ALTADENA, Calif. — In the backyard of a former Altadena home lie piles of fire debris that Chloe Hawkins and her partner previously called home.

What You Need To Know

  • Wildfire survivors find navigating FEMA assistance challenging

  • Current law prohibits FEMA from allowing disaster relief victims to receive financial help from the federal agency and outside donations that are spent on the same things as housing, food, and more

  • Congresswoman Laura Friedman hopes the Don’t Penalize Victims Act will cut the red tape

  • FEMA recommends keeping online crowdfunding campaigns broad by describing it as “recovery efforts” rather than something specific like “rent” to prevent a claim from being denied

After the Eaton Fire, Hawkins said she and her partner spent a month living out of a motel before moving into a sublet nearby and trying to figure out what to do next after the fire.

“I think the only stuff that you can really see that really held its shape is like ceramics and some appliances and stuff. But really, everything is just gone,” Hawkins said.

As a renter, Hawkins said the community coming together through a GoFundMe campaign helped her feel a small sense of comfort during a traumatic experience.

However, figuring out what that could mean for FEMA assistance was another challenge.

Current law prohibits FEMA from allowing disaster relief victims to receive financial help from the federal agency and outside donations that are spent on the same things as housing, food, and more. FEMA views this as a duplication of benefits in some instances.

“When families are struggling at this magnitude, it’s not fair to police assistance this intensely. I mean, we need help,” she said.

According to FEMA, there are no magic words that can be used in a campaign online.

However, the agency recommends keeping the campaign broad by describing it as “recovery efforts” rather than something specific like “rent” to prevent a claim from being denied.

Congresswoman Laura Friedman said this complication is a challenge many fire victims have faced when trying to access FEMA assistance. Now, she’s hoping the Don’t Penalize Victims Act will cut the red tape.

“What this bill does is it fixes outdated FEMA rules so that charity donations will not count against your federal aid eligibility. It ensures that disaster victims are not punished just for receiving support from their community and it provides clarity so that victims don’t have to decipher confusing federal policies at the same time they are recovering from a disaster,” Rep. Friedman said.

Hawkins said she plans to return to Altadena one day, but right now, she’s still figuring out what FEMA assistance will look like for her.

“Everything was so uncertain, especially in the beginning. Every day was changing, we didn’t know what to expect and the community really played a huge role in giving us a sense of security,” Hawkins said.

Property owners have until April 15 to submit the Los Angeles County Right of Entry form for government-assisted property clean-ups. For more information, visit, https://recovery.lacounty.gov/.