Urgent Disaster Relief for John and Lisa Austin in Altadena

Hello, and thank you to everyone for the support and encouragement that we have received! My name is Kim and I am the youngest daughter of John and Lisa Austin of Altadena, CA. The Eaton fire has destroyed our community and we need your help for immediate disaster relief! Our home is a multigenerational household that was impacted by the Eaton fire, yet it still stands. The portrait you see of my parents above is the only memorabilia they were able to grab from the house during evacuation.

Due to mandatory evacuation, my family has been displaced from our home. One of my sisters is working on the front lines as a first responder and the other is protecting her 3 yr old baby girl from the harms of this disaster while volunteering at various locations as needed.

We are all Altadena/Pasadena natives, born and raised in the City of Roses. While I am based in Washington, DC, my grandma, parents, sister, brother, niece, and 4 adored pets are displaced throughout the LA area, still as close to the fires as downtown Pasadena.

On a heartbreaking phone call with my parents, they shared with me that they are completely traumatized by the devastation of our family, friends, and neighbors. They even said, “it’s hard to ask for help.” Both of my parents are now in their 60's with medical issues and it is extremely hard to watch them go without eating or sleeping well during these times (since Tuesday, Jan 7).

As of now, the family is embarking on a difficult path to return home. Since the evacuation, our family has been and continues to be in need of:

There are multiple expenses that will be incurred to make our home habitable again, particularly since my grandmother has heart disease, asthma, and COPD.

Our family history: My grandparents settled in Pasadena to raise their families in the early 1960's. Thus, my parents grew up in Pasadena knowing their neighbors well, and they raised their children in the love and support of a Black neighborhood/town, knowing that it takes a village. As such, we have many other family members, community members, and lifelong friends in the Altadena/Pasadena area who have been displaced from their homes, and our hearts are with them as we mourn our collective loss..

**We want to reiterate that our house still stands, and there are people we love who have COMPLETELY LOST EVERYTHING, so please, do prioritize your highly valued and appreciated donations to those who lost more than we can imagine in the fire. Thank you for considering us in these hard times. Please keep the Austin Family of Altadena, California in your thoughts and prayers!

- The Austin Family