Dammit. My kid had to evacuate from the Palisades fire at 2am last night. They’ve been on red flag watch all week at the edge of the fire and the drop in winds I guess backdrafted the fire toward their apartment. They’re safe in a hotel but my god I hate this.
They say everyone will eventually have first-hand experience with climate disaster and I guess it’s our turn.
Watching Canadian fire bombers scoop water from the ocean near my kid’s apt has me sobbing.
There are endless stories, as there always are, of people coming out of the woodwork to help in the disaster. And then the media scares up a story about a lone looter or some guy running around with a propane torch trying to light more fires and it just reminds me how the media and often the authorities (not in this case, California government is doing excellent work) are the worst part of this — they, especially the media, try to reinforce “society is breaking down!!” narratives when it’s only a few people, probably stressed out of their minds or having other mental health issues, that react that way.
Everyone, and I mean everyone is mobilizing to help.
And that is the world we could have.
Meanwhile, it also emphasizes how important your networks are. I have family in the area where my kiddo can go, but even my niece lost power for a while and had to decamp to her parents’ house. But I have friends in the area, I have a network of support, I know I could find my kid a place to stay if needed. And they’re resilient enough (and with resources) that they can just take themselves to a hotel at 2am when necessary.
Our networks really are our resiliency and the more we tend to them, the stronger they get.
Just wanted to report in from the climate front lines a bit and confirm: whatever community-building and connection-making you’re doing is important. Do more of that. Double down on it.
We are what will get us through the times ahead. We instinctively know this is true. Don’t believe the bullshit narratives that say otherwise.
The solarpunk narratives/values that I try to put out in the world, the ones that reinforce community and connection as vital, is important. The stories we tell each other—about who we are, about what is possible—matter.
We need narratives that push back against the ones that insist we will descend into chaos under stress when the opposite is true.
We need to tell that story—the story of how we survive.
It seems crazy to recommit to writing my hopeful climate-fiction novel while waiting to hear if my kid’s apartment will be consumed by the climate-driven catastrophe ravaging Los Angeles, but I think that’s exactly the right thing to do. As I’ve said many times, I am not, after all, telling stories about climate change: I’m telling stories about how we have to change.
Stay safe, friends.
Thank you for your continuing stream of hope and survival skills❤️ My kiddo is in LA too. So far no evacuations though.