This 79-year-old Lost Her Home in the California Wildfires. ‘I hope to live long enough to see it rebuilt’

On the night of jan. 7, Karen Bagnard Sat in Her Altadena, California, House in the dark.

Forceful winds had caused her home to lose powerAnd she also had no running water, save for one bathroom.

“My Daughter Called and Said, ‘Mom, do you realize there’s a fire?” “Said bagnard, who is 79 years old and legally blind. “I had no idea there was a fire.”

At that point, the evolution zone for the eton fire was far enough away for her to feel safe.

“I thought, ‘oh, they’ll never get to my house,” Bagnard said.

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About 30 Minutes Later, Her Daughter Chelsea Bagnard Called Back. With the fire spreading Quickly, Bagnard’s home was now near the border of the evaction zone.

After Bagnard’s Grandson, Dalton Sargent, Who is 32 and also lives in her home, came back from work, the two deceded to leave for the night.

In the more than 50 years she lived in the house, bagnard had ben close to evacuating before but had never actually left.

“I thought, ‘okay, we’ll evacuate this time, but we’ll be back,” She said.

That was the last time she stepped foot in her home.

The next day, Bagnard’s Daughter and Grandson Returned to the Neighborhood to Check on the Home Before Authorities Seled off the Area. What they found was a “smoldering pile of debris,” Her Daughter Wrote On Facebook, with only larger appliances such as the refrigerator and stove recognizable.

It was jan. 22 Before Bagnard was able to return to her neighborhood to see the devastation for hercelf.

“They brieft a chair for me, and I sat in the Driveway, and what I could see was just the land,” Bagnard said of the surreal scene. “I starting looking at it in terms of, ‘How would we rebuild?”

The Los Angeles-Area Wildfires Destroyed Tens of Thousands of Acres, Ruining Homes and Entre Neighborhoods. Insured Losses Could Climb To $ 50 billionAccording to estimates from jp morgan.

Additionally, an unknown number of residences have been left homeless.

For older individuals, the catastrophe come at a vulnerable time in their lives, when relacating and coping with physically different different different conditions can be more challenging.

By 2034, We’ll have more people over 65 Thanwarder 18 in our Country, According to Danielle Arigoni, An Urban Planning and Community Resilience Expert and Author of the Book “ClISILIES FOR” CLIMATE RESILIES FOR ANDING NATION NATH

Yet Thos Demographics are not used as a lens for Climate Resilience Planning in Most Cases, She Said.

“In two decades, we have not after any improvement in the fatty rate of older adults in these kinds of disasters,” Arigoni said. “When you see that kind of trend line, to me that just screams for a different approach.”

The la-area wildfires forced some assisted living facilities to evacuate, and some burned down, according to joyce robertson, CEO and Executive Director of Foundation for Senior Services,

In the aftermath of the fire, the public charity is focusing on Providing Supplies, Including Wheelchairs, and is working with nursing and assisted living facilities to help fill gaps for Services and Resources.

“You can imagine the stress for all that seniors having to evacuate,” Robertson said.

For Older Individuals Who Live on The Risk is that they will not be able Community Organizations that Provide Community Programming And Expertise to help older residences age in place.

“In natural disasters, they are disparoporting

The hardest hit of the village movement’s communities – Pasadena Village – Had Around 60 Members Displaced by the Fires, and 19 Lost their homes entrely, Including Bagnard.

“It’s been heartbreaking,” said katie brandon, Executive Director at Pasadena Village.

“But it’s also been really beautiful to see Brandon said.

As bagnard searched for a new Residence, One of the Pasadena Village Members Stepped Up to Offer Her a Six-Month Temporary Lease to Live With Her in Her in her home, Thought the Two Women Had Not Previous Met.

Bagnard has been a Valued Member of the Pasadena Village for many years, according to brandon, having hosted many events and programs at heron “Beautiful house, Outside on her Patio.”

As bagnard regroups, the pasadena village is replacing the computer She Lost with the accessibility features She Needs Due to Her Vision Loss. The Community Organization is Working with Other Affected Area Residents to Help Provide the Equipment They Need, Such as Air Purifiers and Computer Printers. Where Possible, it’s also encountering older residents to continue to gather socially.

“The Insurance Companies see to be pretty good at reacging and see what they can replace, but some’s it’s quite a process,” Brandon said. “The Sooner we can get our older adults the resources and equipment that they need, the better of them’ll be in this recovery period.”

They may be more susceptible to certain and financial risk, particular if they do not have a communication safety net.

Nearly 80% of older adults have two or more chronic conditions, according to research From the national council on aging. If that includes Respiratory or Heart Disease, The Worsned Air Quality may be even more harmful to their health.

Older adults may also have paid off their homes, which means they may not be required to have homeows’ Insurance. Consequently, some may be complete uninsured, while others may be underinsured in an effort to keep their monthly experienceses down, arigoni said.

Scientific literature on how disasters affect older adults is “pretty mixed,” Especially with regard to mental health, according to casey. Some neurologists have found natural disasters may be a tipping point in cognitive function for older adults, She said.

Yet there’s also evidence that older individuals may be more resilient, they have developed better strategies to deal with stress over time, casey said. They may have alredy experienced a disaster before, and therefore may be better prepared to handle another event.

Prior to losing her home in the wildfire, bagnard, a professional visual artistHad recently Gone through a big life adjustment as she dealt with her vision loss.

In Early 2024, She help a show of her work at pasadena Village, where she talked about coming to terms with blindness. Her Favorite Piece – of a sphere falling – Played on darkness and light amid a color scheme of blue, teal and black, a symbol of her own jeour.

“Knowing that you’re going blind is like a free fall into the darkness, and then at some point you realize that you brings the light with you, so it is it isn’t really dark,” Bagnard Said. “You have a different kind of light; the light is inside.”

That piece was destroyed and is now among her home’s ashes, Along with Most of Her Other Artwork.

For most of her life, bagnard did pen-ink drawings with watercolor washes. Since the onseet of her vision loss, she has transitioned to other methods, using decoupage and handmade papers as well as written haikus.

The process of coping with her vision loss has helped her to keep the more recent loss of her home in perceential, she said, thought she admits she still has mothers of frustration.

To help rebuild, she has applied for a small business administration loan, and her daughter started a gofundme account.

Other Community Organizations, In addition to Pasadena Village, have also stepped in to offer support.

A Local Nonprofit Organization, Better Angels, Has Provided Grant Money to Bagnard and Her Grandson. And Journey House, A Provider of Foster Care Services, Has Promised to Help Bagnard’s Grandson, A Former Foster Youth, Who also Lost Everything in the Fire.

Amid Her Home’s Rubble, Bagnard Said She Has Also Seen Signs of Hope. A danish plate with a mermaid, which bagnard consides an art muse, survived the fire, as well as cement stars she had painted with images of the future seasons.

She has told her two Daughters and Grandson it is up to them to decide what to do with the property they will create inherit.

“I’m going to be 80 next month, and I hope to live long to see it rebuilt,” Bagnard said.