On Jan. 7 2025, the devastating Eaton and Palisades wildfires broke out. Over 16,000 homes were burned down, which left many people grieving the loss of everything they owned and uncertain of their future.
As deeply saddening and frightening as this was, it was a touching and heartwarming example of the greater Los Angeles community coming together to help one another.
Many support drives were held in an effort to supply displaced people with necessities, including here at BHUSD.
Local Beverly Hills and Palisades restaurant owner Peter Garland’s restaurant has temporarily closed his Palisades location. Due to toxic air from the lingering smoke, Porta Via had to close despite not having fire damage. Many businesses that did not burn (particularly in Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village, where Porta Via is located) are closed for remediation. After intense exposure to smoke, many places go through remediation, which is the process of cleaning and removing toxins from polluted areas. Porta Via, along with all of the other businesses in that mall, have been closed for remediation since the fires.
The eventual next step is construction because part of the remediation process is testing areas such as inside walls and furniture for smoke toxins. However, they are due to reopen in August this year.
Garland said, “It will be exciting to get this thing open and change the conversation, you know, from losing a restaurant to reopening”.
As people lost their homes, a frenzy ensued in the housing market. Many people were anxiously searching for somewhere to live, whether that be renting or buying, which caused prices to surge up to 30%.
Palisades real estate broker Danny Brown said, “ …it’s been almost a year, and there’s going to be people coming out of these one-year leases or long-term Airbnbs, and we’re all starting to wonder if it could create another snap-back frenzy of new rentals”.
In the early months after the fires, many people wanted to rebuild as quickly as possible and stay in the Palisades. A year later, a lot of people are frustrated because of the lack of anticipated money from insurance. They have been getting sizable bids from contractors, and as a result, many have decided to sell.
After the fires broke out, BHUSD opened its doors to Palisades High School students and staff. Administration offered their district office to host professional development for the Pali administration to help them transition into virtual learning. They also welcomed students who decided to attend in-person school and incorporated them into the Beverly curriculum.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dustin Seemann said, “One of our biggest concerns as educators was ensuring that [Palisades students] felt safe and had the basic necessities to be successful.”
Now, a year later, students who transferred from Pali to Beverly are no longer being taught in our district, but some students who relocated to Beverly Hills have since continued their schooling through this district.
While most Beverly students did not have to evacuate from the fires, they were on high alert. Now that everything has settled, our administration has taken the opportunity to revise our emergency plans by instilling free counseling services for students as well as getting housing corporations to help students find temporary housing. These resources are to ensure that we are prepared in case of future disasters and possible emergencies.
