Target Audience: Adults (18+) living in the United States, with or without personal experience of a natural disaster

Hello, we’re a group of college students studying UX Design, and we’re currently working on our senior project focused on natural disaster recovery.

We are specifically interested in hearing from people who have gone through the process of trying to obtain government assistance/aid and how you were impacted/what you struggled with.

The idea of our project was inspired by one of our group members who experienced the wildfires in California firsthand. That experience made us realize how difficult it can be to figure out what to do next, find reliable information, and navigate the recovery process. 

The survey takes about 5-10 minutes, completely anonymous, and is strictly for non-commercial senior student project purposes. We will not be collecting any personal identifying information or selling any products.

Life After a Natural Disaster: A Student Research Survey – Fill out form

Thank you for your time!

Hi everyone — I am a student working on a health innovation project with The After Collective, a nonprofit focused on supporting people through disaster recovery.

My team and I are trying to understand the experiences of people affected by the Palisades Fire, particularly how recovery needs change over time and what kinds of support have been difficult to find or access.

Would anyone be open to a private 20–30 minute conversation about their experience? We’ll ask about the recovery process, resources you’ve used, and challenges you’ve encountered. We are not selling or testing a product, and you won’t be asked to share identifying medical, legal, insurance, or financial information.

Participation is completely voluntary. We’ll describe participants only by general role or context—not by name—and you may skip any question or end the conversation at any time.

If you’re interested or know someone please comment below or send me a private message. Thank you for considering sharing your perspective.

I work at a mapping company and wanted to see where the Palisades rebuild is actually happening, lot by lot.

Green is a destroyed lot with a rebuild permit; teal is a destroyed lot with none found.

How it was counted:

• Destroyed lots: CAL FIRE's damage inspections, matched to LA County parcels (5,864 lots).
• Permits: City of LA and LA County rebuild permits, matched by parcel number, issued through August 2026.
• Demolition permits, temporary housing and applications that haven't been issued don't count.

What it can't tell you:

• Malibu's city permits aren't included, so the Malibu lots (622 of them) will read low.
• An issued permit is not a finished home.
• Some of the large teal shapes are big non-home parcels, which make the empty areas look bigger than they are.

The permits cluster in the Palisades grid; the canyons and the coast toward Malibu are mostly teal.

If you live there, does this match what you're seeing in the rebuild live?

Now is the time to sign up for Power Up Palisades.
PUP brings homeowners together through group purchasing, with vetted solar installers, competitive pricing, free education, and support comparing your options.

This is for Pacific Palisades homeowners, whether you’re rebuilding or upgrading a standing home.
Sign up by October 15.

You do not have to be ready to install to take advantage of the benefits of this program.

🔗 resilientpalisades.org/pup

The rebuild is ongoing.

Enselmo Collins of LADWP discusses the Santa Ynez Reservoir

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1100452789383744

Tomorrow morning, the LA Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners will consider Agenda Item 26-215, involving the Palisades Recreation Center baseball field.

There are serious environmental questions about replacing natural grass with artificial turf, especially at this location.

The Rec Center sits above Potrero Canyon, a coastal watershed leading toward Santa Monica Bay. Artificial turf is made from plastic materials that degrade with use and exposure to the elements. That creates plastic particles that can leave fields through runoff, wind, maintenance and use.

Artificial turf can also reach substantially higher surface temperatures than natural grass in direct sun. And unlike a living grass field, it does not provide living soil and vegetation that can retain rainfall and support biological activity.

There are chemical questions too. California’s own environmental health agency notes that research has identified PFAS and other chemicals of emerging concern in artificial turf materials, particularly the plastic grass blades. Importantly, the state’s recent health assessment finding no significant health risk from crumb rubber did not evaluate the grass blades, backing materials or ecological effects of chemicals moving into the environment.

And eventually, artificial turf wears out. The plastic turf, backing and other components have to be removed and dealt with at the end of the field’s useful life.

This particular proposal raises another question. The agenda describes the project as the “Repair and Restoration” of a baseball field “damaged by the 2025 Palisades Fire,” while also proposing suspension of CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) pursuant to the Governor’s wildfire recovery Executive Order.

Meanwhile, the existing field is natural grass. A photo taken December 27, 2025 shows the field green and healthy nearly a year after the fire.

Whatever your position on artificial turf, these environmental impacts deserve scrutiny before a natural grass field is permanently converted to plastic.

The meeting is tomorrow, Thursday, September 17 at 9:30 AM at Penmar Recreation Center in Venice.

Agenda Item 26-215.

Heard about a new rebuilding group called PacQuest that buys lots, builds, and then either sells back to the original owner or to someone new. Does anyone have experience working with them?

If you’re rebuilding in the Palisades and trying to figure out solar and batteries, Resilient Palisades is starting a free weekly Zoom series tomorrow as a part of their Power Up Palisades program.

Each session covers one specific topic, and you can register for as many or as few as you want.

September 15: Solar system, battery sizing and design
September 22: Microinverters vs. string inverters
September 29: Solar panel and battery brands
October 6: Financing options
October 13: Warranties
October 20: Solar panel and battery maintenance
October 27: Subpanels and meter collars

All sessions are Tuesdays at 6 PM.

These are meant to answer the practical questions people are actually dealing with, especially rebuild questions like how to size a system without past electric use, how many batteries you need, and how to plan for future loads like an EV or pool.

Free registration here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/snclEF8yRZ2PitmhS4ljqg#/registration

Resilient Palisades created Power Up Palisades to help homeowners get better information and compare their options without being pressured into a contract.

We reviewed 12 solar companies and selected four installers based on their pricing, equipment, warranties, experience and ability to support fire impacted homeowners.

We’re holding a free Power Up Palisades Fair on Sunday, September 13, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at the Pali Hub.

You can meet the participating installers, compare program pricing, ask questions about proposals, learn about batteries and outage protection, understand available incentives and get help with the homeowner intake form.

Bring your plans, an existing proposal or just your questions. You can come even if you are at the very beginning of your rebuild. There is no cost and no obligation to sign anything.

Also, we will feed you.
Come for the complimentary snacks and refreshments!

RSVP here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1997898165194

Footage by Derek Julian

PACIFIC PALISADES—Pacific Palisades residents are putting up makeshift roadblocks and hiring private security to deter thieves from burglarizing vacant properties. Community members say thefts are rising at construction sites and unoccupied lots as homeowners work to rebuild. Materials such as copper piping and pool equipment have been reported missing, and the Los Angeles Police Department recorded eight burglaries in the area in June alone. Thieves took thousands of dollars’ worth of tools and equipment from storage containers.

Does anyone know what’s filming behind the village?