Altadena Fires: Support Audrey and Trevor's Recovery Journey

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Meredith Seversen and Trevor Welch are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Audrey Welch.

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Updated 1/15 at 10am CST

A note from Audrey:

We are blown away by the support from all of you - it’s hard to know even what to say or how to communicate how deeply appreciative and touched we feel.

Everyday we are trying to keep it together - some moments are harder than others, and Trevor and I are grateful to have each other - it’s been a lot of hugs and a lot of tears.

We spent our first 6 days staying in a friend’s apartment and last night we moved into a hotel for the next 7 days. Not sure what will come after that.

Things are changing every day, but at the moment here’s where things stand:

The fire is 35% contained with more Santa Ana winds expected this week
The national guard is enforcing a barricade preventing anyone into the affected area, including home owners
There is no power in our area, and the water system is slowly coming back - we’ve been told it will be “weeks” before power is restored.
The governor of California announced today that it will most likely be 9 months before recovery efforts are able to make substantial progress on debris removal
If our house remains standing for the remainder of the fire, we have a very long road ahead of us

We’re unsure about how the coming years will go. Based on other fires, we’re looking at 9-15 months of toxic waste removal (cleaning up burned structures), up to 6 months of remediation (depending on severity), and then years of living in a construction site.

Someone in one of our “surviving structures” group said it well:

We also know that it’s going to be a battle to get insurance to take the situation seriously. As of now, based on previous examples of structure fires, we know that our property is full of toxic particulate matter from immediately nearby structures. Airborne asbestos has been found in homes miles away - ours is probably much worse. The in-depth testing required to validate this for insurance is $13-20k. Unclear what of that is covered by insurance at this point.

This is more than I was planning on sending as an update, but as you can see, we have a lot on our minds and a lot on our task list. It’s quite overwhelming, but again the love and support from you all kept us afloat at this time. Each text message, gift card, donation… brings tears to my eyes. Even writing this now I am overcome with emotion just thinking about how much love we feel in the midst of the devastation.

Updated 1/10 at 12pm CST

I am Audrey's sister Meredith. Many of you know that Audrey and Trevor just purchased their first home in Altadena, CA - a town that our whole family has come to adore. From the neighbors, small business owners, hikes, and small town vibes, altadena really was a dream. The town and community is now completely devastated.

I am hoping that we can band together and raise funds for their recovery.

The status of their home is currently unknown. A perimeter is being enforced due to the danger of returning to the area both related to ongoing fires, gas leaks, chemicals, and smoke etc. They've been told it may be weeks before they are allowed to return.

My siblings spent hours at their home on Wednesday putting out spot fires and dousing their property with water from the pool. Their neighbor's on all sides, and their dear friends' homes are all gone. As you can imagine they are exhausted, sore, and facing impossible decisions and logistical loads.

While so much is still unknown, it's becoming more and more clear that if they haven't already, they may lose their home in the coming days, and what remains structurally as well as their belongings will need to be gutted and replaced.

Every amount donated will go directly to Audrey and Trevor to help them with unexpected expenses as they reimagine 2025.

From all of us Seversens, thank you.