These 3 residents want to rebuild after Palisades Fire. Their individual journeys are very different
PACIFIC PALISADES (KABC) -- No community is one-size-fits-all, and that's especially true when it comes to re-building nearly 7,000 homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire.
ABC7 met three longtime Palisades residents -- Kimberly Bloom, David Howard and Erika Fiksdal -- who all want to rebuild, but their journeys at the one-year mark are each drastically different.
"My insurance basically offered me 50% of what it would cost to rebuild our home," Bloom said in an interview. "It was a ridiculous amount of money."
"My family's one of the more fortunate families that doesn't have to fight the fight, but part of our fight is for everybody else," said Howard.
"The folks who can come in and rebuild and just very quickly move on with life, very happy for them," said Fiksdal. "But that's not what it looks like for us."
Fiksdal is one of the thousands of generational families who call the palisades home. Her mom lived in this house since 1978 until it was destroyed in the palisades fire. Fiksdal and her daughter had been living there as well. they plan to rebuild, they just don't know how.
"She was severely underinsured. 2800 square foot remodeled four bedroom, you know, it was her castle," said Fiksdal.
"It's pretty obvious i lost everything, and you wouldn't think there'd be a lot to negotiate, but they look at every little thing," said Bloom.
Bloom and her husband have every intention to rebuild, but they're stuck because their insurance company is moving at a snails pace and it's unclear how much money they will get. That's why they haven't chosen an architect or builder.
"We don't want to take out a lot of loans," said Bloom.
But, they're going to have to. don't think for a minute this last year has caused her to want to leave the Palisades.
"This 40 by 130 parcel was worth double what it is today. So I lose 50% equity in just the land. That doesn't include the structure that was on top of it. It is a lose-lose to sell your lot. So as painful as this is and as much as I don't want to rebuild right now because I was gonna be traveling and retired and all of that," said Bloom.
And then there's David Howard. He believes he'll get 100% of what he's owed from insurance.
"We're rebuilding the house that we've always wanted. as you know, part which i guess if there's such a thing as a silver lining, maybe that's it. right? You get to build your dream house. But, certainly would have given that up to keep the town and the intact," said Howard.
The progress inspiring. The devastation, still hard to comprehend.
"When was the last time I got to walk through my front door? My whole family was here for Christmas, and not even two weeks later, was gone. And that was almost a whole year ago. It just feels really still feels really surreal. And can't we just go back? Why can't we just go back?," said Howard.
"We will come back. It's gonna take all of our blood, sweat, and tears to make it happen," said Bloom.
"It's a very special place and nobody that lived here ever took it for granted. Ever," said Howard.
