GoFundMe Directory Circulates As Black Families Mourn Lost Homes, History Amid Wildfires

Early numbers from AccuWeather estimates the total damage and economic loss is $135-$150 billion.

There’s a GoFundMe directory circulating for Black families who have been impacted by the massive wildfires in Los Angeles communities. Thousands of residents have evacuated as the wildfires wreak havoc in communities such as the Black suburb of Altadena.

Black families started to settle in Altadena during the Great Migration in the 1930s. However, Black homeowners didn’t obtain mortgages until the 1960s. Many Black families have kept these homes in a community, that was once exempt from redlining policies, for generations. According to NBC Los Angeles, the Black home ownership rate in the area is at 81.5%. The figure is almost double the national rate.

Black Families in L.A. Mourn Lost Homes Amid Wildfire Outbreak

“The Heidelbergs have lived in Altadena for 38 years and tragically lost their home, with everything inside it, in the recent Los Angles fire,” a GoFundMe reads that was set up Varetta Heidelberg and her husband, Levi Heidelberg. “The funds will be used for paying off their mortgage (to a house that is no longer there), for any expenses as a result of the fire and to buy essentials to rebuild their lives.”

Unfortunately, the Heidelbergs are one of a growing number of Black families on the Displaced Black Families GoFundMe Directory.

“This home was a sanctuary filled with decades of memories, laughter, and love. It was where Barbara and my late Grandfather Arthur Jenkins raised most of, if not ALL our family,” the grandchildren of Barbara Jenkins, wrote.

“At 77 , starting over is an overwhelming challenge. She has lost everything—all her personal possessions, irreplaceable mementos from my Grandfather Arthur gone in the wind, and her sense of security that has been there for decades.”

At the time of this report, there are 409 Black families on the list, but the form continues to grow.

As of Jan. 12, Cal Fire officials said the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, and Hurst fires consumed more than 62 square miles. For context, it’s an area larger than San Francisco. The Associated Press reported that emergency crews contained the Palisades Fire by 11%. Fire crews contained the Eaton Fire by 27% as of Sunday morning.

State officials say the Santa Ana winds and droughts are largely to blame for the wildfires. The catastrophe is expected to be the costliest in U.S. history. Early numbers from AccuWeather estimate the total damage and economic loss is $135-$150 billion.

“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 percent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.