'Disaster Veteran,' Longtime LI Resident, Helps In LA During Fires

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A longtime Montauk woman long known for giving back has been working tirelessly to help residents whose homes were ravaged in the Los Angeles wildfires.

Melissa Berman said she left Montauk on December 14 to drive country-country to Los Angeles and arrived at her new home on December 22 — 10 days before the Palisades fire erupted.

It wasn't the first time she'd seen disaster strike, Berman said.

"I was a young college graduate in San Francisco, arriving eerily around 10 days before the big earthquake in 1989. It was a once-in-a century event, they said, so despite being completely freaked out, I figured the worst was over."

Berman said she ended up moving back to New York a few years later and was in the city on 9/11.

"By the time Hurricane Sandy rolled around, I was firmly planted as a Montauker for well over a decade," she said. "I spent six months doing relief work for the Rockaways, alongside so many kind and generous East Enders. We even started an organization called East End Cares so we could continue to be of service when needed."

Through that organization, Berman and others "did lots of local volunteer work as well as fundraisers for other disasters around the world, including efforts to help with the refugee crisis in Greece. When COVID hit, we rallied quickly and offered ongoing support and fundraising for those in need on the East End. So I guess you can say I’m a disaster veteran."

But what she has seen unfold in Los Angeles has been unprecedented, she said.

"I have never experienced a fire — and my initiation has been nothing short of terrifying and heart-wrenching."

That said, she added: "No disaster is an easy experience. Fight or flight kicks in and our instinct to keep ourselves and others safe goes into overdrive. The thing about these fires, was the scale, rapid expansion, and never-before-seen engulfment of so much populated urban areas."

The two fires were on either sides of sprawling Los Angeles — and everyone was on high alert for a good two to three days, Berman said.

"The alerts on our apps went off all night with new evacuation orders. Texts and calls flying. 'Are you okay? Where will you evacuate to?' And there was even news of people who watched on their security cameras as their homes vanished to ash."

Berman said she had the "brilliant thought, that if I had to evacuate, I would run as fast as I could to the marina and jump in the water. About a mile from me."

She found comfort in those nearby, Berman said.

"My neighbors calmed me by telling me they would throw me in their car with them, should that happen – but that we were very, very lucky to be somewhere where that was pretty unlikely."

Meanwhile, she said, she was on the phone with a friend while he drove home from work through 100 mile-per-hour gusts, "branches flying by his car as it was literally shaking from the wind. We stayed on the phone most of the night. Me barking preparation orders at him, him telling me to stop scaring him."

But soon, Berman's can-do spirit surged as she sought ways to make a difference in her new home state.

"Once the evacuations died down and the winds slowed, and the real firefighting could begin, I knew I wanted to help. So I joined some Facebook groups that had popped up in Altadena for residents — telling the admins that I really wanted to help."

It wasn't long before Berman was back doing what she's long loved best — helping others during their darkest hours.

"Since this wasn’t my first disaster rodeo, I knew that there would soon be mountains of largely useless used clothes, a flurry of people creating Google docs, to try to get everyone on the same page, and a lot of sad, traumatized people not knowing where to turn first," she said. "The first items of order are always basic safety and shelter, food, and water. With a disaster where literally all belongings were ash and people had only the clothes on their backs, there was a need for supplies — and yes, some clothes — to get people through the initial phase."

She knew, she said, knew that supplies would start to be donated, and she also knew people who had escaped to hotels, short-term rentals, and to the sofas of friends and family.

"I know they wouldn’t have anything to carry or keep these basic in," she said. "Not many would have even a suitcase. So I decided to raise money for those large IKEA tote bags — quick and easy and useful."

During those days, the need was dire: "They have nothing but what was on their backs," she said.

The chain of caring spread across the United States.

"My East End friends and friends from all over were amazing," Berman said. "I was able to get 1,000 bags out the very next day. They were most helpful and welcome ‚ and many of the relief stations were thrilled to have them, as well as individuals."

Next, Berman said she spent the day in Altadena with some locals she'd met on the Facebook groups, so they could her around and tell her what was needed.

"It didn’t take long to know that people did not have the wherewithal to go from donation to donation site spending hours rifling through for what they needed," she said. "They were in shock and dealing with FEMA and feeding and calming their kiddos and many other things. So we decided to organize this service to help families individually by finding out what they needed, then gathering and delivering."

The plan worked very well, and with the extra funds she had after distributing more than 3,200 IKEA bags, she purchased gift cards for the families so they could get missing items and what they needed — when they needed it. "This is the single most-asked-for thing," Berman said. "Cash, or card, in hand."

Besides the bags and gift cards, Berman said she has so far helped about 18 families.

But she emphasized that it had, indeed, taken a proverbial village.

"I have amazing teams I'm coordinating with," she said, including Third Wave Volunteers, a production company, Mike TeeVee, actress Patricia Rae, the House of Honey design studio, and Alia Adel of The Style Stories. She also credited Esther Vasquez, an Altadena local who showed her around and conceived of the idea to collect and deliver items.

"I love them all," she said. "They are all such nice people."

Now, Berman is collecting funds for a gift card registry. To donate the cards, which will go directly to those in need, click here.

In the midst of despair, Berman saw some familiar faces, including Jim Schoenburg, who owns a home in Montauk and was in Los Angeles to help his mother.

Berman said there are ways the East Enders and Long Islanders can help, including the gift cards. "Send laptops," she said. "These are very much needed. Ones that are working and wiped."

East End residents, she said, have also galvanized to help support LuAnne Geffen’s family; Geffen is a beloved Sag Harbor resident and member of the Temple Adas Israel family. "Sag Harbor’s own has lost her childhood home in Altadena and her folks are displaced," Berman said. "I have been helping them as best I can here. They are lovely people, like her, and have lost literally everything — it’s all ash. They are devastated and overwhelmed. I would accept new clothes and shoes for them. We can get used items here."

Despite the sadness, Berman has witnessed the good that survives, after all is gone.

"This experience has reconfirmed to me the importance of community," she said. "Being on the East End, this was what filled my heart and my life every day — belonging to such a wonderful community. It’s what makes the East End so special and why it will forever be my home."

Now, she said: "Spending time in Altadena and with that community and observing them on their private group, I am reminded of how the East End always felt to me. People really have each other's backs. They know their neighbors well, and they are united in helping and healing together. It’s amazing to see in such a sprawling metropolis, often cited as being an isolating place. Beyond Altadena, I’ve seen the entire city — filled with a lot of smart people who work making productions happen — jump in and get it all done! Food, animal rescues, clothing, babysitting, fundraising, all of it. Everyone here was helping and concerned — the very best of human spirit."

Of course, she said, most can’t keep volunteering full-time, and already, she can see the flurry dying down.

"People not directly affected need to get back to work and their daily lives. Their involvement will understandably wane. And the remaining survivors will have a long, hard road ahead."

And that's why she will continue her journey of grace.

"When the news cycle dies down, often continuing to help can fade as well. I encourage everyone who can to reach out one more time if they can. This is truly massive devastation. Two thirds of all structures in Altadena gone, as well as in the Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu, as well. I don’t think I’ve truly processed the magnitude myself.

The experience echoes in her heart — a short-term rental that Berman once rented, "cute with ocean views," was a consideration when she first moved back to LA. "I almost rented it this time," she said, her voice quiet as she stared at a photo of the home engulfed in flames, destroyed. "That was almost me."