"Ellen Williams' left hand played with her long dark hair as her right hand guided the steering wheel, her phone resting face-down in her lap. Born and raised in Altadena, an unincorporated area in Los Angeles county, she didn't need to look at a map as she drove to where her home of 22 years burned down. We passed empty lots with gaping holes where foundations once stood. The banging of hammers rang through the neighborhood and wood frames rose from the dirt, the smell of fresh lumber in the air. Perched on street corners were signs declaring: Altadena is not for sale."
"Altadena is known for its thriving Black community that moved there when redlining kept them from buying homes elsewhere. Now, the community is experiencing what academics call climate gentrification as residents fight displacement. Longtime residents who lost their homes are drowning financially due to insurance issues and the high cost of rebuilding, realizing they can't afford to start over, and selling their land for less than it was worth when their homes were still standing."
Ellen Williams returned to the lot where her 22-year home burned, passing empty foundations, new frames, and signs reading "Altadena is not for sale." Her family lost four homes in the Eaton fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed about 9,500 buildings. She received a call from a real estate investor two days after the fire, and investor contacts have continued. Real estate investors seek cleared, discounted lots to build in an urban area with scarce land. Longtime residents face insurance shortfalls and high rebuilding costs, forcing many to sell lots below their pre-fire value and risking displacement through climate gentrification.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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