After Math

 At one point, more than two hundred thousand people were under evacuation orders in the fire-ravaged areas of Southern California. More than twelve thousand homes, business and other structures were damaged or destroyed. The fact that Mark Hamill's home in Malibu was spared is cause for celebration among those who have homes in Malibu, but not everyone has a home in Malibu. And not everyone's hom in Malibu was spared. 

Media reports have tended to shine a light on those whose names are already known and whose pictures can be easily recognized next to those of smoldering wreckage. The message is clear to those of us on the receiving end: even the wealthy are suffering. Even the famous can experience loss. The hope, it would seem, is to drive home the point of this disaster by pointing at the high rent district and then letting us all imagine how awful it must be. 

For them. 

Meanwhile, I have received regular updates from my younger brother, famous for his role in the Caven Family as "the little brother." This is to say that the bungalow he and his wife were renting was in the evacuation zone, and his claim to fame is limited primarily to me and those who have seen his illuminated gas art or participated in his collage parties over the years. He's also a big fan of all things community, and he has been keeping me apprised of the hundreds of volunteers who have mobilized to remove debris and check in with their fellow residents. None of these folks were listed in IMDB or TMZ. These were individuals who came together in the wake of an indiscriminate force. While my brother and his wife were able to return to their home, just blocks away there are families who do not have the choice of spending a few weeks in their townhouse or their place on Martha's Vineyard. These are the people who are getting up and going to their place of business only to discover that it isn't there anymore. Or the ones who are waiting for word on the missing. The ones who are waiting for clues about how their lives might continue. 

On the flipside, there are plenty of those who live outside the fire zone who see the rich and famous as the reason why we should turn a cold shoulder on relief efforts. Why can't they just take care of themselves? Lost your house? Big deal. Buy a new one. 

Which I suppose they might, if only the real estate agent's office hadn't burned down too.