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Thousands of people are reeling from , including ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar, who is based in North Pasadena, close to where the Eaton fire blazed. Members of the tight-knit communities in Altadena and North Pasadena as well as others from the greater Los Angeles region are helping people pick up the pieces.Ìý

In a series of in-person interviews for ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Presents: Rising Up With Sonali, Kolhatkar spoke with several community members involved in mutual aid efforts. They include four young Black women who set up a on the front lawn of a home, and two young Latinx men who drove to Pasadena from Santa Monica to volunteer to clean debris and fallen branches from streets and people’s homes in an effort by the immigrant-led .Ìý

Independent bookstore owners Desiree Sayarath of and Nikki High of have turned their stores into mutual aid centers in the wake of the disaster. And , the proprietor of , a beloved Black-owned institution in North Pasadena, is also leading community aid efforts.Ìý