that's another area that people are going to have to deal with and hopefully they'll make smarter decisions too so that they have capable people dealing with these areas, housing, fire prevention and all that stuff so that they don't run into like these types of disasters.
Edgar Olivio:Right.
Edgar Olivio:But yeah, and the Red Cross works with our government agencies and other nonprofits and that's where the humanitarian support of the nation really comes into play.
Edgar Olivio:These are neighbors helping neighbors in moments where people are, you know, have lost everything.
Edgar Olivio:I, I've been involved in several wildfires myself and you just don't forget that pain and trauma that people go through.
Edgar Olivio:But luckily we have over 730 Red Cross responders out there working day in and day and night, making sure that people are not alone.
Edgar Olivio:And we've definitely have received a lot of overwhelming support.
Edgar Olivio:Over 8,000 local community members have raised their hand to join and help.
Edgar Olivio:And so while we're doing the support with the families at the shelters, we're also driving around the neighborhoods and giving communities, as they slowly start to reopen, the kind of supplies that they may need, like relief supplies.
Edgar Olivio:I'm thinking like supply cleaning supplies, flashlights, face masks, gloves, water and any other essentials.
Edgar Olivio:That's another extension of how the Red Cross sends volunteers to help within the community and, and then at the same time coordinating a lot of the in kind donations with other nonprofits and the government to make sure that people get the donations and the, and the support that they need.
Edgar Olivio:It's a really, really sad situation.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, it really, it really is.
Melanie Clearwater:But you know, one of the things that I noticed that obviously I saw right away that, you know, being in a NFL football fan, I noticed that right away during the, the breaks in the game where they had commercials on for the Red Cross so that people could know where to donate.
Melanie Clearwater:And I believe it was redcross.org NFL for people to go actually go there on the website and, and donate for, you know, whatever they could for the people in Los Angeles and other, other shows and other entities I saw with similar, similar email addresses or I should say website addresses.
Melanie Clearwater:So I think it's very important that you know that the response, like you say, has been overwhelming from what people throughout the country are trying to do to help people in Los Angeles.
Edgar Olivio:Right.
Edgar Olivio:And the help is for the long haul.
Edgar Olivio:It's definitely not an overnight solution.
Edgar Olivio:And so we're going to be there for as long as it takes.
Edgar Olivio:One of our areas of support that we offer in moments like this and we continue to still help is the recovery planning.
Edgar Olivio:No one wants to go through a situation like what just happened and continues to happen, but we do have the expertise to help walk people through each step along the way.
Edgar Olivio:And we do that with caseworkers who get involved in support.
Edgar Olivio:And at the same time as the LA fires are happening and new ones are emerging, we're still doing long term recovery support with the hurricanes Helene and Milton from just last year.
Edgar Olivio:And just to give you a sense of just how this climate situation is affecting all our communities, we started wrapping up some of our major operations for the hurricane response.
Edgar Olivio:And 17 days later, this wildfire really broke out.
Edgar Olivio:And so the frequency and intensity is only getting worse.
Edgar Olivio:My colleague here on the call, Joe, was mentioning the Hawaii wildfires.
Edgar Olivio:That was my first week on the job and I feel like it's been nonstop ever since.
Edgar Olivio:And it's definitely something that, you know, I'm grateful that we're having this conversation because people are hurting and there is human suffering as a result of these types of disasters.
Edgar Olivio:And it's really encouraging to see people come together to really show the support and show the love for our fellow fellow neighbor.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, no, it's, it's so important.
Melanie Clearwater:But I want to bring Natalie to Vidian into our conversation.
Melanie Clearwater:And Natalie is, shall we say, on the ground in Los Angeles exactly where her home burned.
Melanie Clearwater:And Natalie, thank you for taking time out to be with us today.
Melanie Clearwater:And uh, I know this is a very emotional time with you and I enjoyed our conversation the other day and I want to give a shout out to our good friend Cindy Christie, who introduced us.
Melanie Clearwater:And there's a lot here to talk about and share.
Melanie Clearwater:So why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about what you do and what happened to your home?
Natalie Tavidian:Yeah.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you for having me.
Natalie Tavidian:And it's.
Natalie Tavidian:I would say it's an honor to share this story because to me, it's my dad's story.
Natalie Tavidian:He passed three years ago, and this is the home he bought when he brought me home from the hospital.
Natalie Tavidian:So thank you.
Natalie Tavidian:I am a news reporter, so I've been on the ground, and I was covering the Palisades fire when the Eaton fire broke out.
Natalie Tavidian:So I had been on the Palisades fire for around seven hours that day, and I was talking to lots of people.
Natalie Tavidian:All of this happened so fast.
Natalie Tavidian:So that's what I was trying to convey on the air by.
Natalie Tavidian:By talking to people is how quickly this was happening.
Natalie Tavidian:There were so many gridlock situations.
Natalie Tavidian:And by that, I literally mean that, like, there were.
Natalie Tavidian:People were gridlocked.
Natalie Tavidian:People were running out of their cars because they were seeing fire shooting over freeways, and they freaked out.
Natalie Tavidian:And they.
Natalie Tavidian:And I saw people on foot with suitcases.
Natalie Tavidian:They just left their cars there.
Natalie Tavidian:Those cars were eventually bulldozed to make way for firefighters to get through.
Natalie Tavidian:But there were hours of gridlock.
Natalie Tavidian:And every time I would interview someone and say, what's going on?
Natalie Tavidian:I think the reality would hit them of what they just saw, which were fires shooting over the side of the freeway and panic.
Natalie Tavidian:And they would burst into tears.
Natalie Tavidian:And I was capturing all of these moments.
Natalie Tavidian:There were parents walking their kids out from school.
Natalie Tavidian:School.
Natalie Tavidian:It was pure chaos.
Natalie Tavidian:And the governor was here that day.
Natalie Tavidian:I ended up going to a press conference.
Natalie Tavidian:We heard from Governor Newsom.
Natalie Tavidian:We heard from the local fire chiefs.
Natalie Tavidian:We heard from everybody.
Natalie Tavidian:And we are focused on the Palisades fire.
Natalie Tavidian:And I continued covering that.
Natalie Tavidian:And it became dark, and I'm working overtime like reporters always do when we have situations like this.
Natalie Tavidian:And the Eaton fire broke out.
Natalie Tavidian:Now, the Eaton fire is in Altadena and Pasadena, and that is my hometown.
Natalie Tavidian:I know it like the back of my hand.
Natalie Tavidian:So I told my editor, send me there.
Natalie Tavidian:We have three reporters on the Palisades fire.
Natalie Tavidian:And I know this place like the back of my hand.
Natalie Tavidian:This is where I was born and raised.
Natalie Tavidian:And I came straight to my neighborhood.
Natalie Tavidian:And my mom had left the house.
Natalie Tavidian:She left our home because she had to go rescue Grandma.
Natalie Tavidian:Grandma is about five miles away from.
Natalie Tavidian:From our home, and she had mandatory evacuation orders.
Natalie Tavidian:Now, the area that my.
Natalie Tavidian:My family home is did not have mandatory evacuation orders.
Natalie Tavidian:Even though I'm sitting here right now, you can see those mountains, they were burning.
Natalie Tavidian:But it wasn't mandatory yet.
Natalie Tavidian:And we didn't get evacuation orders on our phone.
Natalie Tavidian:Mind you, I'm still working and my brother is rushing home from work and I'm getting home to rescue our dog because mom had to leave with just the clothes on her back to rescue Grandma.
Natalie Tavidian:Mom gets.
Natalie Tavidian:Grandma takes her to another town where a friend of ours opened up their home.
Natalie Tavidian:So grandma's safe, mom is safe.
Natalie Tavidian:And my brother and I get home and we.
Natalie Tavidian:It was so windy.
Natalie Tavidian:If you see where I'm sitting, there's this massive palm tree and this was howling.
Natalie Tavidian:And I was so scared that something would fall on our head.
Natalie Tavidian:And there were embers, there were small embers flying everywhere.
Natalie Tavidian:And we were literally putting it out with our foot on, on, on this lawn.
Natalie Tavidian:And I still doing live reports for KNX News and telling people that police are driving around with a megaphone saying voluntary evacuation orders.
Natalie Tavidian:They were still saying voluntary.
Natalie Tavidian:And I got two hard hats from my car.
Natalie Tavidian:I put one on myself, one on my brothers, just so nothing falls on our heads because the winds were so strong.
Natalie Tavidian:And we started saving photo albums.
Natalie Tavidian:We had always said if we ever need to evacuate we would get photo albums.
Natalie Tavidian:And we got about 80% of our photo albums and lots and lots of videos, vhs, any, any home videos that my, my family had.
Natalie Tavidian:And I continued to cover the fires.
Natalie Tavidian:I just drove down the hill, so I didn't know what was going on up the hill in this community.
Natalie Tavidian:And I was talking to people with that same glazed look on their face, almost like you're in war.
Natalie Tavidian:There was so much uncertainty and people were looking for short term rentals, they were looking for friends homes to stay at.
Natalie Tavidian:And I continued sharing these stories until about 2 in the morning.
Natalie Tavidian:One of my really good girlfriends who works at a TV station called me the next morning.
Natalie Tavidian:She came into work at 4 in the morning.
Natalie Tavidian:I was off work at 2 in the morning.
Natalie Tavidian:And she had been to my home here once before, asked me for my address to check up on the house.
Natalie Tavidian:And this was around 5, 4 or 5am she called and she said, Natalie, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
Natalie Tavidian:And I could just hear the trembling in her voice.
Natalie Tavidian:And as you can see, I mean, there's nothing left of the, of our home.
Natalie Tavidian:And she broke the news to me and that's when the processing began and it was so overwhelming.
Natalie Tavidian:I called off from work.
Natalie Tavidian:My job Was my boss cried with me and she said, oh my God, like the home your dad built.
Natalie Tavidian:I lost my dad to cancer three years ago.
Natalie Tavidian:He was only 58 years old.
Natalie Tavidian:He passed away.
Edgar Olivio:He.
Natalie Tavidian: He bought this house in: Natalie Tavidian:He closed escrow on the house pretty much around the time he brought me home from the hospital.
Natalie Tavidian:So this is the only home I have ever known.
Natalie Tavidian:It is the strangest thing ever to be a news reporter.
Natalie Tavidian:To cover the emotions and to feel the emotions at the same time and to begin to process something so devastating, which is impossible.
Natalie Tavidian:It's impossible to process all this.
Natalie Tavidian:It's a lot.
Natalie Tavidian:Every day is different.
Natalie Tavidian:Every day you wake up and you say, oh, that's one more thing I'm never going to see again.
Natalie Tavidian:And it's all the little things.
Natalie Tavidian:It's my high school cheers uniform.
Natalie Tavidian:It's.
Natalie Tavidian:It's things that my grandmother knit.
Natalie Tavidian:Who doesn't.
Natalie Tavidian:She doesn't knit anymore.
Natalie Tavidian:She turns 90 this year.
Natalie Tavidian:She can't do that.
Natalie Tavidian:It's.
Natalie Tavidian:It's a blanket that was so valuable to me, I can't even put a price on it that I grew up with.
Natalie Tavidian:It's trips that my mom and dad went on.
Natalie Tavidian:My mom was crying about a Valentine's Day card that my dad wrote her that she kept next to her nightstand.
Natalie Tavidian:There's so much that will never, ever come back.
Natalie Tavidian:And that's would hurt so much.
Natalie Tavidian:And then there's the overwhelm and the chaos of where do you live?
Natalie Tavidian:Short term rentals are really expensive.
Natalie Tavidian:We're putting a lot of money in them right now while we're looking for leases.
Natalie Tavidian:And I know we're not in this alone.
Natalie Tavidian:There are thousands of people right now looking for a place to lease.
Natalie Tavidian:Because from what we're hearing, rebuild is going to take around three years, two to three years.
Natalie Tavidian:And it's heavy and it's a lot to handle.
Natalie Tavidian:But we're staying grounded and we're living in that gratitude of even though entire cities are gone.
Natalie Tavidian:I mean, it's devastating.
Natalie Tavidian:Altadena is devastating to see.
Natalie Tavidian:Pasadena is devastating to see.
Natalie Tavidian:There is not one person I know who passed away.
Natalie Tavidian:And I am just so, so, so grateful that everybody that I know and I love is alive.
Natalie Tavidian:My heart breaks for the people who lost their lives.
Natalie Tavidian:There are little over a dozen people who lost their lives here in the Pasadena and Altadena area.
Natalie Tavidian:Because, because people are saying like they didn't get warnings.
Natalie Tavidian:And I'm.
Natalie Tavidian:I can attest to that.
Natalie Tavidian:I did not get a warning on my phone.
Natalie Tavidian:It was minutes after the police were saying voluntary evacuation.
Natalie Tavidian:I would say about 20 minutes later with the megaphones, they were saying mandatory evacuation.
Natalie Tavidian:And I was regurgitating that on the news, on air, and we did not get anything on our phones till hours and hours later.
Natalie Tavidian:And we've just been, we've been in the rebuilding or the imagining the rebuilding and filling out the paperwork process and all of that since, since this happened.
Natalie Tavidian:And, and it's so overwhelming because you have to gather your emotions, gather your thoughts and get the ball rolling because we, we can't lease forever.
Natalie Tavidian:We need to move back into our home.
Natalie Tavidian:There's only, there's only so much money to go around to, to rebuild and to rent, and there's just so much.
Natalie Tavidian:It is so overwhelming.
Natalie Tavidian:But my mom, my brother and I are keeping each other strong through this and I will come back to work and I will take my responsibility as a journalist very, very seriously.
Natalie Tavidian:And whatever I'm learning throughout this process, I hope to regurgitate to people because my heart is in this rebuild.
Natalie Tavidian:And I am hoping that Altadena and Pasadena rebuild.
Natalie Tavidian:Some of my neighbors asked us if we're going to rebuild and they kind of like, they took a deep breath and said, oh, thank God.
Natalie Tavidian:Because these are homes that have been here for many, many, many generations.
Melanie Clearwater:Right?
Natalie Tavidian:Yeah.
Joe James:Yeah.
Melanie Clearwater:I mean, I know.
Melanie Clearwater:Just so that, you know, I mean, I know on the Internet, I.
Melanie Clearwater:Nice.
Melanie Clearwater:I was speaking with our other two guests before about, you know, I've seen online they've been reaching out to try and recruit contractors from the southwest area to be able to get involved with the rebuilding process in California.
Melanie Clearwater:And I know I've been giving it some thought.
Melanie Clearwater:First one to tell you about, because there is a lot, there's a lot there to help.
Melanie Clearwater:And it's more than just, hey, build a house.
Melanie Clearwater:Let's rebuild our friends, communities and try and restore some sanity in.
Melanie Clearwater:And safety.
Melanie Clearwater:Having them be in a place where they could feel that they're safe again.
Melanie Clearwater:Because I can't imagine what you must be going through, feeling, you know, the devastation.
Melanie Clearwater:But tell, tell our listeners the story about your ring because I think that is just amazing that, you know, and I have to believe that through the course of your.
Melanie Clearwater:You looking for it in all the ashes, that God led you to it and the great firefighters that helped you.
Natalie Tavidian:Yeah.
Natalie Tavidian:So it was day nine after the total loss.
Natalie Tavidian:And that's kind of, it's like, you know, that's, that's, that's kind of how we're keeping track of days we don't even know what day it is at this point.
Natalie Tavidian:But it was day nine.
Natalie Tavidian:And I had this gut feeling.
Natalie Tavidian:Call it a gut feeling, call it my intuition, call it God talking to me, call it my dad talking to me, whatever you want to call it.
Natalie Tavidian:But I had this feeling, feeling that I'm going to find that ring.
Natalie Tavidian: In: Natalie Tavidian:It was shaped like the infinity symbol.
Natalie Tavidian:And I'd like to believe that says infinite love for me and our family because my mom has infin the matching earrings to it.
Natalie Tavidian:And my dad was a jewelry designer, a gemologist, an incredible diamond setter.
Natalie Tavidian: is gift to me on Christmas of: Natalie Tavidian:And it was like one of the last family Christmases we had before his health began to decline.
Natalie Tavidian:And he called it a right hand diamond ring.
Natalie Tavidian:I was like, what is this?
Natalie Tavidian:You're giving me a ring?
Natalie Tavidian:And he's like, yeah, it's a right hand ring.
Natalie Tavidian:Wear it and enjoy it.
Natalie Tavidian:And I only wore it on special occasions.
Natalie Tavidian:And I knew exactly which drawer it was in.
Natalie Tavidian:And on day nine, I told my brother, I am going to find this.
Natalie Tavidian:And you know, in that chaos of clearing photo albums and you not knowing what's going to happen, we had no idea our house was going to burn down.
Natalie Tavidian:We've seen, seen, we've seen fire on these mountains before.
Natalie Tavidian:Not a single home burnt down.
Natalie Tavidian:There was nothing in me that thought this would happen, so.
Natalie Tavidian:And also we didn't have enough time.
Natalie Tavidian:I would have obviously rescued everything if we had a warning, but I knew exactly where that ring was.
Natalie Tavidian:And my brother trusted my intuition and I was taking care of my mom and driving her around to pick up some clothes.
Natalie Tavidian:And he came and he started digging for it.
Natalie Tavidian:And fire department from cal fire engine 101 from Paris showed up and they told my brother to stop digging with his bare hands.
Natalie Tavidian:And they had the gloves and they started digging for it and then they left because they got an important call and then they came back.
Natalie Tavidian:When they came back, I was here and I was able to pinpoint.
Natalie Tavidian:I mean, there's.
Natalie Tavidian:This house is rubble, it's ash.
Natalie Tavidian:There is nothing left of our home.
Natalie Tavidian:But you can still see the skeleton of it.
Natalie Tavidian:There is like the little bit of wall that separates my brother's room and my room.
Natalie Tavidian:And there are metal, the metal parts of our drawers.
Natalie Tavidian:And I said, okay, so this is drawer one, this is drawer two.
Natalie Tavidian:This must have been the front door.
Natalie Tavidian:It's going to be right here.
Natalie Tavidian:And I gave them a little bit of a two by Two foot area.
Natalie Tavidian:And they found it in minutes.
Natalie Tavidian:They.
Natalie Tavidian:They started digging with their gloves and they found a charred silver ring.
Natalie Tavidian:And they said, is this it?
Natalie Tavidian:And I said, no.
Natalie Tavidian:And they found some other charred piece of jewelry.
Natalie Tavidian:And they said, is this it?
Natalie Tavidian:And they.
Natalie Tavidian:I said, no.
Natalie Tavidian:And then the third piece they found was my dad's infinity ring.
Natalie Tavidian:And they said, is this it?
Natalie Tavidian:And I screamed and I smiled for the first time in almost two weeks.
Natalie Tavidian:And I said, oh, my God.
Natalie Tavidian:That's my dad's ring.
Natalie Tavidian:That's my dad's ring.
Natalie Tavidian:And it's.
Natalie Tavidian:It's really funny because my brother said, I can.
Natalie Tavidian:I do my best to fix it.
Natalie Tavidian:It's.
Natalie Tavidian:The metal is platinum.
Natalie Tavidian:Platinum is white.
Natalie Tavidian:But this is charred.
Natalie Tavidian:It's black.
Natalie Tavidian:And there's so much ash underneath all the diamonds that.
Natalie Tavidian:The diamonds are black now, but three of them are still shining.
Natalie Tavidian:And I like to think of that as myself, my mom, and my brother.
Natalie Tavidian:That my dad is looking out for all three of us, and my grandmother, of course.
Natalie Tavidian:And it was just this moment of hope and this moment of, okay, there is something bigger than us.
Natalie Tavidian:I believe that.
Natalie Tavidian:And I believe he's looking out for us.
Natalie Tavidian:And I believe he wants us to rebuild.
Natalie Tavidian:And it is my sign that we are going to rebuild in his honor.
Natalie Tavidian:Every piece of this home had a piece of my dad in it.
Natalie Tavidian:And we're going to do our best that when we rebuild, we bring that back.
Natalie Tavidian:So that was.
Natalie Tavidian:That was the diamond in the rough.
Natalie Tavidian:And it's okay.
Natalie Tavidian:If I'm going to wear a black ring forever, it might not ever get cleaned, but I'm.
Natalie Tavidian:I'm so grateful to have found that.
Natalie Tavidian:And it just.
Natalie Tavidian:It brought a smile to my face and it brought so much hope.
Natalie Tavidian:And, yes, we lost everything.
Natalie Tavidian:And I found that one ring.
Natalie Tavidian:But that one ring meant so much to me.
Natalie Tavidian:It.
Natalie Tavidian:It.
Natalie Tavidian:I.
Natalie Tavidian:It.
Natalie Tavidian:It's the day he gave it to me on Christmas.
Natalie Tavidian:I will always remember it when I put that on.
Natalie Tavidian:And I'm so grateful to have found it.
Melanie Clearwater:That is such a great story.
Melanie Clearwater:I mean.
Joe James:And the firefighters that came back.
Natalie Tavidian:Yeah.
Joe James:What did it call?
Joe James:I mean, that's just special.
Joe James:And, you know, that's why I'm in this business, Steven.
Joe James:You know, when a homeowner's house burns down and they call me in the middle of the night or they send me a note and they say, hey, my house burned to the ground.
Joe James:And we're split up in three locations.
Joe James:And sometimes they've lost their pets.
Joe James:You know, it's just.
Joe James:They're all over the place and the insurance companies are trying to set them up and they have them in a hotel somewhere that's maybe an hour away.
Joe James:So now they have young kids who can't go to school because now they're in a different school district.
Joe James:And getting them there and getting them to work, and it's just such.
Joe James:It's such a rewarding experience to be able to provide that family someplace where they can come back together on their own property and watch their house be rebuilt.
Joe James:And I can't tell you the.
Joe James:The compliments and the well wishes that we've gotten from people like that, you know, that we've helped.
Joe James:I mean, they invite me to their weddings of their daughters, and they have barbecues.
Joe James:And one particular lady is in.
Joe James:She's in Mechanicsville, Maryland.
Joe James:She lost two houses, like, maybe six months apart.
Joe James:There was a hurricane in Alabama.
Joe James:She lost that house.
Joe James:And then she came up to her house in Maryland and there was a windstorm and they lost that house.
Joe James:And it was just devastating for her husband, who wound up basically having a heart attack.
Joe James:And, oh, my God, he wound up in the hospital and he had to have some vascular surgery.
Joe James:They took veins out of his leg.
Joe James:It was a bad situation.
Joe James:She contacted us and we were just getting a shipment of some new trailers straight out the factory.
Joe James:We didn't even have time to bring them to our yard and, you know, prepped him because he had no place to go.
Joe James:The hospital wanted to release him and he had no place to go.
Joe James:So I directed the factory to ship one of the trailers to them.
Joe James:I got in my car and I drove from Long island five and a half hours, and I met that trailer on their property and I set it up myself.
Joe James:And that lady, her husband came home the next day from the hospital because they wouldn't release him until he had a place to go.
Joe James:And, you know, he was able to come home.
Joe James:And they have become great friends now.
Joe James:So, you know, I'm so happy to hear that story because it's just that little glimmer of hope.
Joe James:It gives you the energy to keep going, you know, and we take what we do serious like that, because we know, you know, I put myself.
Joe James:I try to put myself in that situation.
Joe James:God forbid, what would I do in that situation?
Joe James:And you talk about photos.
Joe James:I'm an amateur photographer, so I have photos.
Joe James:I would just be devastated if I lost them.
Joe James:So, you know, I'm happy to hear that story.
Joe James:And, you know, that's why I do what I do.
Pete Cirullo:I'd like to add, you know, and that's why I work with, with Joe and try to do these things so that we can provide the opportunity for Natalie and her family to move back onto their lot.
Pete Cirullo:And I also want to add going forward and looking further into the future and we're talking about rebuilding.
Pete Cirullo:And Steve, you mentioned other companies coming in and helping with the rebuild.
Pete Cirullo:I'm associated with a company that has developed some housing that is fireproof, California approved fireproof and earthquake proof and flood proof also, which is not that big a deal there.
Pete Cirullo:But it will allow homeowners to build back on their property without the fear of not being able to have homeowners insurance and fire insurance and earthquake insurance because we have the specs and classification that we can overcome all of those things.
Pete Cirullo:So we're looking forward not only to, with Joe to get people back into their property and into their communities, but but also the long haul to keep them there where they don't have to go through this again.
Melanie Clearwater:Yeah, really, Natalie, I know you have to, you have to run, but I want to make sure that any other information that you want to share before you, before you leave.
Melanie Clearwater:I know any other, any other information.
Natalie Tavidian:I'm smiling right now because a friend of a neighbor is dropping off first aid supplies and water and, and this is, this is what makes this community so special.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you.
Natalie Tavidian:I receive with gratitude.
Natalie Tavidian:I'm giving you hugs.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you.
Natalie Tavidian:You need anything, let Michelle know.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you.
Natalie Tavidian:I will.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you so much.
Natalie Tavidian:And yet I, I don't know her.
Natalie Tavidian:She's driving around and I'm, I'm so grateful for, for all the kindness that is out there.
Natalie Tavidian:But talking about building, talking about rebuilding and talking about what people need here, we need a big convention.
Natalie Tavidian:We need people to be able to go directly to builders and ask questions and put something together in, in that sense where, where everything is in one place and we can do our homework and we can talk to everybody under one roof.
Natalie Tavidian:And that's what this community needs.
Natalie Tavidian:They need education.
Natalie Tavidian:Education is power.
Natalie Tavidian:And, and that is the most important thing.
Natalie Tavidian:And I'm learning that this is what we need and this is what with thousands of people in Pasadena and Altadena need right now, on top of all the love that is, that is outpouring and the help that we're getting from people and thank you so much from people and neighbors and nonprofits and all of that.
Natalie Tavidian:So education.
Natalie Tavidian:And that's going to be the best way to rebuild.
Melanie Clearwater:Great.
Melanie Clearwater:Natalie.
Melanie Clearwater:I'm going to make sure that.
Melanie Clearwater:I will make sure, make a point to make sure that we all have each other's contact information, you know, and then this way, you know, if there's anything that we can do in the interim to help or get the word out or anything out there from, you know, Edgar with the Red Cross and James and Pete and myself, you know, like I said, you know, seeing that, those ads, you know, hey, sign up, you know, we need help in California to help rebuild.
Melanie Clearwater:If there's anything at all that we can all do, please let us know.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you.
Natalie Tavidian:Thank you so much.
Natalie Tavidian:Is so lovely to be acquainted with all of you.
Natalie Tavidian:And thank you for allowing me to share my story and my dad's story.
Natalie Tavidian:And I hope, I hope sharing how heavy this is to process helps other people process this impossible loss.
Melanie Clearwater:That's great, Natalie, thank you so much.
Melanie Clearwater:Edgar, why don't you give out the Red Cross information and James and Pete before we wrap up the show.
Edgar Olivio:Thank you so much.
Edgar Olivio:That story was just so profound and inspiring.
Edgar Olivio:You can help in recovery efforts like this.
Edgar Olivio:@redcross.org gethelp we have financial assistance to help people get by.
Edgar Olivio:Pay for that next meal, pay for that next hotel room, or just go to redcross.org to sign up and find ways that you can help.
Edgar Olivio:There are many ways you can help.
Edgar Olivio:We can also use support in blood collections because hospitals also need support.
Edgar Olivio:Many times blood donations get canceled during disasters.
Edgar Olivio:And we gotta make sure we're supporting our hospital networks as well during moments like this.
Edgar Olivio:Thank you for your time.
Edgar Olivio:I really appreciate this.
Melanie Clearwater:All right, Edgar, we thank you so much.
Melanie Clearwater:And James, your contact information one more time, please.
Joe James:Sure.
Joe James:I can be reached@mobileemergencyhousing.com if they go to my website, you know, you can click on Get Help.
Joe James:There's a big prominent red button at the top right hand corner or get a quote that's going to generate a form email that's going to come right over to our inventory department and we look at those and we get back to people within 24 hours or less.
Joe James:Our turn time is probably somewhere between three and five hours, but if it comes at 2 o'clock in the morning, it's going to be a little longer.
Joe James: .com and we can be reached at: Joe James:Thank you.
Melanie Clearwater:Okay, Ed, Pete.
Pete Cirullo: -: Melanie Clearwater:All right, Peter, thank you, guys.
Melanie Clearwater:Thank you so much.
Melanie Clearwater:I really appreciate it.
Melanie Clearwater:And I want to thank all our listeners for listening to our special edition of Boxcar Universe this week.
Melanie Clearwater:I was motivated and moved to be able to try and bring all the, all our sources together to be able to have people to actually hear what's going on firsthand on the ground, you know, uncensored, so to speak, as they say.
Melanie Clearwater:So if there's anything at all, if you have any information or would want to reach out to any of the people, don't forget we do have a toll free number here at Boxcar Universe now it's 18 Triple 3 boxcar.
Melanie Clearwater:So if you have any information or would like to be contacted so that you could be of help to all our friends in California, please reach out to all our guests and to myself at one eight Triple three boxcar.
Melanie Clearwater:And remind everybody, Boxcar Universe can be heard weekly on any podcast player.
Melanie Clearwater:And always remember, let us elevate your sustainable lifestyle.
Melanie Clearwater:See you next time on Boxcar Universe.
Melanie Clearwater:You're a great American.
Joe James:I love you.
