Karen Bagnard lost her home of more than 50 years in Altadena, California, to the area's devastating wildfires. Now, she hopes to rebuild.
Karen Bagnard's home of more than 50 years in Altadena, California, burned down in January's Los Angeles-area wildfires."I sure didn't expect this at the end of my life," Bagnard, 79, told CNBC. "I figured I'd go before the house would.""My daughter called and said, 'Mom, do you realize there's a fire?'" said Bagnard, who is 79 years old and legally blind. "I had no idea there was a fire.
The next day, Bagnard's daughter and grandson returned to the neighborhood to check on the home before authorities sealed off the area. What they found was a "smoldering pile of debris," her daughterIt was Jan. 22 before Bagnard was able to return to her neighborhood to see the devastation for herself.
Yet those demographics are not used as a lens for climate resilience planning in most cases, she said. "In natural disasters, they are disproportionately affected, more likely to be the ones found in their homes because they couldn't evacuate," Ross said."It's been heartbreaking," said Katie Brandon, executive director at Pasadena Village.
As Bagnard regroups, the Pasadena Village is replacing the computer she lost with the accessibility features she needs due to her vision loss. The community organization is working with other affected area residents to help provide the equipment they need, such as air purifiers and computer printers. Where possible, it's also encouraging older residents to continue to gather socially.
Yet more than a year from now, those same disaster victims may still be displaced from their homes, she said.They may be more susceptible to certain health and financial risks, particularly if they do not have a community safety net.from the National Council on Aging. If that includes respiratory or heart disease, the worsened air quality may be even more harmful to their health.
In early 2024, she held a show of her work at Pasadena Village, where she talked about coming to terms with blindness. Her favorite piece — of a sphere falling — played on darkness and light amid a color scheme of blue, teal and black, a symbol of her own journey.
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