
There have been some sleepless nights over the past few weeks for Mya LaGrange.
LaGrange, an alumni of Destrehan High School, moved to Los Angeles six months ago from Austin, Texas, and – despite a few scares – says she’s been fortunate that her home has not been among those destroyed by the devastating wildfires that erupted and engulfed many homes in the Los Angeles area.
But the persistent threat hung overhead of LaGrange and her partner Jordan, and they’ve had to remain vigilant in response.
“Right now, we’re finally able to breathe a little,” said LaGrange on Saturday. “There’s a potential red flag warning for the upcoming week, but thankfully we’ve been alright. We’ve already been here through earthquakes, and now the wildfires. Just … fortunately our home is safe and we are safe, but there have been a couple of scary moments.”
One of those moments came when a fire ignited in a nearby area. LaGrange said firefighters eliminated it quickly, but she and Jordan also treated it as a warning.
“We started to look around and gather up everything important that we knew we could never replace,” LaGrange said. “Which was somewhat surreal in itself, just making those choices.”
When the fires became visible from their home, LaGrange and Jordan evacuated – it was uncertain whether the fires that raged through Palisades would reach their area.
“That was the first time we were able to see the flames from our area – it was visible from the apartment rooftop,” she said. “We went into Go-Mode.”
They’ve since been able to return as firefighters contained the threat, but the time has been tense for all who call Los Angeles home.
“I think everyone in the city has been on edge throughout all of this. It’s so up and down,” LaGrange said. “One minute you’re safe, the next minute fire could be approaching your area. You have to be ready to act on a minute’s notice. And you can’t get out if everyone is trying to evacuate at the same time.
“You become sleep deprived, because we wanted to be alert, not miss anything breaking throughout the night while we’re sleeping.”
But LaGrange noted that so many others have had to deal with far worse due to the situation.
“We know many people around us who aren’t as fortunate as we’ve been,” said LaGrange. “I’m someone who relies on my faith, in general but especially in these situations. I’ve prayed a lot for the community around us. And really, our focus now has been to give back to a city that has welcomed us, whose resources we use and whose communities we’ve become a part of.”
Something else that inspires her in this regard is the togetherness the people there have shown through great adversity.
“You’re seeing the city come together, sharing resources and being good neighbors for one another,” LaGrange said. “It’s really been inspiring, and it inspires you to want to help the community move forward.”
She added that many people are in need of immediate resources.
“Anyone who is looking to donate, you can do so directly to the families who need it – reputable GoFundMes are a good way to get help directly into the hands of these families who have lost everything,” LaGrange said. “Especially as they are navigating working with insurance companies, and the long, uphill battle that comes with that … these folks need immediate resources … if you can donate directly to families or to community mutual aid funds, just getting those resources directly into the hands of those families is what’s important.”