Rebuild:LA Episode 013 - The City Failed Us with Survivor Sue Pascoe

Sue Pascoe, her husband, and their two dogs evacuated the Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025 with a couple of overnight bags and the dogs' food bowls. They'd evacuated plenty of times before. This would be like the last few times. They'd be back home the next day. But by the next day, her home was gone. Like thousands of other families, the Pascoes lost everything. Sue is a journalist for the online newspaper Circling the News. Her press credentials got her inside the barricades before the public was given access. What she saw, and what she learned in her reporting has made her very angry. Her story is eye opening and wrenching.

Resources:

• Circling the News
• KTLA's News Story "Firefighters kept from front lines due to unserviced LAFD vehicles"
• How Much Will It Cost to Rebuild Los Angeles?
• FEMA Assistance for those Effected by the Wildfires 

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:50 A tragedy that didn't have to happen
• 7:24 The Palisades is not a wealthy enclave
• 10:12 The day the fire started
• 19:00 When they knew their home was lost
• 20:30 Trying to find a place to live
• 23:00 What was saved
• 24:40 What was lost
• 26:43 Going back home
• 32:35 Rebuilding
• 36:35 What needs to change
• 37:00 What survivors need
• 41:30 "I want to talk to Trump"
• 43:00 What should the Palisades become?
• 44:40 The need for a federal investigation
• 45:20 "Stop saying you're sorry"