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Jared Robbins approached a row of FEMA trailers in Pasadena after his Altadena home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire less than a week ago, holding a piece of paper with the most pressing questions about his situation.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened two disaster recovery centers Tuesday to help Robbins and others whose homes were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires seeking help rebuilding their lives.
FEMA disaster centers – one in Pasadena and one in West Los Angeles – will remain open for now as fire victims seek assistance.
Federal agencies arrived to supplement state and local aid provided to about 20,000 people who were evacuated from their homes as the Eaton Fire ripped through parts of Altadena and Pasadena early Wednesday morning. The blaze, fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, destroyed about 5,000 structures and changed the lives of thousands of people.
Wildfire victims sought relief services Tuesday from the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center.
(Allen J. Scherben/Los Angeles Times)
It’s unclear how much money FEMA will spend on this disaster. President Biden declared a major disaster in the wake of the firestorm and promised full federal assistance, but President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next week, criticized California leaders’ handling of the crisis. .
Robbins, 45, a film and television sound engineer, left his home with his wife and two daughters last week as strong winds blew through the area. When he returned a few days later, the house was gone.
He joins about 33,000 people whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires in applying for federal aid.
“We were denied,” Robbins said Tuesday outside the center on Pasadena City College’s Foothill campus.
He planned to ask FEMA representatives to determine what was missing in the application for reconstruction funds. He also asked medical questions about his mother and whether he would qualify for a small business loan.
Robbins and her family rented a home in Altadena for several years before purchasing a home last year. Now that house is gone.
“The next thing is to find a permanent home so we can get some level of care,” Robbins said. But after that, “all that remained was a strong desire to rebuild.”
He waited in line with others curious to find out what federal aid was available.
FEMA spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said denial is not the end of the process when fire victims seek federal assistance. Sometimes your application may be missing some basic information. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits, so in some cases the federal agency will require a determination letter from the insurance company.
“We need to know what your insurance does, because what your insurance doesn’t cover, we’ll try to cover,” Wilson said.
Wildfire victims are seeking disaster relief services at the FEMA site located at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center.
(Allen J. Scherben/Los Angeles Times)
FEMA officials will also provide step-by-step assistance for people to apply for assistance and upload documents. Wilson said the disaster center will also provide funds to help purchase food, clothing, baby formula, diapers and nursing equipment, as well as help recover important documents such as driver’s licenses that were destroyed in the fire.
For the record:
Jan. 14, 2025, 7:36 p.m. A previous version of this article said the Disaster Recovery Center provided food and diapers. They offer to help you pay for these and other items.
Still, the arrival of FEMA has not alleviated the anxiety most fire victims feel about the future.
Sonya Jackson waited outside the disaster recovery center with her 3-year-old granddaughter Amira and 9-year-old son Arden, looking for any help they could after their initial application for aid was denied.
The Eaton Fire destroyed Jackson’s home, her mother’s home and her daughter’s home in a matter of hours. Her cat Marshmallow is also missing.
“We all left with our clothes on,” said Jackson, 45. “We thought we’d be back in the morning. We didn’t expect the fire to turn out like this.”
Jackson, a nurse, is currently crammed into her aunt’s home in Pasadena with eight or nine other family members.
She is looking for temporary housing while she and her family get back on their feet. Jackson said her insurance company, Allstate, will only cover her two-night stay at the hotel. Her insurance plan also only covers $20,000 for personal property lost in the fire.
FEMA Disaster Recovery Center located at Pasadena City College Community Education Center.
(Allen J. Scherben/Los Angeles Times)
“It doesn’t help anything,” Jackson said of the insurance payout. “I lost my electronics, my clothes, my stuff, my granddaughter’s stuff. So what do I do with that money? This gets me one inch, but what happens after that inch? ”
She wonders if she should have paid more attention to her insurance policy, but said she realizes no one could have predicted this would happen.
“These are not the easiest times,” she said. “But we’re doing our best and trying to keep our heads up.”
FEMA offices are located at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles, and at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena. Both offices are open daily from 9am to 8pm
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