Los Angeles in flames
As multiple wildfires bring devastating destruction to Los Angeles, the images and stories of the tragedy are playing out in the press and social media.
In images like this:
And videos like this:
Media reports are pointing to the deaths of at least 10 people, and destruction of thousands of homes and buildings. among the images is the charred ruins of Altadena True Value Hardware, located just north of Pasadena.
And the fires continue to burn. As of Friday afternoon, multiple media reports describe several of the big fires in the early stages of containment.
In Washington, D.C., the White House announced a Major Disaster declaration that it said will allow impacted communities and survivors to access funds for recovery.
Also in Washington, D.C., the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association offered its sympathy to those in harms way.
“NLBMDA joins with the entire country in expressing our thoughts and heartfelt prayers to those throughout Southern California experiencing the devastating impacts of these unrelenting wildfires,” said NLBMDA President & CEO Jonathan Paine. “It is being reported that over 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and tragically there have been at least 10 fatalities. We salute the brave first responders and firefighters who have been battling the fires around the clock for days doing everything they can to protect residents and gain control of the unmerciful fires. There will be time to evaluate the impact of the Los Angeles wildfires but for now our focus is with all those being impacted and for everyone’s safety.”
The West Coast Lumber & Building Material Association Executive Director Matt Endriss told HBSDealer that he has been in contact with many members of the association in the Los Angeles vicinity. And while the disaster continues to unfold, he’s not aware of any member locations that have burned to the ground.
Currently, there’s not much to do but offer those affected moral support—and check in on the members and their safety. But eventually, that will change.
“In the future, there will be programs, and some level of financial support," Endriss said. "And then the recovery becomes an educational process and we’ll be able to share what we know and what we’ve learned from other areas of the state.”
Before joining the WCLBMA, Endriss had been an executive with Napa, California-based Central Valley, which is located Northern California, and in area that suffered through the destructive Tubbs Fire that raged in October of 2017.