Wildfires

Local support continues to pour in for victims of California wildfires

NBC Universal, Inc.

As fires continue to ravage Los Angeles area communities, support from all around the country continues to roll in. Stew Leonard’s is stepping in, in partnership with the American Red Cross.

As fires continue to ravage Los Angeles area communities, support from all around the country continues to roll in. Stew Leonard’s is stepping in, in partnership with the American Red Cross.

The scale of devastation continues to come into focus. California will need a support for a long time and connections between Connecticut and California continue to shine through.

“There was a saying if you are wealthy, you live in Beverly Hills. If you were lucky, you lived in Pacific Palisades and that statement is so true,” said Michael Geller, a third-generation business owner in the Pacific Palisades.

He lost a home and business to the Palisades fire. The town was destroyed when the fire rolled through.

“I plan to rebuild, I’m not sure what my landlord is going to do,” Geller said.

He knows he will rebuild as a lifelong resident of the Palisades, but the cost of devastation continues to climb.

“This is an absolute nightmare; this is an apocalyptic movie, there is no way to assess really the magnitude of this situation,” Geller said.

 Nonprofits and groups around the country are rallying behind the state, including here in Connecticut.

“Next time you’re in the store, round up,” Stew Leonard Jr., with Stew Leonard’s, said.

They have partnered with the Red Cross and Newington Fire Department to create a “round up program.”

You will be able to round up your bill to the nearest dollar. Money thrown in their “wishing-well” will be donated, too.

“They are in need of everything, they have had their whole communities, the generosity and the outpouring we are seeing is unbelievable,” Richard Branigan, the regional CEO of the American Red Cross, said.

Branigan said the relief efforts will last for years, and for good reason. The devastation is widespread and tragic.

The Newington Fire Department did some quick math to bring it home. The Palisades fire alone has burned the acreage equivalent in size to roughly three Newingtons.

For those in the thralls of assessment and recovery, help cant come soon enough.

“We are sort of our own little city here, and it's gone, it's decimated,” Geller said.

The Red Cross also noted the importance of doing some research around who you are donating through, or with, because unfortunately there are people attempting to take advantage of the tragedy on the West Coast.

Contact Us